# Papatoetoe railway station

Papatoetoe railway station is on the Southern Line and Eastern Line of the Auckland railway network in New Zealand. It is between Station Road and Shirley Road, across the street from Papatoetoe West School, and has an island platform layout.

## History

Papatoetoe was originally called Papatoitoi, a corruption of its true name. The name was corrected in 1907, by the New Zealand Railways Department, because of the obvious discrepancy with the town it served, which has always been spelt as "Papatoetoe".
The station was first opened in 1875, at a site near the modern-day Station Road bridge. In 1919, the station building was substantially extended. The station building was closed in 1987, and removed from the site in 1999.
In 2005, the 1920 railway pedestrian bridge was moved from the site, becoming the Aerovista Footbridge along the Puhinui Creek in Wiri.

### Old station building

The old station building, restored by the Papatoetoe Railway Station Preservation Trust, was moved to the corner of Station Road, Shirley Road, Tavern Lane & St George Street and repurposed into a café, opening on 31 October 2004. Parts of this building dated back to 1875.
The old station is an integral part of the area's history, with Old Papatoetoe developing as a commercial centre.

### Timeline

| Year | Notes |
| 1875 | The railway line from Auckland reached Papatoetoe. The first railway station was built between May and August and named Papatoitoi Station (note spelling). The building was on the western side of the present road bridge. |
| 1887 | The stationmaster was removed from the station due to the financial depression. The station became an unofficered flag station until 1914. |
| 1907 | The station name was changed to Papatoetoe. |
| 1914 | The station had two rooms added to it, and was open for all business, with a new stationmaster being appointed. Reports list the station as being moved to the western side of the track. |
| 1918 | The station was moved and resited. |
| 1919 | The station reopened, with a 14-ft diameter railway windmill and a 6000-gallon water vat. These provided water for the station and for locomotives that shunted or turned at Papatoetoe. A peaked roof and verandahs were added during this time. |
| 1926 | The reinforced concrete road bridge south of the station was built by the Public Works Department, replacing a temporary wooden structure. |
| 1928 | A row of railway houses was built in Station Road, on the west side of the station. Fabricated sections were supplied by the New Zealand Railways House Factory, Frankton. |
| 1942 | The windmill and water tower were removed after the station was connected to the town water supply. |
| 1976 | After a burglary, the goods shed was set alight and burnt down. |
| 1987 | Staff were withdrawn after a centralisation of booking offices. |

## Services

Auckland One Rail, on behalf of Auckland Transport, operates suburban services to Waitematā, Manukau, Papakura and Pukekohe via Papatoetoe. The typical weekday off-peak timetable is:
* 6 tph to Waitematā, consisting of:
** 3 tph via Glen Innes (Eastern Line)
** 3 tph via Penrose and Newmarket (Southern Line)
* 3 tph to Manukau
* 3 tph to Pukekohe
Bus routes 31, 36 and 313 serve Papatoetoe station.