Frankton Junction - A KiwiRail Hotspot

 

The northern end of the Frankton station platforms where just beyond is the junction between the North Island Main Trunk and the East Coast Main Trunk. 

Earlier this month I travelled up to Hamilton while a family member was in Waikato Hospital. While this is a railway and industrial history blog, I want to acknowledge the surgeons, doctors, nurses, assistants, and all the staff at Waikato Hospital. They were absolutely fantastic, and we felt so much better knowing our family member was in the best possible hands. After a few days post-surgery, we knew the worst was behind us and that recovery was well underway.

We had chosen a hotel close to the hospital to make travelling back and forth as easy as possible. In between hospital visits, I tried to get down to Frankton Junction whenever I could, to experience one of New Zealand’s railway hot spots firsthand. It just so happened that the hotel was only a five minute drive away.

Frankton, located near downtown Hamilton, is the junction between the electrified North Island Main Trunk and the East Coast Main Trunk. 

An aerial view of Frankton Junction. The North Island Main Trunk enters from the lower centre of the image, curving to the left before heading northwest towards Te Rapa. The East Coast Main Trunk approaches from the upper right, sweeping around before joining the NIMT.

Hamilton forms one corner of the famed KiwiRail 'golden triangle' between Auckland, Hamilton, and Tauranga. This route is the busiest freight corridor in New Zealand, connecting the Port of Tauranga with Auckland. The Waikato is also a significant producer of freight, with major Fonterra sites and inland port facilities across the region.

Alongside the steady procession of freights and local shunting movements on the NIMT and ECMT, Hamilton is also served by the Te Huia Auckland–Hamilton commuter service and the Northern Explorer, the long-distance passenger train between Auckland and Wellington. Unfortunately, these passenger services and some freight services were not operating at the time due to a shutdown of the Auckland rail network for major works over the holiday period.

Some freight services between Tauranga and Auckland instead terminated at a temporary container terminal at Frankton, where containers were transferred to road transport for road bridging between Hamilton and Auckland.

On the evening of Sunday the 11th of January, I left the hotel to get some dinner. Having picked up some food I headed to Frankton Junction to enjoy the warm evening, a hamburger and hopefully a train or two. I didn't need to wait long before a steel train from Tauranga headed by DL9279 arrived. As someone who lives in the South Island, seeing a DL and a steel train are both fairly new experiences for me and I enjoyed watching this short but heavy train cruise by. Unfortunately no more trains were in the offering and I headed back to the hotel tired but happy.

DL 9279 eases off the East Coast Main Trunk with a steel train from Tauranga to Mission Bush. 11/01/2026.

Railfans in the North Island of New Zealand have a bit of a love / hate relationship with the DL class. Manufactured by CRRC Dalian, the first batch of DL's were introduced in 2009. Several more batches of the powerful diesel electric locomotives have been delivered, with a total of 73 of the locomotives operating exclusively in the North Island. These locomotives revolutionised the North Island rail network and allowed all the remaining North Island based DX class and most of the DFT class to be sent to the South Island. They also allowed KiwiRail to withdraw a number of DC and all the remaining DBR class locomotives. The reallocation of the old EMD and GM locomotives to the south and the withdrawal of numerous DC's and the DBR's created a lot of despair amongst North Island railfans. 

The next morning, excited by catching the steel train I once again headed down to Frankton to see what I could see. Shortly after arriving I spotted headlights in the distance. After uncoupling from a rake of container wagons at the temporary container terminal north of the station, DC 4951 and DC 4790 approached and came to a stand still next to me. On receiving a signal to proceed onto the main line, they quickly left again headed back north to Te Rapa yard. 

DC's 4951 and 4790 wait for a signal to enter the main line and head back to Te Rapa. 12/01/2026.

I returned between hospital visits and did not have to wait long before a green departure signal came up and DL9498 passed by the ECMT platform with a long train of container wagons for the Port of Tauranga. 

DL9498 leads a freight service to the Port of Tauranga off the NIMT and onto the ECMT. 12/01/2026.

Shortly after, DL 9302 led a shunt service from Te Awamutu back along the NIMT towards Te Rapa. This train serves the large Fonterra dairy factory and associated cool stores at Te Awamutu. Separated from DL 9302 by a single wagon, DSG 3236 was also in the consist.

A shunting locomotive is taken south on the morning train and used to work the multiple sidings in and around the factory, being far better suited to this task than the DL class. The shunting loco then returns to Te Rapa on the afternoon working.

DL 9302 with shunting locomotive DSG 3236 sweep past Frankton station on the NIMT with the northbound Te Awamutu shunting service. 12/01/2026.

After the Te Awamutu shunt passed through, the ECMT signals at the junction cleared, announcing the imminent arrival of another train. I didn’t have to wait long before DL 9734 rumbled around the curve with another steel train bound for Mission Bush.

DL 9734 leads a steel train along the ECMT and into the junction at Frankton 12/01/2026.

With the steel train clear of the junction, headlights in the distance signaled another arrival. This time DLs 9636 and 9469 glided through the junction points, travelling light engine to the inland port at Ruakura.

              DL's 9636 and 9469 head onto the ECMT with a light engine move to the inland port at Ruakura.12/01/2026.

The Ruakura Inland Port is a relatively new facility, opening in August 2023 to serve importers and exporters across the Waikato. It is a joint venture between Tainui Group Holdings and the Port of Tauranga, and represents another growing source of traffic for KiwiRail.

After grabbing another fast-food dinner, I returned to Frankton Junction in the twilight and was rewarded with another eastbound ECMT freight, this time led by DL 9319.

DL 9319 cruises onto the ECMT in the Waikato twilight with another freight for the Port of Tauranga. 12/01/2026.

I was lucky enough to pick up some local railfan information and was told that an overnight NIMT freight hauled by EF electric locomotives was due to arrive at the junction around 8 a.m. the following morning. The EFs hold a special place for me, as I grew up watching them haul Main Trunk freights and the Auckland–Wellington Overlander through Marton in the mid to late 1990s.

The EFs were once the undisputed kings of the North Island Main Trunk. However, as the fleet aged, reliability began to decline. Rising electricity prices and the arrival of the DL class appeared to seal their fate, and for a time the writing was firmly on the wall for the EF class.

In recent years though, the EFs have enjoyed a revival, with a much-needed overhaul and upgrade programme returning several units to service. While they no longer dominate the NIMT like they once did, they continue to play a valuable role in hauling freight across the central North Island.

I arrived at the station early, keen to catch some EFs in action. After almost an hour and a half of waiting, I decided they must of already arrived at Te Rapa and headed off. Crossing the Killarney Road railway crossing, I spotted headlights in the distance and was able to pull over and park before grabbing a very rushed shot of EF 30134 and EF 30203 as they thundered past with their late-running train.

While the locomotives look good in the new blue KiwiRail livery, I still think they looked better in the original “fruit salad” scheme of orange-red, yellow, and grey, complete with the large white numbers along their sides.

EFs 30134 and 30203 head a northbound overnight freight into Frankton on the NIMT. 13/01/2026.

After returning from the hospital, I made my way to the Route 9 overbridge just north of the station to get a clear view of the junction itself. From the bridge, you can see the full layout of Frankton Junction  below, with the converging main lines, trackwork, and signals all visible. 

My timing couldn’t have been better. Just as I reached the middle of the bridge , the Te Awamutu shunt appeared around the curve, easing its way toward the yard at Te Rapa. 

DC's 4790 and 4058 with DSG 3236 lead the Te Awamutu shunt back to Te Rapa. 13/01/2026.

Heading back toward the station, I was hoping to catch a few more trains before it was time to leave. Once again, I wasn’t disappointed, as another northbound freight arrived on the ECMT behind DL 9636.

Rather than continuing through to Te Rapa, the train came to a stop. After about ten minutes, a low-speed light appeared on the signals and the DL carefully worked its train through the junction and into the sidings serving the temporary container terminal at Frankton.

DL 9636 arrives at Frankton Junction with ECMT freight service from Tauranga. 13/01/2026.

My last train of the trip were two DC's moving light engine. DC's 4058 and DC 4790 were headed to the Fonterra factory at Hautapu to pick up container wagons of dairy products. 

DC's 4058 and 4790 depart Frankton for the Fonterra factory at Waitoa. 13/01/2026.

Frankton Junction is truly one of New Zealand Railways’ hot spots. Over the space of just a few hours spread across several days, I saw a steady procession of trains on both the NIMT and the ECMT. There would have been even more had it not been for the shutdown of the Auckland suburban network.

One thing that quickly became apparent to may as I stood on the platforms was that, with the exception of the DCs and EFs, the vast majority of trains I saw were hauled by the DL class. As someone living in the South Island, these locomotives are still something of a novelty for me, and I was more than happy to watch them pass by. Saying that, I can easily see how it might begin to feel a little repetitive over time.

We are very lucky in the south, where we're witnessing the final years of the DX and DFT diesels in New Zealand service but it won' be long before we're in the same situation with most trains hauled by the new DM class.

If you find yourself in or around Hamilton with an hour or two to spare, I would highly recommend a visit to Frankton Junction, an absolute mecca for New Zealand railfans.

And that's about it.