Catlins River Branch

Catlins River Branch
Overview
Other name(s)	Finegand Branch
Owner	Railways Department
Locale	Otago, New Zealand
Termini	Balclutha Tahakopa
Stations	18
Service
Type	Heavy Rail
System	New Zealand Government Railways (NZGR)
Operator(s)	Railways Department
History
Opened	4 February 1915 (1915-02-04)
Passenger Services End	30 November 1958 (1958-11-30)
Closed beyond Finegand	27 February 1971 (1971-02-27)
Technical
Line length	68.44 km (42.53 mi)
Number of tracks	Single
Character	Rural
Track gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Route map Legend km 0.00 Balclutha 3.60 Finegand 4.05 current end of line 6.46 Otanomomo 12.79 Romahapa 19.41 Glenomaru (replacement) 22.79 Glenomaru (original) Hunts Road Tunnel 25.93 Hunts Road 29.23 Tahora/Parae Owaka River 31.06 Owaka 36.65 Ratanui Catlins River 40.58 Houipapa 46.21 Tawanui 52.14 Puketiro 56.14 Caberfeidh Maclennan River 60.75 Maclennan 64.07 Stuarts Campbell's Siding 68.44 Tahakopa This diagram: view talk edit

Map

The Catlins River Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealand's national rail network. It ran through the Catlins region in southwestern Otago and was built in sections between 1879 and 1915. It closed in 1971 except for the first four kilometres, which remain open as the Finegand Branch (formerly named the 'Finegand Industrial Siding').^[1] Along the line was the Hunts Road tunnel, the southernmost tunnel in New Zealand.