TRAINS DELAYED

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 22, 26 January 1940, Page 8

TRAINS DELAYED

SLIPS AND WATER

EXPRESSES AFFECTED

The Railway Department reports delays to a number of trains by earth falls, water on the lines, and, in one instance, by the fall of a telegraph pole across the line just before a train arrived.

On. the, Hutt line water covered the rails at various points between Kaiwarra and Petone, but more particularly just north of Ngahauranga, where both sets of lines were covered to a maximum depth of about 6in. The peak load suburban trains between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. passed through these flood waters at dead slow speed, the trains arriving at their destinations approximately Bmin late. The flood water had subsided by. 9 a.m:

The operation of electrical control points was affected on the Johnsonville line at Khandallah and Johnsonville, necessitating the elimination of one of the electric trains.

Earth falls near the northern portal of No. 2 Turine} on the Manawatu line resulted in two inward suburban trains being held up 70 and 45 minutes respectively. Subsequent earth falls in this area interfered with the automatic signalling, and as a result the Limited express from Auckland was 27 minutes late in arriving at Wellington.

The 9.40 a.m. Wellington-Napier ■ express struck a telegraph pole which fell across the line immediately north of Takapu Road just as the train arrived. Minor damage was caused to the headlights of the engine, and three car windows were broken. The train was delayed half an hour in consequence.. Both this train and the 10.15 a.m. Wellington-New Plymouth expresses were later held up for three-quarters of an hour owing to earth falls between Pukerua Bay and Paekakariki.

At Porirua the incoming tide banked up the flood waters, with the result that the Porirua railway yard was submerged to a maximum depth of 3ft, and the water did not subside until after midday, therefore the 7.12 a.m. Palmerston North-Wellington passenger train was delayed approximately an hour, and the Auckland-Wel-lington relief express, due ,at 11.22 a.m., approximately 40 minutes.