History

The Remuera Railway Station is an iconic heritage building that was constructed in the early twentieth century by the New Zealand Railways Department.

Remuera Station began as a stop on the Auckland-Onehunga railway, opened in 1873.

After the turn of the century the growth of traffic on the line was stretching its capacity. By 1903 Minister of Railways Sir Joseph Ward acknowledged the need for better capacity and accommodation on the line. A duplicate line was built to Penrose junction, later extended all the way to Hamilton, and new island stations erected at Newmarket, Greenlane, Remuera, Penrose and Ellerslie.

Completion

The present Remuera Railway Station building was completed in November 1907, designed by New Zealand Railways architect George Alexander Troup (1863-1941), at a cost of £1,149. The signal box was completed in 1909. It replaced an earlier building that became a library for workshop staff. A toilet block was added shortly after at a cost of £80.00. This was demolished in 1982.

A steady drop in parcel and passenger freight to and from the station saw its closure as an officered station in 1942. Remuera was by then well served by trams.

Remuera Station. Auckland Star, 22 May 1942.

Remuera Railway Station 1955. From The Railways of New Zealand a journey through history. Geoffrey B. Churchman & Tony Hurst.

Busy

Remuera Station enjoyed its busiest period as a freight station from 1970 when the forwarding company Alltrans established a large depot that closed in the late 1980s.

Alltrans

In 1979 the station was closed to all traffic except passengers and private siding traffic (principally Alltrans). The signal box became automatic in 1987. The sidings were closed by the early 1990s and the land redeveloped as apartments. A modified platform beyond the southern end of the building platform now remains open for passengers but is unstaffed.

TrackSafe Foundation photo 2014.

The railway station building is owned by KiwiRail and leased to Auckland Transport.