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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 6, Issue 1 (May 1, 1931)

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In the following article Mr. Davidson gives some interesting historical particulars of railway construction at Auckland, and tells how our railway engineers have solved the many intricate problems associated with the scheme of providing the northern gateway of the Dominion with modern terminal facilities.

Railway construction in Auckland dates back to the year 1863 when the Provincial Council put in hand the construction of a line between Auckland and Drury with a branch to Onehunga. It is interesting to note that this railway was projected in view of the ultimate establishment of a main trunk line to Wellington, although the immediate necessity which gave rise to it appears to have been the want of military transport to the seat of War in the Waikato. The fighting with the Maoris was suspended, however, and the construction of the railway remained in abeyance.

This railway enterprise did not take definite shape until 1872 when a contract was let for the construction of the Auckland -Mercer railway.

The railway station at Auckland had its genesis in a contract entered into in September, 1872, between the then Governor of the Colony, Sir James Fergusson, on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen, and Alexander, Henry and James Brogden of London, railway contractors. Mr. John Carruthers was the Engineer-in-Chief for the Colony of New Zealand. The contract covered harbour reclamation, sea walls, drains, and platelaying.

The station sidings were a little over one and a half miles in length and the points and crossings numbered 20. In the new Auckland yard, opened on 24th November, 1930, there are thirty-two miles of sidings and 338 points and crossings.

In 1872 there were less than 100 miles of railway open for traffic in the whole country. The population of Auckland city and environs was only about 25,000. Today our railway system has a length of 3,287 miles and the population of Auckland is 212,100.