Melling Branch

The Melling Branch is a railway branch line in the Hutt Valley, north of Wellington, New Zealand. It is part of the national rail network and formerly part of the Wairarapa Line. Until 2010 it was one of only two passenger-only lines in the country (the second one being the Johnsonville Line), since that year the two being joined by the Onehunga Branch and later by the Manukau Branch.
Services are provided by Tranz Metro under the Metlink brand and marketed as the Melling Line. Trains run between Wellington and Melling from Monday to Friday.
History
Construction
The colonial government of William Fox passed the Railways Act in 1870, which authorised the surveying of several railway lines including one from Wellington to the Wairarapa. Surveyor John Rochfort was hired by the Public Works Department to investigate four potential routes for this line and reported back with his findings at the completion of his trip. He recommended a...