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Story: Railways

New Zealand’s first public railway

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New Zealand’s first public railway

New Zealand’s first locomotive-powered public railway opened in Christchurch on 1 December 1863. It connected the city and a river port at Ferrymead. Richard Kelly’s engraving of the opening ceremony appeared in the Illustrated London News in March 1864.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: PUBL-0033-1864-241

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Neill Atkinson, Railways – Building the rail network, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/21373/new-zealands-first-public-railway (accessed 5 June 2026).

Story by Neill Atkinson, published 6 April 2010.