EAST COAST LINE

Gisborne Times, Volume LIX, Issue 9574, 27 July 1923, Page 5

EAST COAST LINE

IMPORTANT MOVE. KATIKATI—TE PUNA SECTION \ OVERSEA TENDERS TO BE CALLED.

WELLINGTON, July 26. A very important move towards pushing on with the East Coast railway lias • been decided upon, by tho j Government. This takes" the form of j calling for tenders in Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Australia. 1 and Now Zealand for tho construction of that portion of tlio line between Katikati and Te Puna. It is tho first time for well over twenty years that such a step lias been taken, and it is particularly notable, because of the magnitude of tho work. The estimated cost of construct ion cannot be divulged at the present juncture, but it may be stated that it runs into some hundreds of thousands of pounds. Tenders will be called immediately, and they will bo returnable in between seven and eight months’ time. . One of the conditions is that the work must bo finished' within three years of the date of acceptance of the tender. The scheme involves a very great change from the present system of carrying out railway construction in New Zealand. The Public AVorks Department has j done the work itself either by day | labor, co-operative contracts, or small j contracts. There has been no coin ‘ tract for constructional work anywhere approaching the size of tho present undertaking. It will be a clearcut contract. The attitude of the Department is simply “This is where we want the line. What will you build it for ” The contract includes all earthworks, bridges, station buildings, overbridges, subways, ballasting and platelaying. The route of the railway crosses numerous rivers, eleven*.of which are of some size, so that there will lurvo to- be substantial bridges. It is proposed that these should be of tho steel plate girder type, and in addition to these, larger bridges there will be several small bridges. Heavy earthworks will bo. necessary at various points of the line. There will he five stations at the following- places: Katikati, Aongnteie, Apata, Omokoroa and Te Puna. The construction of the line lromi Katikati to To Puna will go a long way toward filling in the important gap between Waihi and Tauranga ; in fact, it is anticipated that by the time tho contract is finished the otherportions of the line between AVai.hi and Tauranga will also he completed. Tho lengths of the various sections are: AVaihi-Athenree-Katikatr, 18 miles; Katikati to Te Puna 1 Smiles; Te Puna to Tauranga, 6 miles. The number of men employed from Waihi eastward is at the present time 174,= their work being the construction of the Waihi-Athenree-Katikati section. The length between Te Puna and Tauranga has been partly constructed. Then there is a' bridge across the harbor from Tauranga to the Alounl. On to Tauranga eastward the line will be completed some time this year, and that will mean the connecting up of another long stretch. There are at present about 470 men employed from Tauranga eastward. The position is that there is already a service being run between tire A.fount and AJatata, a ‘distance, of 38 miles, while beyond Alatata goods arc being carried another twelve miles to Awakori. Beyond Awakeri again earthworks are iti hand to Taneatua, a distance of nine miles, and survey work is proceeding between Taneatua and Opotiki. Nothing is being done at present between Opotiki and Gisborne. There, is extremely heavy work between these two points, and probably that section will he the last to be tackled. From Gisborne, the. line runs to Ngatapa, about eleven miles, and earthwork is being attended to for a few miles further on. Then comes a big gap to Eskdale. The line between Eskdale and Napier has just been taken over by the Railway Departmerit and beyond Eskdale. construction work- is in hand.—Special.