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Railway lines from Auckland reached Papatoetoe in 1875. A station was built that year, but in 1887 it lost its staff due to the financial depression of the time. Two rooms were added in 1914 and it was moved to an island platform in 1918. There was a large water vat and windmill beside the track, which supplied water from the bore for the vat, train engines and the station. The current - now restored - Old Papatoetoe Railway Station, incorporates parts of the original station. For a number of years the station building was in disrepair. In 1996 Tranzrail had no use for the building and planned to demolish it, however a restoration project initiated by the Papatoetoe Community Board, Mainstreet Papatoetoe and people in the community began. It was sold to The Papatoetoe Railway Station Preservation Trust for $10. This group, along with others in the community, worked on its restoration after it was relocated in December 1999 to a site on the other side of the tracks, in St George St. It is available for community use. In 2006 The Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand awarded a Restoration Award Certificate of merit to the project.