Hutt Valley Branch
The original route was built along the western bank of the Hutt River to provide the most direct route from Wellington to the Wairarapa. In 1925, the Hutt Valley Lands Settlement Act contained a provision for a branch line railway from Petone to Waterloo., known as the Hutt Valley or Waterloo Branch. Initially a single line was planned, but as a substantial 233 metre bridge with 17 piers over the Hutt River at Ava was needed, and as it was to be the future main line as the Western Hutt route could not be duplicated north of Melling, the new line was double track. It was built by the Public Works Department, and work started in April 1925, although the first sod was turned by the Prime Minister a few weeks later. Construction was simple with minimal earthworks, although industrial troubles in Britain delayed delivery of steel girders, and the temporary structure was nearly washed away by a flood. Three new stations at Ava, Woburn and Waterloo were built. The new line was opened by the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Gordon Coates, on 26 May 1927.
The Hutt Valley Branch was soon followed by the Gracefield Branch to the Railway Department's new Hutt Workshops on 1 April 1929.
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