Our geography has always presented issues for our infrastructure builders. The Remutaka Range is an example of this. Tall and steep they separate the Hutt Valley from the Wairarapa and beyond. After years of investigation the Government decided on a unique Fell train system which began operating in 1878. In the mid-20th Century the Fell system began to show its limitations and in 1948 work began on a tunnel beneath the hills. The tunnel opened in 1955 and at 9 kilometres, it was the longest tunnel in New Zealand for decades.