North Coast Main Line

North Coast Main Line
Overview
Type	Heavy rail
Status	In use
Locale	Albanyshire, Fitzroyshire, Beaufortshire
Termini	Shepton Dairyton
Operation
Opening	6 November 1905 (1905-11-06)
Owner	New Ingerland Railways Corporation
Technical
Track gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Electrification	Overhead 25 kv AC
Route map Forster Strait Ferry to Port Bentley Whakamarino docks Whakamarino Waitanguru Armoss Hartsrill Castle Marlow Hill Williamsdene River Waiautoa Woolport Elland Braunstone Darendon Waihou Nanavale Cross Country Main Line to Swanbrook Dairyton Thursmore Red Hill Tunnels (x5) Poundyard Bay Line to Redmouth Park Beach Corfe Harbour Corfe Harbour Airport Tyrbeck Ashmarsh Stockarre Archville Repton Tunnel Repton Araroa River Raleigh Waiotapu River Newry Peterkins Belvedere Dunwich Awapikopiko River Uxbridge Carnmoor Kesby Cowancroft Pasquale River Waiparu Cornwallis Mariavale River Maria Rawsthorne Blackmans Point River Oswald Fernbank-Hubbard Ōtūawa Eastern Main Line from Ellford Junction to Port Frederick

The North Coast Main Line (often abbreviated to NCML) is the primary rail route along the northern coast of New Ingerland, and along with the Central Main Line, Cross Country Main Line, Eastern Main Line and Southern Main Line lines, is one of the major trunk lines that form the basis of the New Ingerland railway network. The line begins at Findlay Junction near Port Frederick and ends at Whakamarino on Forster Strait. Along the way, the railway passes through the towns of Pasquale, Uxbridge, Port Belvedere, Newry, Corfe Harbour, and Williamsdene.

History

The North Coast Line was built by the Ministry of Public Works and Railways between 1905 and 1932. The development of the line was hampered by the complex geography of the region, with many large and exprensive bridges required to span the many large rivers that flow through to the coast. When it was completed, the new railway replaced a number of ferry services which had operated from the middle of the nineteeth century. The line also provided a quicker (and safer) route along the north coast for feight and passengers.

The first part of the North Coast railway was opened between Whakamarino and Williamsdene in November 1905. Another section of the railway was built from Port Frederick to East Pasquale opened a few months later. The last section, between Pasquale and Woolport was delayed by the terrain and did not open until 1915. The bridges over the River Waiparu and River Waiautoa proved to be most difficult part of the line to build. Financial setbacks and other delays meant that the bridges were not completed until 1932. In the meantime, the breaks in the line were joined by rail ferries that carried the carriages, passengers, and freight across the rivers. The opening of the bridges completed the line, having taken 28 years to complete.