ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18022, 22 February 1922, Page 6

ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

COST OF INSTALLATION.

LIMITATIONS DISCUSSED.

POSITION OF DOMINION. [BJ TELEGBAFH. —IWN CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON. Tuesday. Some interesting remarks on the electrification of railways were made at the Conference of Civil Engineers this afternoon by Mr. F. W. Mac Lean, chief engineer of the New Zealand Railways. Mr. Mac Lean said there was a very prevalent idea that the electrification of our railways was all that) was required to make them a success. Electric traction on railways was of comparatively recent date. Probably the first electric locomotive constructed was one which was exhibited in Berlin in 1879, and the first to be actually put in commission in the hauling of trains was on the Royal Zankerode colliery in Saxony in 1882. In 1890 the City and South London deep-level tube railway was constructed and worked electrically. Siuco those dates the velopments of this method of working had been rapid, and at the present time there were thousands of miles of railways operated electrically. "It must be recognised, however, said Mr. Mac Lean, "that electrification is no universal paiua'ca for railway ills. In suitable circumstances it is capable 01 yielding excellent results, but every case must be carefully examined on its merits, from both the financial and the technical points of view. Under normal conditions the steam locomotive is acknowledged even by enthusiastic advocates of electric traction to bo the most economical means of haulage, and in practically every case where electric haulage has been adopted there has been some special reason.

The Financial Aspect. "A typical example of this is the case of the Otira Tuunel, where it has been decided to adopt electric traction, principally on account of the difficulty of using steam locomotives in the tunnel. Let us consider the financial aspect of electrification of the New Zealand railways. Tho total route mileage of the railways is at the present time somewhat o v er 3000 miles, and the track mileage nearly 1000 miles. The latter mileage must be adopted in considering the cost of electrification. "It was estimated some years ago by a well-known electrical engiueer that the cost of the electrification of our railways would be about £5000 per mile, excluding the cost of power stations (that is the cost of generating the supply of electric current) and of the necessary engines and rolling stock. This estimate is probably low, as in England before the war it was found that the cost of electrification was roughlv £20,000 per mile. But it will bo sufficient for the present purpose to adopt tho sum stated. The cost of the electrification of the whole system would, therefore, be, say, £20,000,000, an addition to the present capital cost, £37,235,254, of over 50 per cent., the interest on which sum, £1,000.000 a year, would have to be found. This it must be remembered is tho cost of the equipment necessary to use electric current in place of the fuel and water required in steam traction and does not include either the cost of tho locomotives or of the electric current required. The total ccst of fuel and water may be put at an average, under reasonably normal conditions of well under £500,000 year. These figures will give some indication of the cost of the electrification of the -whole system. Partial Electrification.

"What is true of the whole may bo taken to apply in a general way to partial electrification. In a detailed investigation into the cosfc of the electrification of a section, where the " circumstances seeme-1 favourable, it was estimated that the capital cost" involved amounted to over £7000 per mile (at pre-war rates), and that the cost of generating would be practically double that of steam locomotives. This estimate was prepared by the same authority whom I bavo already quoted— an enthusiastic advocate of electrification. It will thus be seen that the question of electrification in its financial aspect alone is not so simple as many people imagine. "Electric traction has many advantages, and if what has been said may appear of a somewhat adverse nature it seems necessary to give a word of warning against hasty generalisations. It. seems not unlikely thai; notwithstanding the cost electrification may be found in special cases to afford the most satisfactory solution in handling traffic and in providing for the publiu convenience."