Plans For S.I. “Blue Express"

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32143, 12 November 1969, Page 24

Plans For S.I. “Blue Express"

The South Island “Limited” wUch ran between Christchurch and Invercargill would be upgraded, and he hoped to see a “Blue Express” which could cut two hours from the rail journey time between the two cities, the Minister of Transport (Mr Gordon) told an election meeting at Oxford last evening.

Mr Gordon said that he did not have to remind his listeners of the “Blue Streak” service in the North Island, and the decision to upgrade the South Island “Limited” had been made two months ago. It was planned to improve 12 first-class carriages, which would have improved air-con-ditioning, wool carpets, and fluorescent lighting. Buffet cars would be used, and liquor would be served. He hoped that the develop-

ment would also improve the morale of railwaymen, Mr Gordon said. “Nothing has done so much for the morale of the railwaymen in the North Island as the Blue Streak." Mr Gordon, who spoke largely on transport matters, but answered questions on a wide range of subjects, attacked a statement in the Labour Party policy that the party would form a transport advisory council. If he was somewhat jaded, he said, it was because he had been chairman of a meeting of the Transport Advisory Council in Wellington during the day. It was the fourth such meeting since the National Development Conference, and there had also been three or four sub-com-mittee meetings. “Mr Kirk and the Labour Party just do not know what Is going on in New Zealand." Speaking on the Labour Party's policy on a national shipping line. Mr Gordon said that if the party was going into the container shipping

business in the United Kingdom and European trade he wanted to know what consortium it was going to join. It would have to join one, for containers could not be sent from A to B and back to A again, but had to be able to be sent anywhere. U New Zealand went into the business with its own containers the capital cost would be at least s34m, and this sum would be much more productive If spent on irrigation or electricity schemes. On the question of one inter-island rail freight fate, Mr Gordon said that to change to this overnight would cost the railways slm

in revenue. People were entitled to ask the Labour Party where this money would come from. “Does Mr Kirk think the railways should fall back and become a charge on the taxpayers?” he asked.