RAIL EXPANSION

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 49, 26 August 1938, Page 10

RAIL EXPANSION

NEW ROLLING STOCK

WELLINGTON STATION

REMARKABLE FIGURES

Many developments took place in the New Zealand Railways during the year ended March 1, 1938, the Railways Statement, which was presented to Parliament today by the Minister of Railways (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan), states. Electrification work in the vicinity of Wellington is included in the major developments, and an interesting feature of railway activity was the use made of the new Wellington station. "The year has proved the efficiency and popularity of rail cars designed and ouilt by the Department for certain classes of traffic in suitable localities," the Minister states. "Following the experimental stage of Wairarapa and Midland types of rail cars, the first of the Standard rail cars, evolved to meet the general requirements of the Department, designed by our own engineers and built by our own craftsmen, has been completed at the Hutt Valley railway workshops.. Larger and more powerful than anything of the kind previously seen in New Zealand, the new 'Aotea' type of vehicle, of which a further fifteen are under construction or on order, is striking in appearance, fast and comfortable to travel by, and is a power unit of great adaptability which promises to have an extremely beneficial effect on rail travel in New Zealand, particularly in those districts where it can be utilised to replace mixed trains or be used as complementary to existing express services. "The electric multiple-unit coaches, introduced in July upon the Welling-ton->Johnsonville line, have demonstrated what can be done by appropriate action in winning traffic for the railways by giving the highest standard of service to the public upon a line which but a few years ago was officially assessed as having no more than a trifling salvage value. "The first of the seven powerful electric locomotives for the WellingtonPaekakariki section of the North Island main lines has already been tested and has met all requirements, and when the others of the same type now under construction at the Hutt Valley Railway Workshops are'completed and all trains to and from the Main Trunk line are electrically operated between Wellington and Paekakariki, a further stage in the modernisation of the railways will have been achieved. "The steam locomotive power has been improved by building six newtype heavy engines of the G class for the South Island, and a number of additional X engines are under construction. Passenger rolling-stock has been improved, and more and better wagons have been provided for the conveyance of goods. Bridges and viaducts have been strengthened, heavier tracks laid, grades and curves improved, duplications extended, and innumerable other improvements on s considerable scale have been carried out during the year. The leeway of the past years is being steadily made up, and the cost of arrears of maintenance has been borne out of the current year's earnings. WELLINGTON'S STATION. "The Wellington new station has exceeded the most sanguine expectations of the advocates of a modern transport headquarters at Wellington for the convenience of travellers to and from the capital city. The new station supplies an outstanding example of the ready response the public make to the pre-sent-day progressive developments of the railways, and it has become virtually a new civic centre. So much have expectations been exceeded that, despite a generous margin in the space provided to allow for future expansion, the station is already working to maximum capacity in certain branches, and further extensions will be required to cope with the anticipated traffic of the Centennial year and the normal development which may reasonably be expected .to follow later. "The first year's operations show some remarkable figures. For the year ended on June 18 the total revenue from goods and passengers was £934,915, an increase of £273,474 (more than 41 per cent.) on the aggregate of the old Lambton and Thorndon stations for the previous twelve months. "The number of passenger-trains inward was 20,688 and outward 20,274, a total of 40,962.. The number of ordinary, suburban, and excursion passengers from Wellington reached 562,130, an increase of 37,816. The revenue from this traffic was £135,971, an increase of £41,294 (nearly 44 per cent.). "In addition, there was an issue of 105,898 season tickets, an increase of 53,738. The revenue was £25,084, an increase of £9071 (nearly 57 per cent.). Some of this increase is due to the growing use of the new six-trip and twelve-trip suburban tickets, which are classed as 'season.' "The total increase in the passenger revenue over the combined revenue of the old Lambton and Thorndon stations was £50,365—very nearly £1000 per week —an advance, of nearly 46 per cent. "There were 4792 goods train inward and 4776 outward. The revenue from the outward traffic was £387,301, an increase of £130,001 (more than 50 per cent.). "The total of outward freight was 300,206 tons, an increase of 78,494 tons (more than 35 per cent.). The total of inward freight was 229,855 tons (an increase of 25 per cent.). "A good indication of public appreciation of the facilities at the new station is*seen in the parcels business. The receipts were £50,143, an increase of £16,323 (more than 48 per cent). "The refreshment branch had a busy year at the new station. The revenue amounted to £55,307, an average of more than £1063 a week."