The Melling Station building in Lower Hutt has been moved 500m away on the back of a truck.
By Justin Wong of Local Democracy Reporting
Workers relocated the 19m long, 25-tonne train station building to a temporary home at nearby Marsden St on Monday, making way for a new State Highway 2 interchange and bridge crossing Te Awa Kairangi Hutt River.
In a few years, the building will be shifted again — this time about 300m south from its original location — where a new footbridge will link it to the Lower Hutt city centre.
The Melling Line terminus — used by about 370 passengers a day — has already been closed for three years as part of the $1.5 billion Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi RiverLink project, led by the Government, local councils and mana whenua.
About two weeks after the final train departed on Christmas Eve last year, KiwiRail pulled the tracks and overhead cables between Melling and Western Hutt stations.
Trains continue operating on the Melling Line, terminating at Western Hutt station.
A spokesperson from Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency said the new Melling station would retain the same orientation to the railway line, as well as a prominent view from the west including from Western Hutt Rd, as part of conditions imposed by the Environment Court.
The RiverLink project’s other objectives include strengthening the city’s flood defences with new stopbanks and widening and deepening the Hutt River, to reorient the city centre closer to the river.
Bus routes 145 and 149, which serve the western hill suburbs, have been rerouted to stop at Waterloo Station, and Hutt Valley Line peak‑hour trains will run with extra capacity.
Waterloo and Petone stations will get additional bike racks, and more temporary park‑and‑ride spaces will be available at Petone.
– Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
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