Tunnel FAQs

Caversham Tunnel

How big is Caversham tunnel?

Caversham tunnel is 865 metres long, four metres wide and five metres high with a gradient of 1 in 65 for 523 metres from east to west then levels.

It is built in a gothic arch style.

  • What is the tunnel made from?

    Caversham tunnel is brick lined at each end for the first 20 metres to protect the sandstone from weathering.

  • How was the tunnel made?

    By manual labour, with some blasting.

  • How much did the tunnel cost to build?

    The total cost in 1872 was about £9,500, or an average of a little over £10 per running yard, which was less than a third of the usual cost of single line tunnels at the time.

  • When was Caversham tunnel opened?

    September 1871 Construction work on the tunnel began
    October 1872 Tunnel breakthrough
    December 1873 The line opened to Green Island by The Hon. Julius Vogel (Premier)
    1 July 1874 First passenger service from Dunedin to Green Island terminus
    1907 Request to make it a roadway
    1910 Trains stopped running through the tunnel when the line switched to a more efficient dual track at Lookout Point tunnel 30 metres to the south
    1910 - 2006 The public used the tunnel as a footpath and a cycleway
    1961 Dunedin City Council took ownership under the 'Reserves and Other Lands Disposal Act 1961 No 128'
    1978 Dunedin Cyclists Coalition investigated a formal cycleway with Dunedin City Council
    2006

    The tunnel entrance closed due to health and safety concerns

  • Why did trains stop running through in 1910?

    Increased usage meant that a single line tunnel was a bottleneck as the rest of the line was now dual track. A wider tunnel was required to cope with the increase.

  • Where is Caversham tunnel?

    Caversham tunnel runs from just south of the Barnes Drive traffic light intersection through to Kaikorai Valley Road.

  • Who owns Caversham tunnel?

    In 1961, ownership of the tunnel was officially transferred to the 'Mayor, Councillors, and citizens of the City of Dunedin' as part of the 'Reserves and Other Lands Disposal Act 1961 No 128' transferring various tracts of land from the railways to local bodies. After that a major sewage line was installed, with pumping houses at either end.

  • Is the tunnel open to the public?

    Caversham tunnel is currently closed to the public.

Caversham Portal
Caversham Portal
Overhead walkway
Caversham Portal (looking North)
Caversham Portal inside
Kaikorai Valley Portal
Kaikorai Valley Portal
Early days
Survey

Chain Hills tunnel

What is the history of Chain Hills tunnel?

Chain Hills tunnel was built in 1873. It is an old Victorian gothic arch styled, single line railway tunnel at the northern end of Gladstone Road North, past the Wingatui Raceway.

It is 462 metres long, four metres wide and five metres high.

In 1914, trains stopped running through the Chain Hills tunnel when dual tracks became more efficient for the use of rolling stock.

Chain Hills tunnel is currently closed to the public.

How big is Chain Hills tunnel?

Chain Hills tunnel is 462 metres long, four metres wide and five metres high.

How was the tunnel made?

By manual labour, with some blasting.

What is the tunnel made from?

The tunnel is fully brick-lined, as the condition of the soil was not stable unlined.

When was Chain Hills tunnel opened?

1873

Construction work on the tunnel began

1875

The single line Chain Hills tunnel opened

1914

Trains stopped running through the tunnel when the line switched to a longer, more efficient dual track 500m south

Date unknown

The tunnel in private ownership by landowners

1980s

The tunnel gated shut with sewer line from freezing works laid through tunnel

Why did trains stop running through in 1914?

Increased usage meant that a single line tunnel was a bottleneck as the rest of the line was now dual track. A wider tunnel was required to cope with the increase.

Where is Chain Hills tunnel?

At the northern end of Gladstone Road North, past the Wingatui Raceway, through to a small gully north of the existing tunnel.

Who owns Chain Hills tunnel?

Unlike most New Zealand tunnels, the Chain Hills tunnel is owned by the landowners of the land above, in this case split between the property owners at the East and West ends.

At the Wingatui end, the track is now a separate piece of land owned by the Dunedin City Council for provision of a shared path / cycle trail.

Is Chain Hills tunnel open to the public?

Chain Hills tunnel is currently closed to the public.

Early Days
Wingatui end
Wingatui track portal
Inside
Inside, eastern end
Eastern Portal
Eastern cutting
Forest cutting
Heading to town