RAILWAY MISHAPS

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 October 1942, Page 7

RAILWAY MISHAPS

[TO THE EDITOR.] Sir, —I think that the time has arrived, when a public enquiry should be held, concerning the number of derailments which take place on the Reef ton-Greymouth railway line. A derailment on this section is becoming almost a weekly event. These mishaps not only cause serious inconvenience to the travelling public, but cost the country a considerable sum of money for repairs to rolling stock and permanent way. Fortunately, so far no passenger carrying vehicles have been involved in these derailments. Enquiries into railway mishaps are generally held “in camera,” a state of affairs which does not make for efficiency, and is not in the best interests of those who own the railways—the tax-paying public of New Zealand. Yours etc., OBSERVER. Reefton, October 21. When the above letter was referred to the Stationmaster at Greymouth (Mr. G. D. Smart) he stated that “Observer” had exaggerated the position when he said that derailments were almost a weekly event. That was not the case. It was true that a number of derailments had taken place on the Reefton line during the past six months, but the waggons which had been derailed could have been derailed on any other section. It was only coincidence that there should have been so many on the Reefton line. No two of the derailments occurred at the same place. As far as the holding of inquiries in camera was concerned, Mr. Smart said that all derailments on main lines were the subject of searching departmental inquiries by experienced technical officers, to find the cause of the trouble, and any suggestion that the cause of derailments was covered up for ulterior motives was erroneous.— Ed. “Star.”