Rail transport in Christchurch, the largest city on New Zealand's South Island, consists of two main trunk railway lines intersecting in the suburb of Addington, carrying mainly long-haul freight traffic but also two long distance tourist-oriented passenger trains. The two lines are the Main North Line and Main South Line, collectively but unofficially known as the South Island Main Trunk Railway. There is a heritage line at the Ferrymead Historic Park that is operated with steam, electric, and diesel motive power hauling tourist-oriented services. The port at Lyttelton is a significant destination for rail freight, particularly for coal from the west coast transported over the Midland Line. Much of the freight transported by rail through Christchurch is not ultimately destined for Christchurch. History For the first century of its existence, the role of the railways in Christchurch was to connect the port at Lyttelton to the productive areas around Christchurch on the Canterbury Plains. A network of branch lines connected these areas to the Main South Line and Main North Line, which provided access to the port via the Lyttelton rail tunnel, enabling farm supplies to be delivered and food crops, wool, meat, and livestock to be shipped to market. From the 1930s, rail faced increasing competition from road transport, leading to the piecemeal closure of the branch line network up to the 1960s. Notable people William Sefton Moorhouse (1825–1881) William Sefton Moorhouse, Superintendent of the Canterbury Province in 1857–63 and 1866–68, was a significant advocate for the development of the railways in Christchurch. He was involved in several relevant and notable events, including the opening of both the Ferrymead Railway and the Lyttelton rail tunnel, and the development of the Canterbury Great Southern Railway (now the Main South Line). Edward Dobson (1816–1908) Edward Dobson, Provincial Engineer for the Canterbury Province in 1854–68, was responsible for designing and overseeing the construction of many important public works. He designed a system of railways for the province, and by the time he retired, the Canterbury Great Southern Railway had reached Lyttelton and advanced as far south as the Selwyn River. Lines Railway lines in Christchurch were at first constructed by the Canterbury Provincial Council to a gauge of due to the availability of rolling stock and motive power from Australia using this gauge, with these lines reaching south to Rakaia (in June 1873) and north to Amberley (in February 1876). Control over