Trams in New Zealand were a major form of transport from the 19th century into the mid-20th century. New Zealand's first (horse) tramway was established in 1862 (Nelson), followed by a steam tramway in 1871 (Thames), and the first electric tramway in 1900 (Maori Hill, Dunedin). In New Zealand railway terminology a bush tramway is an industrial tramway, which usually did not carry passengers.
The tram systems in the main centres, and in some smaller towns, were soon electrified. By the 1950s, all systems were in the process of being replaced by trolley-buses or buses. The last tram service closed in 1964, in Wellington. A tram running parallel with a public road opened in Western Springs, Auckland, in 1980 and a central city loop line in Christchurch in 1995. Both are heritage lines.
In modern parlance, trams are known as "light rail vehicles", and modern tram proposals are referred to as light rail – such as the proposed light rail lines in Auckland.
History
In 1862, the first horse tramway in New Zealand, between Nelson and the port, opened as part of the Dun Mountain Railway, built to export ore from the mine in the hills above Nelson. The legislation enabling the Dun Mountain Railways required a passenger service to be provided, which commenced from 7 May 1862 using a horse-drawn carriage, known as the "City Bus." The service closed in 1901 after a proposal to electrify it was defeated. Other horse-drawn tramway systems were built on the West Coast of the South Island, where a gold rush started in 1864. Horse-drawn tramways could be found in Westport, Charleston, New Brighton, Greymouth, Paroa, Marsden, Kumara, Arahura, Hokitika, Kaniere and Ross.
At Grahamstown (now Thames) in the North Island where gold had also been found, a steam tramway to Tararu was opened on 2 December 1871, but closed on 11 November 1874, due to there being "not sufficient traffic". A steam locomotive for the tramway was built at Mechanics Bay in 1872 by Fraser and Tinne. A steam-tram commenced service in Wellington in August 1878, claiming to be the first "steam-hauled street tramway in the Southern Hemisphere."
Horse-drawn tram lines also opened in the main centres; Auckland and Devonport in 1886, Dunedin in 1879 and Christchurch in 1880. The first electric tram ran to Maori Hill, Dunedin in 1900, and the tramway systems in the main centres were all electrified in the 1900s. Dunedin also had several Cable Car lines to various suburbs and Wellington still has the Wellington Cable Car (actually a funicular) to Kelburn.
Most 20th-century systems were electric with overhead wires, apart from the Takapuna (Auckland) steam tramway (1910–1927) and Gisborne, which had two battery-electric trams (1913–1929). The only system to be closed down during this period was Napier, in 1931 after the Napier earthquake. Several long suburban tramway lines were replaced by buses, e.g. Christchurch City to Richmond, Burwood and North Beach in 1934, and to Linwood in 1936.
During the 1950s and early 1960s, all the tramway systems were replaced by buses or trolley-buses: Wanganui (1950), Invercargill (1952), Christchurch and New Plymouth (1954), Auckland and Dunedin (1956) and Wellington (1964). This followed a general international trend, especially in North American and British towns and cities. The traditional tramway systems of the period were as perceived as a slow and outdated means of transport, characterized by inflexible routes and expensive infrastructure maintenance. In Wellington, there was significant opposition to the closure of the last tramway system in New Zealand, and the final decision to disestablish the remaining lines followed on a public referendum in 1959.
All trolley-bus systems in New Zealand have now been closed down: Christchurch (1956), New Plymouth (1967), Auckland (1980), Dunedin (1982) and Wellington (2017).
By city
Auckland
Auckland City Auckland City had a private company operating horse-drawn trams from 1884. The British Electric Traction Company purchased the Horse Tramway in the late 1890s. With the blessing of the various borough councils that presided over the Auckland isthmus, The Auckland Electric Tramway Company Limited built the initial tram systems in two years and the official opening was held on 17 November 1902, but public service was delayed a week because three of the motormen, from Sydney, Australia, had been drowned in the SS Elingamite shipwreck near Three Kings Islands on 9 November 1902. Public service commenced on 23 November 1902 and was expanded until the mid 1930s and continued to 29 December 1956.(from the Freepages Genealogy website)Auckland Tram – Number 11 (from the MOTAT website)A Wheel on Each Corner, The History of the IPENZ Transportation Group 1956–2006 – Douglass, Malcolm; Engineering New Zealand Transportation Group, 2006, Page 12 Initially the trams were geared for a maximum speed of , so took an average of 40 minutes for the longest route, the between Queen St and Onehunga.
With services running from downtown at the Waitematā Harbour, across to Onehunga on the Manukau Harbour, Auckland had the world's only 'coast to coast' tramway system. The Auckland Electric Tramway Company started as a private company before being acquired by Auckland City Council. The resulting council owned entity was required to run services outside the borders of Auckland City. By 1938, there were of tramways in Auckland, with termini at -
TerminusStartClosePoint Chevalier27 July 193020 November 1953Westmere10 May 193113 March 1953Zoo17 December 192313 March 1953Carlaw Park5 October 192922 December 1956Herne Bay27 October 190323 September 1949Meadowbank8 June 193017 August 1956Ellerslie Racecourse29 October 19232 January 1955Green Lane Hospital23 April 193928 December 1956Onehunga Wharf28 September 190329 December 1956Three Kings28 March 193122 May 1953Mount Roskill2 February 193011 September 1953Owairaka21 February 19316 August 1954Avondale31 January 193213 January 1956Farmers Free Tram, Beresford Street to Wyndham St. Farmers Trading Company siding and entrance6 May 193620 November 1953
From 1949 a modernisation programme saw the electric tramway routes being replaced by trolleybuses, commencing with the Herne Bay route and with trolleybuses eventually replicating the entire network by December 1956 when the last electric tramway ran.
While the introduction of two light railway lines became a government commitment in 2018, as of there are currently only two tramway services in Auckland, the Western Springs Tramway and the Dockline Tramway. Both are heritage systems run by the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT). The Western Springs Tramway runs between the two sites of MOTAT, with an intermediate stop at Auckland Zoo. The tracks run parallel to part of the original Point Chevalier tram route on Great North Road, but they were not part of the original system. The Dockline Tramway is a circular track in Wynard Quarter.
Wynyard loop tram
Also known as the Wynyard Quarter tram and Dockline Tram, the service operates on a circuit close to downtown Auckland. The route consists of the loop Halsey Street, Gaunt Street, Daldy Street and Jellicoe Street. There have been proposals to extend this in the future. The service was promoted and funded by the former Auckland Regional Council and now by Panuku Development Auckland. The tramway is operated by Auckland Tramways, administered by Panuku Development Auckland. Trams commenced testing and crew training on Friday 29 July 2011. The system was opened on 6 August 2011, prior to the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Three former Melbourne trams have been used. X1 class 466, (was for a time 2011-2017 renumbered ATL 257), was leased from the Newstead Trams based at Bendigo Tramways and arrived at the Ports of Auckland by ship 8 June 2011 and was delivered to the new tram shed 15 June 2011. From 2011 until 2015, Melbourne W2 class 421, then numbered ATL 258 was leased from Bendigo. In July 2015, SW6 model trams 852 and 881 arrived from Melbourne after becoming surplus to requirements. In September 2011, MOTAT's Western Springs Tramway loaned restored 1906 Auckland tram No.44 for the Auckland Heritage Festival and through summer 2011/12. No.44 was loaned again in September and early October 2012. Ownership of the trams has passed from the Auckland Council / Panuku Development Auckland to MOTAT.
The MOTAT line was extended in 2006–07 to reach a second site of the museum, and the former Auckland Regional Council promoted the creation of an Auckland waterfront tram line, originally with MOTAT vehicles, but will initially operate former Melbourne trams leased from Bendigo Tramways Company Limited. The Auckland Tramway Limited opened 6 August 2011 with the support of Waterfront Auckland (later merged into Panuku Development Auckland) and the new Auckland Council.
The Dockline Tramway was closed a number of times for the gentrification of streets around Wynyard Quarter which have involved re-levelling the roads. For instance in until October 2014, and again from mid 2015 until late 2016 while Gaunt Street and the southern end of Daldy Street were gentrified. In April 2017, trams ran on a short section of the line while roadworks and gentrification took place in Halsey Street and Daldy Street, including watergardens and realignment of the tramway along the reinstated Daldy Street. The Tramway was suspended indefinitely on 5 August 2018 due to Panuku selling an area that included part of its tracks to a developer, but was given a reprieve on 22 November 2018 with Auckland Councillors voting to reinstate the full original loop and have the tram running for the 2021 America's Cup, then review its future. The Dockline Tramway was reported to be re-opening summer 2020, Delayed due COVID-19 lockdowns, the Dockline Tramway was eventually reopened on Sunday 7 February 2021, after Panuku Development Auckland announced that MOTAT would be running the tramway on its behalf. The tramway operates Sundays 10am-4pm and during Public Holiday weekends. In November of 2021 the Auckland Council voted thirteen to six in favour of removing the tramway and the land the sheds now sit on have been sold. The tramway was originally expected to close sometime between April and July 2023 but now expecting for a 2024 date.
Devonport The Devonport and Lake Takapuna Tramway Company operated a horse tramway on Auckland's North Shore from September 1886 to February 1887, running from Victoria Wharf to Cheltenham Beach. The tramway was taken over by Richard and Robert Duder (R. & R. Duder Company) in March 1887 and continued to run until June 1888, when all services ceased. The tracks remained in place until December 1894 when the Devonport Borough Council removed them and widened Beach Road (now King Edward Parade).
Milford to Bayswater
In 1907 a group of local businessmen asked Auckland Electric Tramways Company to open an electric tramway on Auckland's North Shore, with a view to funding the scheme through land sales. Auckland Electric Tramways initially investigated the request, later declining it on the basis of a sparse population then on the North Shore. The same businessmen then formed the Takapuna Tramways and Ferry Company Limited to build and operate a ferry and tramway service. Their initial intention was for the tramway to be electrified, but insufficient capital and connections to Auckland's power grid prevented it. The company's ferry, Pupuke, was launched on 15 December 1909, with a new wharf built at Bayswater. The ferry was completed in time for the first service from Auckland City to Bayswater to meet the company's just completed steam tramway on 22 December 1910.