Subscribe to RSSLocals Save Historic Railway Station
Maybe this is what we’ll have to do with the remaining old railway stations that need doing up on the Auckland line.
In Wellington north, the 1940s Plimmerton railway building was closed some years ago after becoming rundown, and was earmarked for demolition.
However, the community was determined to save it because of its historic value and has worked with Porirua City Council’s Village Planning Programme to come up with a cheaper option to save the building using volunteer labour.
KiwiRail supported the proposal and funded a new roof and structural repairs to the building.
Community volunteers have been working since February to fit out the interior, with working bees held most weekends.
Plimmerton’s historic railway station building will be reopened in a grand celebration on Sunday, October 10, after months of the community working bees working to restore it.
Guests are being invited to dress in costume from the 1940s era for the opening day, when the station will also be visited by a Mainline steam train carrying hundreds of passengers from Wellington.
Kiwirail's new roof contribution |Photos Porirua council
“It’s going to be a lot of fun and a well deserved day of celebration for all the volunteers who have now put in more than a thousand hours of work,” says community spokesperson Allan Dodson.
“It’s really brought the community together. We’ve had more than 80 people of all ages involved, including our regular helper 85-year-old Jim Gyton. It’s really been a tremendous community effort,” says Mr Dodson.
He estimates the community support, in terms of donated goods, volunteer work hours and community funds would total more than $50,000.
The restored building will have a covered waiting area for the hundreds of commuters who travel to and from Plimmerton each day.
As well, space in the building has been leased to model train shop “Mack’s Tracks” which will also sell tickets and refreshments.
“The station is now a real asset for Plimmerton and KiwiRail; a building we can be really proud of,” says Mr Dodson.
4 Comments
Congratulations to all involved, it sounds too good to be true. Methinks we all want to know more about how exactly they got it all to come together to work after years of the station being rundown. Did the Lotteries Commission or other donors help, or was it part of the Wellington Regional Rail Plan? There are just so many stations on the Hutt Valley Line that must be rescued too. Trentham definitely although I’m biased, along with Taita, Melling, Naenae, Upper Hutt… The Plimmerton People should move on and do another station next year! Having a model train shop in the new station is a real coupe.
Tawa Station is very similar to Plimmerton, not to mention many small town stations around the country. I hope local community boards get behind such proposals. No one wants to go to a derelect and run down station to catch the train
Why can’t some of these buildings be turned into residential housing? Not every community can save them like this.
Surely, having it lived in (with some obvious modifications in case the station is still being used by passengers), will be much better for a historical buildings (as well as for the local Council’s or KiwiRail’s budget) than having it stand empty until some vagrants ruin it, or vandals set fire to an empty building…
I agree with Karl, there must be more options here… but I suppose a lot of these buildings can’t be moved easilly.. Anyways I believe the main things to take from this are:-
A: Stations used for public transport must be thought of first and foremost community assets, not rail assets => its not worth doing anything unless local communities use and see value in them
B: Stations have to be occupied to make this kind of thing worthwhile => not worth spending time and effort if the station is going to sit empty and thus vulnerable to vandalism or damage. I think Mack Tracks was a key part of all this
C: Community involvements will have other benefits => goodwill, more use of trains, reduction in vandalism and other things
D: Use it or lose it works => everyone was fine with the rundown station, until it had to be pulled down
E: There’s a lot more stations that could benefit from the same approach, here’s to more!!!! I nominate Trentham as next one!!!