Port Chalmers Branch

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The Port Chalmers Branch is a short railway line in Otago, New Zealand, that connects Dunedin (Sawyers Bay) with Port Chalmers. It is 2.09 km long, single track, and uses the 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge. The line is open and mainly supports freight, with passenger services having ended in 1979.

History in simple terms:
- Built in 1872–1873 by the Dunedin and Port Chalmers Railway Company with approval from the Otago Provincial Council.
- Opened on 1 January 1873, making it the first line in Otago. The central government bought the company in May 1873.
- In 1876, the provincial councils were abolished. The Dunedin-to-Sawyers Bay section joined the Main South Line, while the 2 km to Port Chalmers became the Port Chalmers Branch.
- The line was taken over by the New Zealand Railways Department in 1880.
- The first locomotive to run on the line, the E class Josephine, was the first 1,067 mm gauge locomotive in New Zealand and is now preserved in the Otago Settlers Museum.

Passenger services ran for more than a century but stopped in 1979. Occasional tourist services were offered by Dunedin Railways to the Taieri Gorge portion, but these have been mothballed since mid-2020. Today, KiwiRail operates freight on the line as part of New Zealand’s transport network.

Notes:
- Terminus: Sawyers Bay and Port Chalmers
- Owner: New Zealand Railways Corporation (land)
- The line has been considered for freight improvements, such as moving logs by rail to reduce truck traffic on nearby highways.