DEVIATION SCHEME

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIV, Issue 1186, 8 December 1924, Page 4

DEVIATION SCHEME

LEVIN-MARTON project. PUBLIC WORKS ESTIMATE. When the railway commissioner 3 Sir Sam Fay and Sir Vincent Rat en. weie hearing evidence at Levin on batur dav in support of the Levm-Great-ford deviation, a report compiled by the Public Works Department was put in. This document was a" general i port on the undertaking With an estimate of the cost, but it was no drafted for purposes of comparison witii the Palmerston North scheme. _ A copy of the report was not available for' the press at tho time, but a brief summary of it was given to a “Standard” reporter later by Mr C. JMcKenzie. Public Works Engineer, who was responsible for the report. Air McKenzie stated that, if the scheme were adopted, it would be necessary to construct a 12-foot bank about a mile and a-hnlf long across a portion of the Moutoa swamp near Fox ton. A bridge 1300 feet long would necessary across the Alanawatvi river and a bridge 1600 feet long would be required over the Rangitikei river. The former bridge was estimated to cost £50,000 and the latter £60.00). The total cost of the deviation would be £660,000, which Was a conservative estimate. The proposed route was practically straight, over even country, and there would be nothing worse, as _i_e<rards gradients, than one in 100. me total length of the proposed link would be 38 miies, and, apart from the banking across the swamp and the two bridges that would have to be built, there were no difficulties to be pverAlr McKenzie said the department had drawn up the report from the engineering point of view and had not expressed an opinion as to whether or not the scheme should be proceeded with He explained that all proposed new works were reported on by the dei ll , ic tr curi t ent estimate for the Palmerston North deviation is £390.000 and for the additional t\vo and a-hali miles extension to IVliakaronga £o(j,U(a has been allowed for, bringing' _ the total cost of the Palmerston North scheme to £440,000. This is considerably below the 1921 estimate of £700,000. , , .. From Air Holms, a member of the Levin-Marton Railway League, the information was forthcoming that tho league was doubtful that the Palmerson North scheme carried through for loss than was estimated in 1921It was recognised by the league that a marshalling yard at Terrace End would be necessary in the event of the Levin-Marton scheme being approved, and £IOO,OOO was being allowed for that. It was admitted that that £IOO,OOO would have to bo added to the total cost of the Lev in-Alarum project which would bring the total cost up to £760,000. From these figures it will be seen that the Palmerston North deviation in its entirety would cost £320,00J less than the rival project. Asked how Palmerson North residents and the travelling public from Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa districts were to be catered for as regarded tho Alain Trunk trains, which, under the Levin-Alarton scheme would not touch Palmerston North at ail. Air Holms said that they would have to proceed to Marton by a connecting train. He added that Air J. E. Fulton, late manager of the old Manawatu Railway Company, supported the construction of a marshalling yard at Terrace End.