47-436: The Wyndham Branch , also known as the Glenham Branch , was a branch line railway in Southland , New Zealand . The first section was opened in 1882 and it operated until 1962. Although its name would imply that it terminated in Wyndham , an extension to a terminus in Glenham operated for forty years. It was operated by the New Zealand Railways Department . The Main South Line from Dunedin to Invercargill
94-510: A common sight along railroads in industrial and rural cities alike. As automobile and roadway technology improved throughout the early and mid-20th century, most low volume industry spurs were abandoned in favor of the greater flexibility and economic savings of trucking. Today, railroads remain the most economical way to ship large quantities of material, a fact that is reflected in industrial spurs. Most modern day spurs serve very large industries that require hundreds, if not thousands, of carloads
141-575: A consequence of Conservation Act all Crown land in New Zealand designated for conservation and protection became managed by the Department of Conservation. This is about 30% of New Zealand's land area or about 8 million hectares of native forests, tussocklands, alpine areas, wetlands, dunelands, estuaries, lakes and islands, national forests, maritime parks, marine reserves, nearly 4000 reserves, river margins, some coastline, and many offshore islands. All of
188-423: A main line. Branch lines may also connect two or more main lines. An industrial spur is a type of secondary track used by railroads to allow customers at a location to load and unload railcars without interfering with other railroad operations. Industrial spurs can vary greatly in length and railcar capacity depending on the requirements of the customer the spur is serving. In heavily industrialized areas, it
235-464: A mainline, they tend to have lower maintenance and signaling (train control) standards. Before the rise of the long-distance trucking in the early 1930s, railroads were the primary means of transportation around the world. Industries of the era were commonly built along railroad lines specifically to allow for easy access to shipping. Short (under a mile, oftentimes only several hundred yards) industrial spurs with very small (under ten car) capacities were
282-512: A new headquarters, Conservation House, on Manners Street, Wellington in 2006. It is the first green building in New Zealand to be given a 5-star rating, having won numerous environmental awards, including a top 10 placing by Grist Magazine . The site was originally a cinema complex operated by the Hoyts Group from the mid-1980s until the early 2000s, when it closed down in the face of stiff competition. New Zealand has 13 national parks , and
329-786: A section of the West Rail line . Discontinued services include the Sha Tau Kok Railway and the Wo Hop Shek Branch . A spur line to Siu Sai Wan has been proposed. Delhi On the Delhi Metro , the Blue Line has a Branch Line with 8 Stations, linking Yamuna Bank to Ghaziabad via Anand Vihar ISBT and terminating at Vaishali. The first section of the Branch opened on 8 January 2010 with Anand Vihar as its terminal with six stations. It
376-610: A significant drop in possum populations during the last decades. The DOC was floated as the agency to supervise the construction of the proposed New Zealand Cycleway , though this is now being managed primarily by the Ministry of Tourism, in coordination with the DOC where appropriate. After a number of years of falling budgets, in 2013 the department announced it would be slashing 140 jobs and narrowing its 11-region structure into six. As part of New Zealand's programme of economic recovery post
423-523: A subsidy for grain transport, and instead allowed railways to absorb branch line subsidies freely without making effort to improve the profitability of the lines. The term "grain-dependent branch lines" began being used as early as 1978 to refer to the special case of these branch lines in agricultural areas whose viability depended on the economics of grain transport. The Western Grain Transportation Act of 1983 addressed this case specifically, but
470-505: A temporary boost in traffic and the line lost less money, but due to a lack of significant traffic, a 1952 commission recommended full closure. This did not occur for another ten years, however; the line essentially became an extended siding from Edendale's yard that was shunted by passing services on the main line. Closure was announced on 20 June 1962 and the last services ran a few months later on 9 September 1962. Remnants of old railways typically fade with time or wholly disappear, and this
517-627: A wide number of other conservation lands with varying levels of environmental protection, called the "conservation estate" in total. About one third of this estate, generally the land considered most valuable, has been protected from mining since 1997 via being listed in Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act 1991 (though recent (2010) moves by the Fifth National Government have proposed exemption some areas from Schedule 4). While much of
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#1733086163902564-461: A year. There is an international branch line between Italy and Vatican: the 300-metre Vatican Railway , connecting from the Pisa-Rome railway mainline at Roma San Pietro railway station , to Vatican City station . Many British railway branch lines were closed as a result of the " Beeching cuts " in the 1960s, although some have been re-opened as heritage railways . The smallest branch line that
611-417: Is not uncommon for one industrial spur to have multiple sidings to several different customers. Typically, spurs are serviced by local trains responsible for collecting small numbers of railcars and delivering them to a larger yard, where these railcars are sorted and dispatched in larger trains with other cars destined to similar locations. Because industrial spurs generally have less capacity and traffic than
658-552: Is still in operation in the UK is the Stourbridge Town Branch Line from Stourbridge Junction going to Stourbridge Town . Operating on a single track, the journey is 0.8 miles (1.3 kilometres) long and the train takes around two and a half minutes to complete its journey. In North America, little-used branch lines are often sold by large railroads to become new common carrier short-line railroads of their own. Throughout
705-574: Is true for the Wyndham Branch. Very little of the route from Edendale to Wyndham is evident, except some traces of the formation around Edendale. Traces of the formation to Glenham are clearer and include embankments and cuttings, and the tunnel is difficult to find but viewable. At some point in the 1990s, the Department of Conservation cleared access to the tunnel as part of a summer works programme, but their work has been somewhat undone by nature. In
752-529: The Bay of Plenty Region , lines were built inland to provide rail access to large logging operations. Today, many of the branch lines have been closed, including almost all of the general-purpose country lines. Those that remain serve ports or industries far from main lines such as coal mines, logging operations, large dairying factories, and steelworks . In Auckland and Wellington , two branch lines in each city exist solely for commuter passenger trains. For more, see
799-717: The Gladstone Branch in New Jersey; as well as the New Canaan Branch , Danbury Branch , and Waterbury Branch in Connecticut . The Long Island Rail Road also refers to its services as "branches". In Chile, there are a lot of branch lines on its main line, of only a few remain operational. Most only operating in turistic services (like the Antilhue-Valdivia branch line), others have been taken over by other railways (like
846-1013: The Grand Trunk , Canadian National , or Canadian Pacific ) which would acquire formerly independent short line railways for use as branch lines, with the short line often continuing to exist as a subsidiary. For example, when the Canadian Pacific acquired the Algoma Eastern Railway (a short line) in 1930, it soon after abandoned much of the Algoma Eastern mainline, but retained sections close to Algoma Eastern–Canadian Pacific junctions as short branch lines or spurs. The National Transportation Act of 1967 provided government subsidies for branch lines. Western railway development in Canada worked in concert with land settlement and cultivation, as pioneers were settled near railway lines, often on land
893-845: The Nature Heritage Fund , and is responsible for supporting rural fire control by acting under the direction of Fire and Emergency New Zealand when a fire occurs on land it manages. Up until June 2017, DOC was the designated fire authority for all land under its control. In addition to its work managing land and providing for recreation in New Zealand, DOC works to preserve its natural heritage . This includes preservation of historic sites on public conservation land, saving native threatened species , managing threats like pests and weeds , environmental restoration , caring for marine life, and assisting landowners to effectively preserve natural heritage. The methods of achieving these goals have resulted in controversy, where some people claim that
940-761: The North South Line between Jurong East and Choa Chu Kang stations was operated as a separate line, known as the Branch line . It was merged into the North–South Line with the opening of the Woodlands Extension in 1996. The future Jurong Region Line and Cross Island Line will also have branch lines. New Zealand once had a very extensive network of branch lines, especially in the South Island regions of Canterbury , Otago , and Southland . Many were built in
987-672: The South Tseung Kwan O Spur Line to LOHAS Park station , opened in 2009. Earlier, a spur line was built in 1985 on the East Rail line to serve Racecourse station , bypassing Fo Tan station . Also, the Tsim Sha Tsui Extension [ yue ] was built in 2004 on the East Rail line to serve East Tsim Sha Tsui station . However, after the Kowloon Southern Link was completed in 2009, this spur line turns into
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#17330861639021034-550: The list of New Zealand railway lines . New Zealand Department of Conservation The Department of Conservation ( DOC ; Māori : Te Papa Atawhai ) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with the conservation of New Zealand's natural and historical heritage. An advisory body, the New Zealand Conservation Authority (NZCA) is provided to advise DOC and its ministers. In addition there are 15 conservation boards for different areas around
1081-436: The Department of Conservation is overly biased towards environmentalists at the expense of New Zealand's economy. This is particularly a concern amongst some farmers and other industries that are major users of neighbouring land, many of whom have been affected by decisions of the department. However, these criticised DOC efforts have also been lauded for achieving some success, for both conservationists and farmers, having led to
1128-666: The San Rosendo-Talcahuano branch line, which has been taken over by Biotrén and the Laja-Talcahuano train service) however, there is one branch line that still remains as fully operative. The Talca-Constitución branch line, which uses trains with bus motors. Two extensions to the MTR rapid transit network were built as branches of existing lines: the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line to Lok Ma Chau station , which opened in 2007; and
1175-599: The U.S. state of New Jersey . The line is a short branch of the Northeast Corridor Line , running from Princeton Junction northwest to Princeton with no intermediate stops. Also known as the "Dinky Line", at 2.9 mi (4.7 km) it is the shortest scheduled commuter rail line in the United States. The run takes 4 minutes, 47 seconds. Other than the Princeton Line, other surviving branch lines include
1222-469: The United States and Canada, branch lines link smaller towns too distant from the main line to be served efficiently, or to serve a certain industrial site such as a power station either because of a location away from the main line or to reduce congestion. They were typically built to lower standards, using lighter rail and shallow roadbeds when compared to main lines. Much of Canada's branch line history relates to large rail transport conglomerates (such as
1269-630: The branch did not reach the town of Glenham until 1 May 1890. There were proposals to continue the branch into the lower Mataura River area, but in August 1888, the Public Works Department stated that no further expenditure on the line was proposed once it was complete to Glenham, and the Tokanui Branch (which at the time terminated in Mokotua ) was extended into the lower Mataura instead. As Glenham
1316-510: The conservation land not protected as national parks or Schedule 4 land is much more damaged or human-modified than the core conservation areas, these areas serve as boundary and species buffer zones. In 1995, 14 people died when a viewing platform maintained by the Department of Conservation collapsed. Immediately following the tragedy, all of the department's 106 viewing platforms throughout New Zealand were checked. Fifteen platforms were closed for repairs. A Commission of Inquiry that followed
1363-588: The country that provide for interaction between DOC and the public. The department was formed on 1 April 1987, as one of several reforms of the public service, when the Conservation Act 1987 was passed to integrate some functions of the Department of Lands and Survey , the Forest Service and the Wildlife Service . This act also set out the majority of the department's responsibilities and roles. As
1410-459: The department. In March 2006, a volcanic eruption at the Green Lake of Raoul Island , administered by the Department of Conservation, was believed to have killed DOC worker Mark Kearney. At the exact time of the eruption, Kearney is thought to have been taking temperature measurements of the lake as part of a programme for monitoring volcanic activity. Five other DOC workers, who were also living on
1457-798: The environment. As of June 2023 the project, entitled " Jobs For Nature ", has employed 4,694 individuals over 193 projects. The programme's investment is estimated to be worth approximately NZ$ 1.19Billion, with the projects undertaken focused on providing temporary employment as well benefit the environment, people, and regional New Zealand. In April 2024, the department proposed slashing 130 roles as part of efforts to meet Government budget spending cut targets of 6.5%. In addition, DOC must also find NZ$ 7.2 million to meet cost operating pressures. The proposed job cuts include 24 "Biodiversity, Heritage & Visitors" roles, 22 Policy & Regulatory services roles, 18 public affairs roles and 54 Regional Operations support roles. The Department of Conservation moved into
Wyndham Branch - Misplaced Pages Continue
1504-552: The first president of the Canadian National Railway , said that although most branch lines cannot pay for themselves, they are even essential to make main lines pay. In the United States, abandonment of unproductive branch lines was a byproduct of deregulation of the rail industry through the Staggers Act . The Princeton Branch is a commuter rail line and service owned and operated by New Jersey Transit (NJT) in
1551-442: The government for the department's situation, and Denis Marshall , the presiding Minister of Conservation at the time, eventually resigned over the incident. Since the inquiry, radical changes have been made to the department's procedures to prioritise safety, including the implementation of a comprehensive asset management system to catalogue, track and trigger regular inspections of all significant structures and facilities managed by
1598-437: The land under its control is protected for either conservation, ecological, scenic, scientific , historic or cultural reasons, and for recreation. Providing for recreation is a major part of its core work, and this covers the management of family picnic sites, as well as maintaining rugged backcountry tracks and over 1000 accompanying backcountry huts that are used by hunters and recreational trampers. DOC also administers
1645-534: The late 19th century to open up inland regions for farming and other economic activities. The branches in the South Island regions were often general-purpose lines that carried predominantly agricultural traffic, but lines elsewhere were often built to serve a specific resource: on the West Coast , an extensive network of branch lines was built in rugged terrain to serve coal mines, while in the central North Island and
1692-504: The peak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the following economic downturn DOC is working alongside the Ministry for the Environment, Department of Conservation, Ministry for Primary Industries, Land Information New Zealand and Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment to fund a number of temporary projects with the objective of creating jobs and assisting New Zealand's efforts to further protect
1739-407: The public and they were discarded in 1931. A 1930 commission of New Zealand's railway network recommended that passenger traffic be discontinued on the Wyndham Branch, as well as reducing staff and closing the locomotive depot. The administration of the railways went one step further than that, closing the entire section from Wyndham to Glenham on 14 July 1930. Soon afterwards, passenger services on
1786-556: The railways had owned. However, by the mid-20th century, railways began neglecting lines in western agricultural regions. This was historically driven by factors such as the Crow Rate , which regulated the price railways could charge for shipping grain. Railways had little incentive to invest in rural Prairie branch lines, but were legally unable to abandon them under the National Transportation Act , which also did not provide
1833-456: The rest of the line were cancelled on 9 February 1931 and goods services were modified to run from Invercargill and return rather than from the branch's terminus and return. The only passenger trains on the line after 1931 were infrequent chartered excursions, such as one from Waikaka at the end of the Waikaka Branch on 26 March 1962 that carried almost 800 passengers. World War II provided
1880-412: The tiny village of Glenham, the flat area of the yard remains, though it lacks any distinguishing features or railway remnants of note. Branch line A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line . A very short branch line may be called a spur line . Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located on
1927-405: The tragedy revealed that the department had acted illegally and negligently in constructing the viewing platform. The commission also stated that the department was seriously underfunded for the tasks with which it was delegated, resulting in a culture of sub-standard safety procedures having been used for the building and maintenance of some of its facilities. Many people in New Zealand criticised
Wyndham Branch - Misplaced Pages Continue
1974-410: Was approximately 301 metres (988 ft) long. Traffic on the Wyndham Branch was light from the beginning, and in its early years, it was described as being "in fine running trim". It adequately served the needs of the local community and provided access to markets before the establishment of a modern road network, but as the 20th century progressed, it began to lose money. Ford Model T bus equipment
2021-500: Was built on the west side of the Mataura River north of Edendale , thereby leaving the small east bank town of Wyndham off the route. To satisfy local residents, a 6.5 km long branch was built from Edendale to the town and it opened on 2 October 1882. A further section had been let to a contractor, but with half of the works complete, they abandoned the project. Further processes of plan review and granting of contracts meant that
2068-496: Was further extended to Vaishali in 2011. The line is planned to be extended from Vaishali to Mohan Nagar via Sahibabad Station to link with the main line. The East West Line of the MRT system in Singapore has a two-station branch to Changi Airport . The first station, Expo , opened in 2001. It was extended to Changi Airport station the next year. From 1990 to 1996, the section of
2115-505: Was now established as the terminus, a locomotive depot was established in the town. Along the route from Wyndham to Glenham, a tunnel was required, and it became the second to southernmost railway tunnel in New Zealand and thereby one of the most southern railway tunnels in the world. The following stations were located on the Wyndham Branch (in brackets is the distance from the junction in Edendale): The tunnel between Wyndham and Glenham
2162-488: Was repealed in 1994 in the wake of the North American Free Trade Agreement and budget-balancing initiatives in favour of a one-time payout by the federal government directly to farmers, to arrange transport of grain themselves. From the mid-1970s to the late 2010s, more than 9,300 kilometres (5,800 mi) of Prairie branch lines were abandoned or had a discontinuance of service. David Blyth Hanna ,
2209-611: Was used as the basis for two railcars in 1925, and in May 1926, the RM class Model T Ford railcars began providing a service on the line as well as on the Waikaia Branch . They were economic, consuming 18.8 litres per 100 km and capable of running at 48 km/h, a reasonable speed for rural branch lines at the time. Despite that, they did not prove sufficiently successful: problems related to rough riding and overheating made them unpopular with
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