page_title: North Island Main Trunk
section_title: Wellington suburban
hierarchical_section_title: North Island Main Trunk / Passenger services / Wellington suburban
caption_attribution_description: English: Wellington Railway Station by night. Wellington, New Zealand -14 May 2003
context_page_description: The North Island Main Trunk is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland. The line is 682 kilometres long and passes through Paraparaumu, Palmerston North, Taihape, National Park, Taumarunui, Te Kuiti, Hamilton, and Pukekohe.
  Most of the NIMT is single track with frequent passing loops, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of 1,067 mm. The line is double track between Wellington and Waikanae, between Hamilton and Te Kauwhata, and between Meremere and Auckland Britomart. Around 460 kilometres of the line is electrified in three separate sections: one section at 1600 V DC between Wellington and Waikanae, and two sections at 25 kV AC: 412 km between Palmerston North and Te Rapa and 34 km between Papakura and Auckland Britomart.
  The first section of what became the NIMT opened in 1873 in Auckland. Construction at the Wellington end began in 1885. The line was completed in 1908 and was fully operational by 1909. It is credited for having been an economic lifeline for the young nation, and for having opened up the centre of the North Island to European settlement and investment.
context_section_description: Wellington's Metlink suburban network, operated by Transdev Wellington, includes the southern portion of the NIMT between Wellington and Waikanae as the Kapiti Line.
caption: The southern terminus of the North Island Main Trunk, Wellington railway station, and busiest station in the Wellington suburban network.
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