Lines in
bold type are currently operated by KiwiRail
Main trunk lines The last two lines are sometimes referred to as the
South Island Main Trunk Railway.
Secondary main lines Branch lines Northland Auckland Auckland Suburban passenger rail lines Waikato / Coromandel Bay of Plenty Gisborne – Hawke's Bay Central North Island Taranaki Manawatū Wairarapa Wellington Wellington Suburban rail lines Nelson West Coast Canterbury Otago Southland Private lines Parts of the network were constructed by private companies, and most were unsuccessful. All except the Whakatane Board Mills line and the
Sanson Tramway were later acquired by the government. The most successful was the
Wellington and Manawatu Railway, which operated between Wellington and Longburn (near Palmerston North) from 1885 to 1908. After the WMR, perhaps the best-known private railway was the
New Zealand Midland Railway Company, which constructed parts of the Midland, Nelson and West Coast lines. After the company was dissolved in 1900 the railway lines and their construction were taken over by the government. Some lines were built by companies for access such as to coal mines, and by local government bodies. •
Cape Foulwind Branch •
Castlecliff Railway •
Fernhill Branch •
Hutt Park Railway •
Kaitangata Line •
Kakanui McDonald Limeworks Branch •
Kurow Branch (
Duntroon –
Hakataramea portion) •
Taupo Totara Timber Co (TTT) Railway (Mokai Tramway) (
Putāruru to
Mokai near
Lake Taupō) •
New Zealand Midland Railway Company Limited •
Ohai Railway Board •
Port Chalmers Railway Company Limited •
Riccarton Racecourse Siding •
Rakaia and Ashburton Forks Railway Limited •
Sanson Tramway • Taratu Railway (Lovells Flat) • Thames Valley and Rotorua Railway Company • Waronui (Coal) Railway (Milton) •
Waimate Gorge Branch •
Waimea Plains Railway •
Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company Limited •
Whakatane Board Mills line •
Wilton Colleries Line Significant proposals Many railway lines have been proposed, especially in the 19th century, but never constructed. An 1873 map indicated that it was intended to link up all the current and authorised routes into a national network. Some proposals have been particularly significant due to their extent, publicity, or how close they came to being realised (in some cases, the
track bed was built). Some significant proposals include: •
Auckland Airport Line – an extension of the
Onehunga Branch to
Auckland Airport, and/or a link from the airport to the
NIMT at
Puhinui. Other options also mooted. •
Avondale - Southdown Line (land corridor owned by KiwiRail) •
Canterbury Interior Main Line • Connection of the
Catlins River Branch and the
Tokanui Branch •
Cromwell –
Queenstown, proposed connection with the Kingston Branch extension before Otago Central Railway route chosen. •
Culverden –
Reefton line •
Culverden to
Tophouse, with branches from there to Nelson and
Blenheim • Dunedin Peninsula and Ocean Beach railway extension to Portobello and Taiaroa Heads. • Extension of the
East Coast Main Trunk Railway to link
Gisborne and
Rotorua by going inland from
Ōpōtiki up the Waiweka Gorge to the
Moutohora Branch. So would link the
Bay of Plenty to Gisborne and
Palmerston North via the
Palmerston North – Gisborne Line. •
Fairlie Branch – extension 27 km beyond Eversley, proposals to terminate the line in
Burkes Pass • East Cape tourist line via Hicks Bay •
Haywards–Plimmerton Line between the
Hutt Valley Line and the
Kāpiti Line. •
Kakahi –
Pūkawa (
Lake Taupō) line •
Kennington –
Waikiwi deviation to
Invercargill •
Kingston Branch – extension to
Queenstown •
Kirikopuni –
Kaikohe line •
Kurow Branch – extension beyond
Hakataramea •
Lewis Pass Railway (
Reefton to
Culverden) •
Little River Branch – extension to
Akaroa •
Marsden Point Branch and its Waipu precursor •
Martinborough Branch •
Masterton –
Waipukurau line via either
Pongaroa or
Castlepoint •
Mossburn Branch – extension to
Te Anau •
Motueka to Tadmor •
Nelson – Blenheim line • Extension of the
Nelson Section through the
Buller Gorge to the
West Coast. •
Nelson to
Cobden and
Westport •
North Shore Line – from central Auckland (Britomart) to the North Shore, and extended northward on the route currently occupied by the
Northern Busway •
Okaihau Branch – extension to
Rangiahua and
Kaitaia •
Opunake Branch – sub-branch from
Kapuni to
Manaia; extension to
New Plymouth •
Otago Central Railway – extension to
Wānaka • Paengaroa – Rotorua line •
Paeroa–Pokeno Line • Ross – Haast, including rebuilding to heavy rail of the Stewart and Chapman tramway to Lake Ianthe State Forest. •
Roxburgh Branch – connection from
Roxburgh to the Otago Central Railway in
Alexandra • Sockburn-Styx deviation and industrial line. •
Taupō railway proposals – connections from Rotorua, Kinleith or Murupara branches •
Te Aro Extension – extension to Island Bay •
Waiau Branch – extension to
Kaikōura •
Waimate Branch – extension of the Waihao Downs line •
Wainuiomata Branch – from the
Hutt Valley section of the
Wairarapa Line to the suburb. •
Wairau Valley Railway from Tophouse to Blenheim •
Westport to
Charleston ==Nelson – Blenheim notional railway==