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!

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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

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details