Rain Cuts Road, Rail Links To Coast

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28661, 11 August 1958, Page 8

Rain Cuts Road, Rail Links To Coast

Heavy rain which fell throughout the West Coast during the week-end washed out the rail link and the Otira Gorge road route with Canterbury and caused flooding in Greymouth. Rail traffic is now back to normal and the Otira Gorge road was opened at 5 p.m. yesterday, but it is in a very rough condition.

During the 48-hour period to 9 a.m. yesterday, 3.97 inches ot rain were recorded in Greymouth and' of this, 3.64 inches fell between 9 a.m. on Saturday , and 9 a.m. yesterday. There was a good deal of flooding in Greymouth streets and the cellars of some hotels were swamped with water to a depth of some inches. Water spread across Tainui street from the Post Office to Revingtons Hotel and there was an even greater depth in the lower lying areas around the Regent Theatre and Victoria Park. The Grey river rose appreciably, but there was no alarm.

There was a great deal of dissatisfaction expressed by passengers at the Greymouth railway station last evening when told they would have to travel by bus. All were booked on the rail-car. Two buses left for Christchurch at the same time as the rail-car It was a single unit instead of the usual double one and it had to pick up 82 passengers for Christchurch at Arthur’s Pass Only a single unit was available as the other units were on the Christchurch side of the Southern Alps as they had been unable to get through to the West Coast. The rail-cars scheduled to leave from Christchurch -and Greymouth on Saturday evening were cancelled because of scouring at Rocky creek. Passengers were conveyed from Christchurch by bus and arrived in Greymouth about 4 a.m. on Sunday. The repair work to the railway line at Rocky creek was completed at 1.30 p.m. yesterday. The Otira road route was also blocked by a washout at Rocky creek, between Otira and Aickens The road was closed early on Saturday and was opened again late yesterday afternoon. The road was damaged in the Otira gorge particularly at Candy’s bend. The Canterbury Automobile Association reported last evening that all the creeks on the Otira route were in a rough condition because of scouring, and they were expected to be for some time. Dry creek, west of Lake Lyn-

don, was very soft, and several motorists got stuck there for a time last evening. The washout at Rocky creek was cleared at 12.30 p.m. yesterday and the slips between the Staircase and Avoca, later in the afternoon. The first rail-car from Christchurch to the Coast yesterday to get through after the slips were cleared was one in which several Blackball Rugby League teams were returning after playing in Christchurch at the week-end.