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Story: Rural services

The rise and fall of railways

Choose year:

  • 1905

  • 1950s

  • 2008

By 1905 the national railway network was quite extensive, with lines linking many farming regions with their local port. The network reached its greatest extent in the 1950s, and most rural areas were connected with the main centres. However by 2008 the railways had shrunk considerably. Many branch lines had closed, as road freighting became a more cost-effective way of transporting farm produce and supplies.

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How to cite this page

Nancy Swarbrick, Rural services – Railways, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/18548/the-rise-and-fall-of-railways (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 1 March 2009.

Comments

Chris Harris
11 April 2012
In the 2008 map you need to fill in the gap that goes through the Kaimai ranges west of Tauranga. This is left blank when the northern loop (pre-Kaimai Tunnel) is removed in going from the 1950s map to the 2008.