AERIAL RAILWAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 235, 3 October 1936, Page 10

AERIAL RAILWAY.

ON MT. RUAPEHU. TRANSPORT TO THE SUMMIT. EUROPEAN DESIGN LIKELY. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. Plans are being prepared for an aerial railway at the Tongariro National Park to carry skiers up and down Mount Kuapehu. It is learned that the Government is considering - the construction of such a railway to the park's tourist headquarters, but at present it is no more than a concrete proposal. So far only the principal requirements of the service, have been set out. It is considered desirable that the car should be capable of carrying 10 persons, and the upper, terminus should be far enough up the mountain side to justify a claim that visitors can travel to the top of Mount Ruapehu.

The type of installation likely to be given most consideration is the funicular, which is in use in many mountainous parts of Europe.

Visitors to National Park, especially ihose taking part in the winter sports on the snowfields of Ruapehu, have on a number of occasions urged the construction of a funicular or aerial railway . from the Chateau. During the recent inter-Dominion sports gathering a noted British ski jumper, Mr. Colin Wyatt, in contrasting conditions' in New Zealand with those in Europe, put the construction of such a railway as a primary need for the encouragement and development of winter sports in' the Dominion. v aripus mountainous parts of the' world, including Switzerland and Italy, | ese cable cars are in use. In many j i 1 have been built for scenic j fc £S lon and to take! n and trampers to the :i snowline from mountain resorts. '«?ll\vi ail - Ce £°4 * he Plateau to Salt -i»t, which is the base on Ruapehu for I Jt, C f ltieß j ? s *° me tMee miles. At present a road is under construction | and cars and buses are able to proceed [: * Hout two miles.