Hastings railway station, New Zealand
Hastings | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | Russell Street, Hastings New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 39°38′21″S 176°50′47″E / 39.6391°S 176.8465°E |
| Owned by | New Zealand Railways Department |
| Line(s) | Palmerston North–Gisborne |
| History | |
| Opened | 12 October 1874[1] |
| Closed | 7 October 2001 (passengers) [1] |
The Hastings railway station in Hastings, New Zealand is the main railway station in Hastings and an intermediate stop on the Palmerston North–Gisborne Line. The station is on the corner of Russell Street (which ran alongside the line) and St Aubyn Street, and is close to the centre of Hastings. It is no longer used by any regularly-scheduled passenger services.
On 12 October 1874 the original station and the first section of the line south from Napier to Hastings was opened. The station was taken over from the contractor on 18 January 1875.[1] The line gradually extended beyond Hastings, with completion on 9 March 1891 when it was opened through the Manawatu Gorge to Palmerston North and, hence, to Wellington.
From 1874 to 2001 numerous passenger trains serviced the station. These included local "mixed" trains that carried both passengers and goods between communities in the southern Hawke's Bay, and express trains from Wellington such as the Endeavour. The Bay Express was the last regularly scheduled service to use the station.
Passenger services ceased on 7 October 2001. The station building has stood empty since then, but it is still visited by occasional heritage train excursions.