Oxford Branch (New Zealand)

Oxford Branch
Springbank engine shed and its station sign, December 2023
Overview
Status	Closed
Owner	Railways Department
Locale	Canterbury, New Zealand
Termini	Rangiora Sheffield
Stations	13
Service
Type	Heavy Rail
System	New Zealand Government Railways (NZGR)
Operator(s)	Railways Department
History
Opened	28 July 1884 (1884-07-28)
Closed	14 July 1930 (1930-07-14) (Sheffield – Oxford East) 19 April 1959 (1959-04-19) (Oxford East – Rangiora)
Technical
Line length	35.47 km (Rangiora – Oxford West)
Number of tracks	Single
Character	Rural
Track gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Route map Legend km Main North Line 0.00 Rangiora Bells Fernside Stoke Springbank (Moeraki) Cust Eyreton Branch 32.41 Bennetts Junction Carleton Oxford East 35.47 Oxford West View Hill Bexley Waimakariri River Gorge Sheffield (Malvern) Midland Line This diagram: view talk edit

Map

The Oxford Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealand's national rail network. It was located in the Canterbury region of the South Island, and ran roughly parallel with the Eyreton Branch that was located some ten kilometres south. It opened to Oxford in 1875 and survived until 1959.^[1]

It was unusual in that for much of its life it linked two main lines, the Main North Line and the Midland Line, the only portion of the proposed Canterbury Interior Main Line to be completed.