MAIN TRUNK BREAK

Evening Star, Issue 23351, 22 August 1939, Page 14

MAIN TRUNK BREAK

ANOTHER SLIP-NEAR TE KUiTI EXPRESS SERVICE DISLOCATED [Per United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, August 21. Rearrangements of the schedules of the two expresses for Wellington were made at Auckland to-day as the result of an extensive slip on the Main Trunk line south of Te Kuiti. The 3 p.m. train did not leave until 9 p.m., and the Limited express, which usually departs at 7.15 p.m., was held until 10 p.m. Because of the delays and,uncertainty as to when the slip would be cleared, many passengers cancelled their seats. Originally it was hoped that the slip would be cleared at an early hour this morning and trains were delayed so that their arrival at the slip would synchronise with its removal, thus saving the passengers a long wait at the scene. Subsequently, it was found that the reopening of the line would take longer than had been anticipated. It was then announced that trains would proceed to Te Kuiti only and that a decision with regard to transferring passengers and mail across the affected section of the line would be made at daylight to-morrow morning. A similar arrangement was made in connection with two Wellington-Auckland expresses which were to be held at Taumarunui until daybreak. When the position became known in Auckland early this afternoon it was decided to solve the difficulty by despatching a relief train to convey the passengers to points between Auckland and Te Kuiti. A fairly large number of people travelled on the relief train, but on account of cancellations there were comparatively few on the laterexpresses. The first train had between 60 and 70 people on board, while there were about 130 on the limited express, nearly half of whom were in the sleeping compartments. Included among the passengers on both expresses were a number of travellers who arrived at Auckland by the Monterey and a number of members of Parliament, including the Speaker, Mr Barnard.