From a standing start of little tank engines chugging along wooden rails, New Zealand built a vast rail network, made up of enough steel rail to wrap halfway around the moon.
All aboard for a voyage into the history of New Zealand's railways!
From a standing start of little tank engines chugging along wooden rails, New Zealand built a vast rail network, made up of enough steel rail to wrap halfway around the moon.
If our rail network was once so massive, why is it now a shadow of its former glory?
In this episode we discuss:
- How Māori originally travelled overland in Aotearoa.
- The development of railways in the UK and the impact they had on society.
- Early efforts at building short railways in New Zealand.
- Premier Julius Vogel's massive expansion of the rail network.
- The importance of rail for New Zealand's economy, education, politics and culture.
- The challenges and opportunities rail created for Māori.
- The lives of those who built and maintained the rail network.
- The replacement of rail with automobiles and aircraft.
- Arguments over the return of rail
For more on this subject:
- Can't Get There From Here by Andre Brett
- Trainlands by Neill Atkinson
- Te Ara Encyclopaedia - Railways
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