Hamilton Railway Station, Waikato

Hamilton
1980 - the new Hamilton station in the middle distance, the old Frankton Junction being demolished in the foreground
Location	Fraser Street, Hamilton[1] New Zealand
Coordinates	37°47′30″S 175°15′55″E / 37.791611°S 175.26536°E / -37.791611; 175.26536Coordinates: 37°47′30″S 175°15′55″E / 37.791611°S 175.26536°E / -37.791611; 175.26536
Owned by	KiwiRail
Line(s)	North Island Main Trunk
Platforms	2
Connections	East Coast Main Trunk (goods only)
Construction
Parking	Yes
History
Opened	19 December 1877[2]
Rebuilt	1975
Electrified	25 kV 50 Hz AC June 1988
Previous names	Hamilton, Hamilton Junction (20/10/1879 – 1/10/1884), Frankton Junction (1884-1955), Frankton (1955-20/7/1975)[2]
Services
KiwiRail   Preceding station   KiwiRail Scenic   Following station Papakura toward Auckland Strand Northern Explorer Otorohanga toward Wellington

Hamilton station from Massey Hall bridge, showing the NIMT platform (right) and ECMT (left). In 2006 the station still had the long canopy over the platforms

Hamilton Railway Station is a junction on the North Island Main Trunk serving the city of Hamilton in the Waikato region of New Zealand, located in Frankton, hence the name Frankton Junction, which it had for most of its existence.

When the Overlander was replaced by the Northern Explorer in 2012, the service to Hamilton was reduced to one train a day on six days a week.

History

- see also rail section on Hamilton page -

The station was important in the growth of Hamilton and trains calling have included The Overlander, Blue Streak, Scenic Daylight, Daylight Limited, Northerner, Silver Star, Night Limited, Waikato Connection, Rotorua Express, Geyserland Express, Thames Express, Taneatua Express and Kaimai Express.

The scale of past use of the station is indicated by a 1936 report that 3 months' revenue was £7065 for tickets (27,025 sold), £1482 for parcels and £24,143 for goods, including 43,357 sheep, 5,849 cattle and 1,756,450 feet of timber.^[3] The 2016 equivalent would be about $15m a year.^[4]

Northern Explorer at Hamilton in 2012, ready to depart for Auckland. Most of the platform canopy was removed about 2008.

AARD Hudson buses at Frankton Junction early 1920s loaded with mailbags. The 1937 link shows that the station then had many bus connections. No bus now serves the station.

Frankton Junction about 1915

External links

• 1:50,000 map
• Hamilton station on Google Street View
• 1890s photo of station and staff
• Hamilton Libraries 1905 view of busy Frankton Junction
• Hamilton Libraries tinted postcard
• 1915 view of railway yards and station
• Te Ara Encyclopedia - photo of a crowded platform in the 1930s
• NZ Railways Magazine 1 December 1934 - Frankton yesterday and today
• NZ Railways Magazine 1 June 1937 bus advert showing bus connections from Frankton Jt station yard
• Hamilton Libraries - refreshment room breakfast menu
• 1975 photo of part of Frankton Junction

Plaque next to main entrance - opened by Ron Bailey 6 August 1975

A 25-minute walk to the city centre, or 5 minutes to the half-hourly^[5] bus

References