Otira Tunnel
Otira Tunnel during construction, c. 1910 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Line | Midland Line |
| Location | Southern Alps, South Island, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | North (West coast) portal: 42°51′45″S 171°32′55″E / 42.8625°S 171.5487°E East (Canterbury) portal: 42°56′21″S 171°33′47″E / 42.9392°S 171.5630°E |
| Start | Otira, West Coast |
| End | Arthur's Pass Canterbury |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 4 August 1923 |
| Operator | KiwiRail, The Great Journeys of New Zealand |
| Character | Single bore rail tunnel |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 8566 m |
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6.0 in) |
The Otira Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the Midland Line in the South Island of New Zealand, between Otira and Arthur's Pass. It runs under the Southern Alps from Arthur's Pass to Otira – a length of over 8.5 kilometres (5.3 mi). The gradient is mainly 1 in 33, and the Otira end of the tunnel is over 250 m (820 ft) lower than the Arthur's Pass end.