547:
Canterbury
Province, which were brought under the jurisdiction of a special act of parliament, the Canterbury Gauge Act. This act made provision for the regauging of existing lines by laying a third rail between the two existing rails to allow for the use of narrow gauge rolling stock on the same track. Rather than incur the inconvenience of this approach, the provincial government decided to lay a new narrow gauge line beside the existing broad gauge line from Addington to Lyttelton. The narrow-gauge line reached Christchurch on 7 March 1876 and Lyttelton 34 days later.
355:
467:
Given this new information, they concluded that it would not be possible to complete the contract for the original amount, and they sought an additional £30,000 to complete the work. After consulting with the provincial engineers, the
Canterbury Government decided not to proceed with the services of Smith & Knight. It was later discovered that Smith & Knight were in severe financial difficulty at the time, a fact which may possibly explain their request for the £30,000 extension on the contract.
29:
406:, a consulting engineer to the Provincial Commission, was largely in favour of the "Bray" route, and made the following points: it was the shortest route providing access to all necessary points; construction costs would be 32% less than the alternative; it would be cheaper to work; and less expensive to maintain. The only point he noted in favour of the route via Gollans Bay was that it would take three years to construct as opposed to five years for the direct route.
452:
324:, and Richard Pollard to enquire into the best means of improving the communication between the Port and the Canterbury plains. The Select Committee heard that a tunnel on the line proposed would start about 180 feet above sea level, almost a mile long and was roughly estimated to cost between 100,000 and 150,000 pounds. The Committee's report was released on 1 November 1851, but took over a month to be printed and published. On 6 December 1851, the
433:, being opposed to the idea. Moorhouse received much support for his position from the residents of Lyttelton, as evidenced by the results of the election: of the 12,000 residents of Canterbury, including 3,205 in Christchurch and 1,944 in Lyttelton, both candidates received 206 votes from the residents of Christchurch. However, overall results were a victory for Moorhouse by 727 votes to 352. Moorhouse later began the project by turning the first
347:, formed in November 1853, established four months later a commission to examine the options for improvement. Only one road route was considered feasible, the Sumner Road passing under the summit of Evans Pass via a 350-yard tunnel. There were two contenders for the rail line: a direct route down the Heathcote Valley and through a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) tunnel to the Lyttelton foreshore or a more circuitous route via the
510:
bored. Hole-through was achieved on the morning of 28 May 1867 from the
Lyttelton heading to the Heathcote side. Temporary rails had been laid through the tunnel by mid-November, enabling the passage of the first locomotive, No. 3, on the night of 18 November. The first goods train through the tunnel was headed by No. 3 and driven by Abraham Beverley a week later, to be followed by passenger services on 9 December.
502:. George Holmes undertook by written agreement on 16 April 1861 to carry out the contract on offer on the proviso that "the description corresponded with the fact". He travelled to Canterbury with Moorhouse where he signed the contract. The cost of the tunnel works agreed to was £188,727, or complete with
466:
On arrival in
Canterbury, Smith & Knight's miners drove trial shafts at each end of the tunnel. Nine chains from the Lyttelton end they encountered rock much more difficult to bore through than what they had been led to believe they would encounter from samples that had been sent back to England.
562:
in 1923, and a report recommending electrification of the suburban networks of New
Zealand's four main cities, it was decided to electrify the Christchurch – Lyttelton route using the same system as had been used at Otira. Fortunately, because the tunnel had originally been built to accommodate the
546:
At the time the colonial government decided to implement a national railway gauge, they made exceptions for some existing railway systems that had already been laid using different gauges, generally on the proviso that any new track was to the national gauge. One such system was the railways of the
509:
Work began on the tunnel on 17 July 1861. Work proceeded at both ends of the tunnel, with the rate of progress determined by the difficulty encountered in drilling through the rock. By the time work started on the
Canterbury Southern Railway, 91.66 chains of the 130.66 chains total length had been
470:
In light of the failure of Smith & Knight to honour their contract, Moorhouse sought the assent of the council to two measures: to complete tunnel works as far as the test shafts left behind by Smith & Knight, and to seek the services of another contractor by tender to complete the tunnel
482:
submitted his own plan for the completion of the tunnel from the workings left behind by Smith & Knight. The biggest problem faced by the previous contractors had been encountering water which leaked into the working faces. This made drilling difficult, slowing progress. Dobson proposed the
362:
The inability of the commission in its final report to make an unequivocal recommendation as to the best option for connecting the port to the plains resulted in plans for the railway to be temporarily suspended. This only exacerbated the problem to the point where, in 1858, Superintendent
393:
without having to dredge the area. However, there were several factors against the
Gollans Bay route that had to be considered, not least that it bypassed Lyttelton, a growing commercial centre of some importance; its exposure to the wind; and the lack of suitable land at the bay for
563:
provincial railways' larger broad gauge rolling stock, the tunnel was already large enough to accommodate the overhead catenary without modification. The first electric train ran from
Christchurch to Lyttelton on 14 February 1929. Electrification lasted until 1970, by which time the
554:
converted to oil burning to reduce the amount of smoke produced. The locomotive was used for a trial period to haul 450-ton goods trains through the tunnel. Though the modification proved to be efficacious, the benefit did not outweigh the cost involved and the idea was abandoned.
303:
in 1849 but rejected the idea because he had neither the money nor the workforce to consider such a project and he wanted nothing to distract from building the road he had planned between
Lyttelton and Sumner. During 1851, J. Tullock, a Lyttelton auctioneer, commissioned
486:
Moorhouse continued to advocate for the railway, suggesting that the government seek to raise a loan for the project and to engage the services of a "competent and responsible contracting firm" to undertake the works. At the behest of the council, Moorhouse travelled to
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boring of additional shafts from both ends which would eventually drain the excess water. The work commenced with 340 men at an estimated cost of £42,800. Only 96 yards had been driven in the shafts before the next contractors took over the work six months later.
308:
and John Boys to survey a low-level tunnel between the port and the plains because he wanted to know how long one would be so he could estimate the costs. They presented
Tullock with plan and section drawings, which Jollie believed were sent to London.
336:" and the colony could not afford to throw away money. The meeting resolved to seek funding to complete the road to Sumner via Evans Pass on the 1849 road line. Nothing was done before the Canterbury Association was disestablished in advance of the
398:
facilities. Though the commission considered it to be the best route to the harbour, they discounted the route and decided against a detailed survey of it, as their terms of reference had tasked them with finding a route to Lyttelton.
506:, £195,000. This compared with Smith & Knight's figures for the same work of £183,051 and £190,551 respectively. During the course of the contract, improvements to the Lyttelton portal were agreed at an additional cost of £5,000.
1018:
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that had been established to implement the recommendations of the council, chaired by W. B. Bray, set about investigating the two railway proposals that had earlier been considered, west and east of
1033:
471:
between the two headings. The council concurred with the first request, honouring its commitment under the terms of the contract with Smith & Knight to assume responsibility for the
607:
459:
Stephenson retained the services of English contractors John Smith and George Knight, who had agreed to complete the project within five years. They dispatched an agent, chief
571:
in 1964, and with dieselisation almost complete and only a few steam locomotives left in revenue service, the electrification system was scrapped in favour of diesel haulage.
550:
The nuisance of smoke in the tunnel created by steam locomotives prompted attempts by the Railways Department to alleviate the problem. In August 1909, they had locomotive
579:
The tunnel is the exclusive domain of freight trains, with six scheduled daily return services from the port of Lyttelton through the tunnel, including coal trains from
498:
Of the three contractors approached by Moorhouse to tender for the work, the two lowest-priced were discounted, leaving the highest tender, that of Holmes &
852:
991:
409:
Having considered the available data, the commission adopted the report from Stephenson and requested that he obtain a tender from a suitable English
268:
settlers. The settlers had two options for transporting themselves and their goods between the harbour at Lyttelton and the Canterbury plains: the
681:
367:
prevailed upon the Provincial Council to consider the matter again. In response, the council set aside £4,000 to engage the services of an
716:
69:
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611:
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The tunnel was not considered complete until June 1874, by which time the government had outlaid a further £20,710 on "maintenance".
475:
workers should the tunnel be abandoned. A decision on the second request was deferred while the council made financial arrangements.
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The second attempt was to electrify the line from Christchurch to Lyttelton. Following the successful electrification of the
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The Railways Department gave consideration to the idea of duplicating the tunnel in 1914, but the proposal did not proceed.
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and around the shore to Sumner, where a shorter tunnel would take the line to Gollans Bay and Lyttelton.
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On completion in 1867 it became the first tunnel in the world to be taken through the side of an extinct
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had reached the end of their working lives. With the decline in rail services after the opening of the
316:
was held and one of the first things the Society did was to appoint a Select Committee consisting of
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favoured the latter route as it meant that Gollans Bay could be used to berth ships at a deepwater
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330:
Report of the Select Committee upon the best means of communication between the Port and the Plains
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269:
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Superintendent Moorhouse became a strong proponent of the tunnel project. During the campaign for
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Organised European settlement of Canterbury began in December 1850 with the arrival of the first
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and to seek tenders from reputable engineering firms that may be interested in the project.
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in January 1861. On his return in May, he brought with him news of success on both counts.
8:
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281:
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Shortly after the Canterbury Association settlers arrived in Lyttelton a meeting of the
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Acknowledge No Frontier – The Creation and Demise of New Zealand's Provinces, 1853–76
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247:, and at 2.6 km (1.6 mi), the longest in the country. Its opening made the
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The tunnel allowed passage between Lyttelton Harbour and the Canterbury Plains (top)
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47:
824:
Bromby, Robin (2003). "Main Lines – South Island". In Olphert, Lorraine (ed.).
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715:. Vol. I, no. 49. Papers Past. 13 December 1851. pp. 3–4.
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in 1857, the tunnel became the central issue, with Moorhouse's opponent,
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had considered a tunnel between the deep-water port at Lyttelton and the
229:
171:
1019:
Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic places in the Canterbury Region
591:. Additional shunts convey other traffic between the city and the port.
451:
273:
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Lyttelton portal of the rail tunnel with construction workers in 1867.
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of New Zealand's South Island. It is the country's oldest operational
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488:
472:
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151:
141:
826:
Rails That Built A Nation: An Encyclopedia of New Zealand Railways
840:
In 1914 consideration was given by NZR to duplicating the tunnel.
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It was therefore with concern over access to the plains that the
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replacing the association with an elected provincial government.
244:
777:
Lyttelton Rail Tunnel: 125th Anniversary (commemorative booklet)
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and a party of 12 miners to New Zealand near the end of 1859.
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874:
460:
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978:
Article & photos from New Zealand Railways Magazine 1929
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Canterbury Provincial Railways: Genesis of the N.Z.R. System
759:
Canterbury Provincial Railways: Genesis of the N.Z.R. System
1034:
Transport buildings and structures in the Canterbury Region
395:
277:
434:
855:. Papers Past (National Library of New Zealand ). 1923.
992:"Report on electrification of Lyttelton Tunnel (1908)"
948:
The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey through History
828:. Wellington: Grantham House Publishing. p. 50.
793:. Christchurch Regional Office: The Community Archive
251:, New Zealand's first public railway line, obsolete.
805:
731:
638:Jollie, Edward. "7. North Canterbury: 1852-1860".
984:"First passengers traverse Lyttelton Rail Tunnel"
703:
701:
699:
1000:
757:Pierre, W. A. (1964). "Genesis of the Railway".
674:"Communication by tunnel (Letter to the Editor)"
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524:In 1923 duplication or electrification of the
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328:held a special general meeting to consider a
33:Heathcote portal of Lyttelton railway tunnel.
946:Churchman, Geoffrey B; Hurst, Tony (2001) .
671:
986:. New Zealand History.net. 9 December 1867.
950:(Second ed.). Transpress New Zealand.
709:"MEETING OF THE SOCIETY OF LAND-PURCHASERS"
610:. Christchurch City Council. Archived from
16:Railway tunnel in Christchurch, New Zealand
866:Pierre, W. A. "The Battle of the Gauges".
853:"Ril Electrification: The Lyttelton Tunel"
763:New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society
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680:. Vol. X, no. 610. p. 4.
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332:. Rev. O. Mathias felt a tunnel was "
236:, one of the first railways built by
933:from the original on 18 January 2021
779:. Christchurch: The Ferrymead Trust.
648:from the original on 22 October 2020
641:Edward Jollie - Reminisces 1841-1865
684:from the original on 9 January 2021
13:
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672:Tunnel Under (11 September 1858).
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719:from the original on 1 March 2023
338:New Zealand Constitution Act 1852
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791:"Canterbury Provincial Council"
478:Meanwhile, Provincial Engineer
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1014:Railway tunnels in New Zealand
1009:Rail transport in Christchurch
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608:"Historic Lyttelton Buildings"
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447:Canterbury Provincial Railways
238:Canterbury Provincial Railways
1:
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345:Canterbury Provincial Council
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166:2.595 km (1.612 mi)
565:E class electric locomotives
334:too visionary and chimerical
7:
528:tunnel was again proposed.
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202:1500 V overhead (1929–1970)
10:
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973:The Lyttelton Rail Tunnel.
909:Brett, André (June 2016).
893:Churchman & Hurst 2001
881:Churchman & Hurst 2001
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326:Society of Land-Purchasers
314:Society of Land-Purchasers
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1024:Tunnels completed in 1867
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404:George Robert Stephenson
365:William Sefton Moorhouse
190:3 ft 6 in
181:5 ft 3 in
644:. Canterbury Heritage.
284:Bar then up either the
212:, initially called the
1029:Lyttelton, New Zealand
917:Otago University Press
456:
359:
349:Avon Heathcote Estuary
320:, William Bayly Bray,
266:Canterbury Association
85:43.59194°S 172.71333°E
569:Lyttelton road tunnel
454:
376:provincial Commission
357:
210:Lyttelton Rail Tunnel
22:Lyttelton Rail Tunnel
385:Provincial Engineer
216:, links the city of
90:-43.59194; 172.71333
581:Hector and Ngakawau
322:James E. FitzGerald
286:Ōpāwaho / Heathcote
81: /
23:
585:Seddonville Branch
457:
425:of the provincial
360:
21:
926:978-1-927322-36-9
437:on 17 July 1861.
301:Canterbury Plains
249:Ferrymead Railway
226:Canterbury region
220:with the port of
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612:the original
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560:Otira Tunnel
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542:NZR EC class
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915:. Dunedin:
270:Bridle Path
230:rail tunnel
198:Electrified
172:Track gauge
163:Line length
88: /
76:172°42′48″E
63:Coordinates
1003:Categories
902:References
812:Brett 2016
738:Brett 2016
589:West Coast
536:See also:
532:Operations
526:bottleneck
500:Richardson
445:See also:
411:contractor
274:Port Hills
260:Background
73:43°35′31″S
937:7 January
723:2 January
688:6 January
652:2 January
493:Australia
489:Melbourne
473:immigrant
280:over the
272:over the
222:Lyttelton
158:Technical
125:Operation
120:Heathcote
112:Lyttelton
931:Archived
797:20 March
717:Archived
682:Archived
646:Archived
583:via the
517:Proposal
423:election
369:engineer
295:Captain
292:Rivers.
276:, or by
152:KiwiRail
148:Operator
142:KiwiRail
54:Location
39:Overview
618:2 April
587:on the
504:portals
255:History
245:volcano
224:in the
954:
923:
832:
282:Sumner
130:Opened
101:Status
595:Notes
575:Today
552:W 433
461:miner
391:jetty
138:Owner
109:Start
952:ISBN
939:2021
921:ISBN
830:ISBN
799:2010
725:2021
690:2021
654:2021
620:2011
540:and
396:port
374:The
278:ship
208:The
104:Open
44:Line
435:sod
288:or
117:End
1005::
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622:.
188:(
179:(
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