Tranz Rail said today it was attempting to sell the 66 year-old Wellington Railway Station.
The station handles over 10 million passengers a year.
Tranz Rail is in the process of selling Tranz Metro, its commuter passenger services group which mainly services Wellington station.
The company, which is in the process of transformingitself into a freight business, moved its head office located above the grand Wellington station, to Auckland two years ago.
In November 2001, the company played down a report it was considering the sale of the station although it did say that once it had sold Tranz Metro, a sale of the station was a possibility.
Chief financial officer Wayne Collins said the station was surplus to requirements.
"We moved our head office out of Wellington to Auckland two years ago and most of it is vacant."
The offices of Tranz Scenic, recently sold, and Interisland Line, operate out of the building.
Mr Collins said the sale of the building would not affect the sale of Tranz Metro and Tranz Rail would retain the yards.
The building has Categoric 1 designation by the New Zealand Historic Place Trust, meaning it is a building of outstanding cultural or historic significance.
Tranz Rail also announced today it was stopping its Lynx fast ferry service a month early -- in May instead of June -- as a cost-cutting measure. The company said profits on its Interisland service were being affected by new competition by Straits Shipping and Air New Zealand's discount fares. The Lynx would resume in the summer -- in November or December.
The company today announced it had missed its profit forecast, sending its shares spiralling 17 per cent, or 16 cents, to a new record low of 79 cents.
