The North Island Main Trunk Line

• North Island main trunk line
• Rise and fall
• Travelling by train
• Refreshments
• Image and Media Gallery
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Overlander and out: the North Island main trunk line

The final trip by the Overlander train between Auckland and Wellington, scheduled for 30 September 2006, will bring to end almost a century of regular passenger services on the North Island main trunk line.

For many years the main trunk was New Zealand's most important transport route. From 1909 until at least the Second World War, almost everyone travelling between New Zealand's capital and its biggest city did so by train—politicians, governors-general, royal visitors, businessmen, public servants, entertainers, sports teams, soldiers bound for war, local holidaymakers and overseas tourists.

This feature traces the development and demise of passenger travel on the main trunk, explores life on the rails, and considers the place of the iconic railway refreshment room in New Zealand society.

By Neill Atkinson

Next page: Rise and fall