Takaanini railway station

Takaanini railway station, officially spelt Takanini, is on the Southern Line of the Auckland railway network in New Zealand. The station has an island platform layout and is accessed from Manuroa Road, Station Road and Taka Street in the Takanini suburb of Auckland. The railway through Takaanini was opened on 20 May 1875, as part of the Auckland and Mercer Railway, built by Brogden & Co, who extended it from Penrose. Steam trains would stop to take on water near the Papakura river between today’s Te Mahia and Takaanini stations. On 6 November 1908 the line became part of the North Island Main Trunk, with services reaching Wellington. On 25 June 1913 a station at a place known as Lupton's Crossing, at 16 miles 73 chains, was approved. It was originally intended to call the station 'Glenora' after the nearby historic estate of Glenora Park. The station was opened in October 1913 as the Takanini railway station. Land for the station was donated by locals. In 1914 the Maru Land Company subdivided the 'Town of Takanini' around the station. On 16 April 1915, a Post Office operated by Railways Department staff opened; it was removed from the station on 14 January 1920. In 1923 a proposal to add a ladies waiting room (12' x 10') with toilet (about 8' x 10') was approved. By this point the station building consisted of a store (12' x 10'), tablet room (15' x 10'), and public lobby (18' x 10'). On 6 August 1923 a proposal to add a goods shed was approved. Later a 20' x 30' shed was built. Duplication of the tracks between Papatoetoe and Papakura started in 1929 as an employment relief scheme On 29 March 1931 the second track between Papatoetoe and Papakura opened. In 1931 a wooden footbridge with three sets of stairs connecting the island platform with Maru Road and Station Road was constructed (Bridge No 340 NIMT) The name of the station has long been controversial. In 1930, at the request of the Akarana Maori Association, the Honorary Geographic Advisory Board recommended changing the spelling of the station to Takaanini. This decision was gazetted as official in 1948. However, the use of Takanini remained almost universal, and in 1950 became the official spelling on

TrainStation data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).