THE PARNELL TUNNEL.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 135, 9 June 1910, Page 5

THE PARNELL TUNNEL.

MINISTER AND COMMISSION. RON. J. A. MILLAB'S OPINION. DTTPLICATION NOT NECESSARY £100,000 FOB AUCKLAND STATION YARDS. The Commission of ten Auckland business men selected on the suggestion of Sir Joseph Ward to go into the quesI tion of the necessity for duplicating the Parnell tunnel, this morning waited upon the Hon. J. A. Millar, Minister for Railways, and went into a, discussion of preliminary matters affecting the inquiry. Those present were the Mayor (Mr. l>. J. Bagnall), and Messrs. A. M. Myers, D. G oldie, G. L. Peacocke, A. J. Entrican, J. C. Macky, and J. H. G-unson. Apologies were made for the absence of Messrs. A. B. Roberton, T. Findlayson, and J. Burns.

Mr. Bagnall said the Minister understood the purpose for which they were gathered together, and he thought it would be best if Mr. Millar would first put the position to them from the Departmental point of view.

The Minister said he thought that would be the best course to follow. It! was in response to their Invitation thatj he had come to Auckland, to go into the matter of the proposed duplication | of the Parneli tunnel. Ho was perfectly | satisfied with the personnel of tlie Com- j mission set up on the recommendation ■of Sir Joseph Ward, in accordance with the promise he made when Minister for Railways. He hoped that they would go J into the matter as representatives, : . considering the question not only from ; the point of view of Auckland city, but ; of the country as a whole. The ques- ; tion they had to consider was whether [ the urgency of the work justified the expenditure. The only justification would be the inability of the existing! tunnel to carry the present or future i traffic. He thought he would be able ■ to convince them that the time had not ; ,Tct arrived for incurring *-he expense of | this undertaking. He would like to ! take them back into some ancient history. In 1882 a demand was made for the duplication of this tunnel, and also for the duplication of the line to Penrose. In the same year Mr. Moss, M.P., asked for the duplication of the tunnel on the floor of the House, and a report was prepared, showing that the existing traffic would not be sufficient to justify the work. At that time 26 trains per day were going out of Auckland. To-day the Railway Department was able to cope with the traffic just as easily as when only 26 trains per day went I through. In ISSo a survey- was made I over two alternative routes between j Auckland and Penrose, via Mechanic's I Bay and Hobson Bay, both of which would have had to pass through a tunnel under the Reruueraroad. These routes would j have given an easier grade, but would have run into an expenditure of about a quarter of a million, and that sum was too large. At the present time the average number of trains handled at the Auckland station was 84 per day, and the maximum in any one day was 106. With this number the tunnel was only half occupied, the exact time taken being 11 hours 55 minutes. If the necessity arose 240 trains per day could be handled. As business men, he asked them to consider whether, if they had premises capable of carrying double the stock they possessed, they would deem it advisable to make expensive additions to those premises. The cost of duplicating the Parncll tunnel would not be a stumbling block if the work was actually necessary, and could be accomplished for £35,000 or £40,000. That would include the duplication of the line between the tunnel and Newmarket, which was the onl} - portion of the line between Auckland and Penrose not duplicated. The railways had to be worked on the total block system. The tunnel now acted as the first block, and if it were duplicated, Newmarket would be tlie scene of the first block, so that there would be absolutely no saving of time in this respect. There would have to be an enormous increase in the traffic of Auckland before 240 trains per day required handling, and that number could be negotiated, at an eight-minute break, without duplicating the tunnel. Not for the nest ten or fifteen years would there be

a necessity for considering the duplication. He" believed that the commission would find that this was a work that could very well stand over until other more important works in the Auckland district had been attended to. At Tuakau they were now spending £7000, chiefly in easing the grade, and he hoped to spend £100,000 during the course of the next two years in breaking down stiff grades, and so ultimately increasing the hauling power and earning power of the locomotives. Likewise, the Department would have to spend £100,000 on the Auckland railway yards during the course of the next few "years. Under the circumstances he thought the commission would realise that expenditure would not at present be justified in duplicating Parnell tunnel. Mr Myers: Then your contention is that there would he no greater facilities afforded by deputation than we have at present?

The Minister: Yes, that is my con- j tention. We handle a maximum of 10G trains a day now, and we could just as easily handle 240. Mr Bagnall: You speak of running 106 trains in 11 hours and 50 minutes, but is that number not distributed over 24 hours? The real traffic i≤ greater in the day time than the night time, and it is a question whether the tunnel could stand -a greater pressure of day traffic. The Minister: If there ever was such a rush, we would so regulate the timetable that passenger trains would run in the day time and goods trains at night, as is done in older countries. Mt The Rotorna train was hung up for a quarter of an hour die other morning, owing to another train being hung up in the tunnel. The Minister: That, reason is hardly sufficient to justify the expenditure of £35.000.

Mr Waits (traffic manager): The incident quoted would not happen once in a year, and was due to slipping rails. Mr Entrican: If it takes 11 houra 50 minutes to handle 10G trains, it would

be a mathematical impossibility to han-

die 240 in 24 hours. You could not run trains at five minutes intervals with a single tunnel. The Minister: You would need a population the size of London before you wanted five minutes trains.

Mr Entrican: I do not think you will find the ten gentlemen present convinced that the Parnell tunnel will meet double ou* requirement*. The Minister: That would not Tμ admitted in 18S3.

Mr Myers: How many race -trains are included in the total of 106 mentioned? The Minister: That information can be ascertained! The average number of trains, handled is 84 per day. Mr Entrican: When does the Department think this duplication will be I necessary? The Minister: As soon as we find we cannot handle the traffic we will go on with the duplication. Mr Gunson: Will the Commission be permitted to visit the tunnel, and make a personal inspection, 'besides calling for infonnatios required? Tie Minister: I am quite willing to supply you with all particulars, and to prove that the tunnel ds at the present time only occupied up to 'half its capacity. The members of the Commission then withdrew, the Mayor intimating that they would probably be some days in 1 preparing their report.