WELL ADVANCED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 30, 6 February 1939, Page 11

WELL ADVANCED.

WORK ON RAILWAY. NAPIER-WAIROA LINE. HEADY IN THREE MONTHS.

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WAIROA, this day. It is anticipated that the work of constructing the railway line between Napier and Wairoa will be completed within three months. It will then be handed over by the Public Works Department to the Railways Department, and everything will then be in order for the inauguration of the passenger service between Napier and Wairoa. This information was given to a reporter by the General Manager of Railways, Mr. O. H. Mackley. who, with several officers of his Department, visited Wairoa on Saturday in one of the new standard type railcars, the Tokomaru. The railear left Wellington on Saturday morning at 5.20 o'clock, and after several stops on the way to enable Mr. Mackley and his officers to inspect the track, it arrived in Wairoa at 12.45 p.m. after a very pleasant trip. The party left again on Saturday. In an interview just prior to his departure, Mr. Mackley stated that the purpose of the railcar's visit was to enable him and his officers to make an inspection of the work of restoration of the line between Napier and Putorino following on the disastrous floods of last year, and also to make an inspection of 13J miles of additional track between Putorino and Raupunga, which the Public Works Department was now ready to hand over to the RaUways Department. Running-in Railear. There were also other matters of detail to be discussed between officers of the Public Works Department and the Railway Department regarding the final taking over of the- line to Wairoa. The opportunity was also taken of giving one of the new standard railcars a further running-in, which was necessary before the cars were actually put into service.

Mr. Mackley said that this was his first trip over the line since the floods, and he • said he was astounded at the magnitude of the damage. He was exceedingly pleased with the expeditious and efficient manner in which the work of restoration had been tackled, and paid a compliment to the engineers and men responsible for the work. Praise for Workers. He stated that although the devastation caused by the floods was almost beyond description, the work of repairing the damage was now well in hand, and was reaching the stage of fairly early completion. That portion of the line on 'the Wairoa side of Putorino, which was under the jurisdiction of, the Public Works Department, did not sustain anything like the serious damage suffered by the line between Putorino and Napier, and the present condition of the line between Putorino and Kaupunga, a distance of 13} miles, was splendid and ready for taking over by the Railways.

The condition of this portion of the track reflected great credit on the men and engineers of the Public Works Department. The portion of the line from Raupunga to Wairoa, about 22 miles, which was now receiving the final touches by the Public Works Department, was also in very good shape, although one could still see the effects of the floods in the vicinity of the Mohaka tunnel, on the Wairoa side of Raupunga.

So far as the line itself was concerned between Raupunga and Wairoa, it was anticipated this would be conrpleted by the Public Works Department during the course of the next three months, although there still was some necessary work in connection with buildings. However, in discussion with the engineer in charge of the work, it was ascertained that efforts were being made to complete" the work as expeditiously as possible, with the object' of handing it over to the Railway Department as soon as was practicable.