Orari railway station closed

Press, 8 November 1980, Page 2

Orari railway station closed

The Orari railway station was closed yesterday after more than 100 years of service, the latest casualtv of

the Railways “rationalisation” programme, The staff of two have been transferred.

The Railways’ assistant district! traffic manager in Christchurch, Mr J. W. Walters, said the station had been closed because of a decline in trade in recent years. However the siding would still remain .open so that waggon lots of freight could be left for customers.

Freight for Geraldine is

expected to be sent to Winchester for collection carriers.

The closing means that Temuka will be the only manned station between Ashburton and Timaru although an agent will attend the Winchester station for four hours each day.

The Orari station once catered for four or five express trains a day as well as “slow” trains and freight trains. Station staff contributed much to the social life of Orari. At one time the station was also the Post Office. A

separate Post Office was established in 1926. The Orari station is the second on the main south line to be closed recently, the other being at Rangitata.

Mr Walters said it was not planned to close any other station in Canterbury soon although it is believed that the Bumham and Dunsandel stations may eventually follow suit. It is not known what will be done with the 10-year-old concrete-block passenger building at Orari,