the railways passed to the Colonial Government following abolition of the provinces on 1 November 1876, and all lines were re-gauged to the new national standard of . Eyreton Branch The Eyreton Branch line was constructed at the behest of parochial interests in the town of Kaiapoi, and connected the town to farming districts to the west. In an attempt to make it profitable, considering its proximity to the Oxford Branch, it was connected to the Oxford Branch and effectively served as a shortcut for local traffic between Oxford and Christchurch until the connection with the Oxford Branch was closed in 1931. It was closed beyond Wetheral in 1954 (where it served a flour mill) and closed completely in 1965. Ferrymead Railway The first railway to open in Christchurch was the Ferrymead railway, linking the province's main port with Christchurch, a distance of 7 km. With the opening of the Lyttelton rail tunnel in 1867 and subsequent rise of Lyttelton as the region's port, Ferrymead lost its importance and the railway was closed, having outlived its usefulness. The Ferrymead Railway is the first public railway in New Zealand to both open and close. Little River Branch The Little River Branch, connecting with the Southbridge Branch at Lincoln Junction, was originally intended to reach Akaroa but only made it as far as Little River. It was built to access one of only two major stands of timber at the time. Main North Line The Main North Line was built to serve many purposes: to provide suburban passenger services to Christchurch; transport rural settlers and their produce from agricultural areas to the north of Christchurch; and eventually provide a link to the areas of Marlborough, Nelson and the West Coast. For many years debate raged as to the best route for the railway to connect with Marlborough, with two lines extending north from Waipara. Eventually the coastal route was chosen and the Cheviot Branch (which actually terminated in Parnassus) was extended north to meet the line from Picton at Kaikoura in 1945 while the Waiau Branch's importance declined. Main South Line The Main South Line was constructed to link the port at Lyttelton to Christchurch and to agricultural areas in the Selwyn District. Construction work ceased while work on the Lyttelton tunnel proceeded, and did not restart until the central government became involved. Once under central government control, the line was deemed