Main South Line

Main South Line
Main South Line and shunting yards at Dunedin.
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerKiwiRail
LocaleSouth Island, New Zealand
Termini
Service
TypeKiwiRail rail freight
Operator(s)KiwiRail
History
Opened22 January 1879
Technical
Line length601.4 kilometres (373.7 mi)
Number of tracksOne
CharacterMain Line (Lyttelton-Dunedin) Provincial (Dunedin – Invercargill)
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification14 Feb 1929 – 19 Sep 1970 (Lyttelton to Christchurch)
Route map

km
0.0
Port of Lyttelton
(
former ferry
to Wellington
)
2,595 m
9.8
Christchurch
Moorhouse Avenue
Christchurch
14.3
Middleton
Hornby Industrial Line
(formerly Southbridge Branch)
31.9
Rolleston
317 m
1,744 m
93.9
Ashburton
170.0
Timaru
914 m
250.3
Oamaru
Oamaru Branch
314.0
Palmerston
377.9
Dunedin
437 m
461.4
Balclutha
Finegand Industrial Line/
Catlins River Branch
537.2
Gore
601.4
Invercargill
km

Detailed map
Map
Map

The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railway line that runs north and south from Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the South Island to Invercargill via Dunedin. It is one of the most important railway lines in New Zealand and was one of the first to be built, with construction commencing in the 1860s. At Christchurch, it connects with the Main North Line to Picton, the other part of the South Island Main Trunk.