REPAIRS TO RAILWAY BRIDGE

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 195, 14 May 1940, Page 6

REPAIRS TO RAILWAY BRIDGE

Manawatu Traffic Being Restored To Normal

TRAINS PROPELLED OVER

STRUCTURE

Rail traffic on the Manawatu portion of the Main Trunk line, dislocate. 1 early on Sunday morning when a heavy tractor damaged a bridge south of Longburu, was restored yesterday, and though morning passengers were transhipped by road, the first express from Wellington to Auckland negotiated the bridge without difficulty. When inquiries were made yesterday, railway officials said good progress had been made with repair work on the bridge. The structure, which spans the Manawatu River, was damaged by a heavy tractor which broke away from its moorings on a wagon as a freight train was crossing. The progress made with repair work was stated to be better than expected, but as a precautionary measure do locomotives will be permitted to cross the bridge before today. The first express for Auckland yesterday afternoon, and subsequent trains, were propelled across the structure. Freight traffic, which had been suspended since early Sunday morning, was resumed between Wellington and Palmerston North last evening.

All day Sunday, and again yesterday morning, when trains were unable to traverse the damaged bridge, passengers, luggage and mails were transhipped between Palmerston North and Linton by road, but in spite of the delays the Limited expresses which left Wellington and Auckland at 7.15 on Sunday night were only an hour late reaching their destinations yesterday morning. The Sunday railcar from New Ply mouth, scheduled to reach Wellington at 11.40 p.m., was also delayed while passengers were transhipped to another railcar waiting at Linton. This car left Linton at 10.45 p.m., more than an hour and 15 minutes late, but made a good run and reached the southern terminal at 12.30 p.m. The express from Wellington to Napier yesterday morning travelled via the Wairarapa, and the southbound ex press from Hawke’s Bay was also dispatched by this route. The express from Wellington to New Plymouth went via the Manawatu line yesterday and passengers were transhipped, but th-e southbound New Plymouth express was propelled across the bridge near Longburn. Officials expect that at the present rate of progress the repairs will have been advanced sufficiently by this afternoon to permit the passage of locomotives over the bridge. It is thought likely that the express to Auckland, leaving Wellington at 3 p.m. today, will not have to be propelled.