MAIN TRUNK LINE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 403, 12 January 1909, Page 5

MAIN TRUNK LINE.

MUCH WORK REMAINS.

THE TRAFFIC DIFFICULTIES.

■ EXPRESS SERVICE WILL START ON FEBRUARY 10. On" Monday, February. 15/ tho permanent . jsprqss service.betweeri. Wellington and Auckland will he inaugurated on tho Main Trunk Lino. So Mr. T. Ronayne,' General Manager for Railways, infortned a Dominion rcprcsentative -yesterday. It . had 'been hoped to .. start the service on February 1, but, as tho ': rosult of the inspection .of • the' line .which . has just been mado by. Mr.- Ronayne, Mr.. J. Burnett (Chief'Engincor of tho Railway Department), and Mr. R. W. Holmes (Engi-neer-in-Ohief of > tho Publio Works Department), it was decided that the lino would not bo ready by that date. There is a great deal of work still to be. done, states Mr. Ronayne. " There has.been a lot of rain on the banks," ; lie added, " arid some of thoin are -■ fairly;-soft.. . The lino p.boiniclß ill 7} chain curves; and this construction finds out all tho weak places. The number of trains runtyng- : through -interferes ■ very much with , tho cloaringiup of tho Public Works -Depart-, mcnt's^material—rails,. sleepors, ; trucks, etc. —and this clearing up is a vory big task in itself. : The,' through ' goods' service, which. we{ have!;'. inaugurated/' increase's the diffi-. culty.. ;''0.■ v -0. : . i Not In Working Order Yet. " We have taken over; the line far sooner than wo should have done ; tho lino is not in working-order by any means. .There are still •. some very, nasty, places/; but the Public Works Department are .trimming down the cuttingo, and doing their very utmost, to get. tho lino in proper condition. Tho. housing accommodation for tho. staff along the lino is. very, far'from .finished;, in'fact,_:a great: many, of the.';' buildings have only just _' been; commenced. Bv February 15 tho line should bo in very fair working order/; certainly, it will •be in much bettor order than it is now. Mean . itv is: no use'taking /risks 1 with- tho tra,veiling public. r lt might be said, of course, thatiweilavo already , taken risks by running an express servico - during !:the. : holidays, but wo "have' to try - to . meet tho 'wants -/or, the public, though .all we/get,,as a,-.rule,/in return;.for../our., efforts 'in . that .direction. is abuse.; . There will bo no postponement after. February/'15,; /that date has -been ..definitely fixed for the. opening of the regular . servic«; Tho-rolling, stock is all, ready except a few 'of the sleeping '.cars/ which are. not .quite finished." - Aaaroxlmatc Tlme-tabla. 1

•The dotailed l time-table for the express wrvico is not yet settled, but,-roughly, the Service will bo as follows:— Leave "Wellington at 11.30 a.m. daily, arriving at Auckland at 7 a.m. . : the next day. ..Leave r Auckland - at .8.30 p.m. ' ; daily, arriving at Wellington at-3.30 .p.m.-the next day. r..AU .these .times . may be altered-within half an hour - - either jvay. • " 1 should - very - much -like' to : start : the ; servipe right away,'» said Mr. Ronayne, ■' but 'it is not desirable.; The ilngineer-in-Ohief of the Public Works Department,, and; the Chibf : Railway' -Enginee.r , ar ? of. the - same opinion, as myself." :.- Asked whether it was still proposed to run tho. express train-on -to. one: of'the; wharves, Mr.-Ronayne said he-did not : think tKero'i would .be. : any;:nec6ssity;,.for'-sofdomg.; time-table suggested .left-ample,- time between tho'.; arrival of -boats' l " audi departure of- ; expresses, and vice versa. Tho Union Com- : pany) as. far "as he ■ knew,y;did.-not wish" the train to go oil to-tho'wharf.'"They'merely dcsired -an/ outside -berth at.the Queen's Wnarf for the - arrival - and departure of the ; ferry: steamers.. -If •'they ,'liad- a' ; berth at r th'e Railway Wharf, that would' be within a Bto'no's- throw;'of; ;tbe : - new.' railway station when it was erected. . '; Reply to criticisms. Mr; Ronayne referred briefly to some of the, criticisms which, have been made against the Main Trunk , service. l He emphasised the . contention I .that the.present service ; was onlv a_temporary ,one,' inaugurated for the .benefit. of tho public before the line was properly ready, . The Department had ;iibt'"'advised people to.go to_Auckland by that route:'it ; had warned them that there would bo discomforts, and advised- them • to go' via New Plymouth. -The Main Trunk 1 route .. able' if:';they"liked .to put up" with a little temporary •inconvenience;; -' Some pcoplo had used the line, and -had been very wellpleased . with ..their journey. Others said that .thev had suffered terrible'eXperienqes; The staff ' of the Department had: done their-very best for passengers. - He - believed that 'the accommodation at Ohakune had been 'very' fair, though all sorts of stories' were' told about it. ■ His own : party :had-stayed at'Waiouru for the. night; : Mr. Ronayne condemned the conduct of .travellers who rushed, arid.fought' to get.into. the. refreshment rooms,when, by . -using- a- little patience, they would get much . more.. satisfaction. Many of the : passengers ; rushed these rooms, and, moreover, did not for their refreshments.;; "A companion ; and himself had noticed a considerable riumber of people who took advantage of the restaurant proprietors in this \ way. ' Mr. .. Ronayne' stated also ; that ;.many people , insisted: on - sleeping in. the carriages, even when there was plenty of accommodation at . the stopping place. They made a filthy mess of ;the carriages, and used all' the; water in the lavatories. More than once trains had been delaj-ed owing to-tho waste of water 0}" passengers..

. ■ Mr. Holmes's Views. ft- Holmes, Euginoor-in-Chief of Jj| e j.ublic \\ orks Department, who inspected the line with Mr._ Ronayne, informed the re™at "the formation: work was almost finished, but a few banks, which wero settling down required, to bo widened and made up, several cuttings, needed- ;to : : bc cleaned;, up; and there was a. quantity of station .buildings to bo finished.; AH the bn'ildings had been commenced; and,.in fact, there was a little to do at every place, and not a! great deal at any; : The three ■ weeks'. ■ rain , which - had just ended had : mad(? .the formation fairly soften places. The/Public, Works, Depart mmt - was. reducing -theritaff as the work lieared completion. The more trains were run orcr the line the' longer would it take the Department ..-to finish its operations,;.. It was difficult to do ballasting now, as nearly all. the,:-:ballast engines . were -"'runnine with trains. . . , . v.-.-Effect on steamer Traffic. Tho traffic over tho Main Trunk lino has been fairly hMvy. ever, since the railway was opened to. the public. It is stated that the steamer, service between ..New Plymouth and Onehunga has been badly affected, arid that residents .of New' Plymouth and the -surrounding district have been choosing tho railway route for th'o trip, to; Auckland, despite .the necessity; of trains at-Ifarton and Frnnkton. A vsn runs right through fiom Wellington to Auckland with luggage and; a: great . many travellers have been favouring _ the 1 chock system .to relieve themselves, of all anxiety in regard to their belongnitis.. : : .