New Zealand Railways Department - History

History

Originally, New Zealand's railways were constructed by provincial governments and private firms. The largest provincial operation was the Canterbury Provincial Railways, which opened the first public railway at Ferrymead on 1 December 1863. Following the abolition of the provinces in 1877, the Public Works Department took over the various provincial railways. However, since the Public Works Department was charged with constructing new railway lines (among other public works) the day to day railway operations were transferred into a new government department on the recommendation of a parliamentary select committee. At the time 1,136 miles (1,828 km) of railway lines were open for traffic, 339 miles (546 km) in the North Island and 797 miles (1,283 km) in the South Island, mainly consisting of the 390 miles (630 km) Main South Line from the port of Lyttelton to Bluff.