Pukekohe Station Reopens

Train 142 gets a medium speed signal to the Mission Bush Branch, shortly before tackling the first hill on the line. This view demonstrates a quirk of repeater indicator behaviour; namely showing a stop indication when a train is occupying the section between it and its signal

6 February 2025

Train 142 enters the Mission Bush Branch at Paerata

6 February 2025

DL 9423 starts the climb from Paerata with train 142

6 February 2025

Visible on the hill, DL 9423 powers up the grade towards Mission Bush, now out of the electrified area after a brief run under the wires

6 February 2025

Slightly further north at Paerata, DL 9792 leads train MP3 south through the junction. The future Paerātā station will not sit within Paerata station limits

6 February 2025

DL 9792 works hard with train MP3, heading south under new wires

6 February 2025

On occasion, a container is loaded with a missing door, allowing a peek inside. This container on train MP3 is carrying a pallet of onions

6 February 2025

Heading past the old Paerata station site, AM 701 runs a southbound service towards Pukekohe

6 February 2025

AM 701 heading south crosses AM 537 heading north at Paerata

6 February 2025

AM 701 silently rolls through Paerata, an upgrade on the diesel trains that served Pukekohe until 2022

6 February 2025

AM 646 heads south towards Pukekohe, passing the future Ngākōroa station. The new station is slated to open in late 2026, with new development being built around it

6 February 2025

AM 646 passes the new Ngākōroa station under construction

6 February 2025

Heading the other way, AM 701 passes Ngākōroa station on a run to Waitematā

6 February 2025

Evidence of a overheight vehicle is obvious as AM 334 crosses McPherson Road south to Pukekohe. The bridge has been a frequent site of bridge strikes, forcing cancellations of services to Pukekohe in the past

6 February 2025

The northernmost new station south of Pukekohe is at Drury, which has a short section of platform edging in place. Here, AM 225 heads south towards Pukekohe, passing what exists of the platform

6 February 2025

The platform edge that currently exists barely fits a 3 car train, however the final station will be long enough for 6 cars and future proofed for 9 cars. AM 225 makes a speedy run south past the under-construction station

6 February 2025

DL 9515 powers through the future Drury station with train MP4 in tow

6 February 2025

DL 9515 works hard as it brings train MP4 through Drury station

6 February 2025

Train MP4 heads north with DL 9515 on the head, passing Drury station

6 February 2025

A wider view of Drury station, with DL 9515 bringing train MP4 through the site

6 February 2025

Passing behind, AM 646 heads through Drury station on a run north

6 February 2025

AM 646 passes through Drury without stopping as it heads north to Waitematā. Running times for Papakura to Pukekohe already include extra time for the new stations, avoiding the need to change the timetable again when they open

6 February 2025

Between Sutton Road and Opaheke Road, a private driveway crossing exists to serve two houses. This crossing has recently been upgraded to feature barrier arms, a KiwiRail requirement in double tracked areas. AM 849 passes over the crossing on a northbound run to Waitematā

6 February 2025

At Boundary Road, DL 9469 brings a short train 228 into Papakura station limits

6 February 2025