NEW RAILWAY STATION

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24632, 31 July 1945, Page 4

NEW RAILWAY STATION

♦- MINOR CHANGES IN PRE WAR PLANS OVERBRIDGE MAY BE COMMENCED SOON - The next project in new railway construction, most of which was piannea for Christchurch before, the war, will be the Waitham overbridge, work on which may commence soon. Meanwhile the seven years’ old plan for the new station building is being altered as far as it applies to office arrangements. ( In reply to inquiries by fhp Fress on these two points, the Minister of Railways (the Hon, R.'Semple) said that there had been no alteration in the design of the exterior of the proposed new station building, but that some interior rearrangement of offices was being made on the plans, though these had yet to be made final. Work on the Waltham overbridge, he said, would be commenced immediately the plans for it were completed. It did not depend on the completion of present work on the putwards goods shed roads. The drawings, however, were nearing finality, and it was anttcipated that it would not be long before the work was commenced, Work already completed m the Christchurch scheme covers the large inwards goods shed at Waltham, the subway at Falsgrave street, and the large outwards goods shed bunding between Colombo and Durham streets, and it is expected in Christchurch that roads for the latter shed will be finished this year. Ihe Waitham yarn delivery tracks have been practically complied, with about two sets to go in and two roadways to finish. A start has already been made on clearing the ground ready for the piers of the Waltham overbridge. From an inquiry at the department s office yesterday, it appears that no final decision has been reached about either the Colombo street or the Durham street crossing. However, as soon as traffic can be switched to the new shed, and while work on the Waltham overbridge will then still, probably, be continuing, a start will be made on pulling down the present B shed to clear the way for the new station platforms. 1 Although plans for the new station building are being revised as stated, H is considered likely that it will be more than two. years before this work begins, and possibly, much more. A railways officer questioned yesterday could give no accurate idea of the probable costs of all the work by the time it was completed; but as an estimate in 1938 put the total costs, at about £750,000. and as this did not in-, elude the outwards goods shed and some other work, it is believed that the final cost may exceed £1,000.000.