Operation
The Extension never achieved the degree of usefulness envisaged. It would have been satisfactorily located had it been built in the 1870s, but the changing nature of Wellington city meant that by the time it was built it did not provide the central city access that was intended. Nearby businesses complained about the noise and dirt from the steam locomotives, and it was a disruption to traffic on busy city streets.
The line was built with no facilities for freight handling at Te Aro. Passenger traffic was the line's mainstay, with 212 services a week, approximately 30 a day, in 1904. Special trains operated from Te Aro to the end of the Hutt Park Railway whenever the Wellington Racing Club had a horse racing meeting, though this ceased after 1905 when the Racing Club relocated to Trentham. Competition from Wellington trams led to a decline to only 62 services a week by 1916. Closure had been recommended by the General Manager of Railways in 1914, and this took place in March 1917 and the track was removed in 1923.
Read more about this topic: Te Aro Extension
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