 Heathcote portal of Lyttelton railway tunnel. | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Line | Main South Line |
| Location | Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 43°35′31″S 172°42′48″E / 43.59194°S 172.71333°E |
| Status | Open |
| Start | Lyttelton |
| End | Heathcote |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 9 December 1867 |
| Owner | KiwiRail |
| Operator | KiwiRail |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 2.595 km (1.612 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) (1863–1876) 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) (1876–present) |
| Electrified | 1500 V overhead (1929–1970) |
The Lyttelton Rail Tunnel, initially called the Moorhouse Tunnel, links the city of Christchurch with the port of Lyttelton in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is the country's oldest operational rail tunnel, and is on the Lyttelton Line, one of the first railways built by Canterbury Provincial Railways.
On completion in 1867 it became the first tunnel in the world to be taken through the side of an extinct volcano, and at 2.6 km (1.6 mi), the longest in the country.[1] Its opening made the Ferrymead Railway, New Zealand's first public railway line, obsolete.
- ^ "Historic Lyttelton Buildings". Christchurch City Council. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2011.