RAILWAYS OF FUTURE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19753, 28 September 1927, Page 12

RAILWAYS OF FUTURE.

EXTENSIVE IMPROVEMENTS. FASTER TRAINS PROMISED. COMPLETION OF NEW LINES. ELECTRIC SUBURBAN SERVICES. [BY telegraph.— special reporter.] WELLINGTON, Tuesday. Wha,t might be termed a word-picture of the New Zealand railway system as it will be ten years hence, when the present schedule of improvements lias been carried out, is provided by the Minister of Railways, Mr. Coates, in his annual statement. " The programme of works now underway for roads and railways is taking shape in accordance with a carefully-ar-ranged and comprehensive design," states the Minister. "1 believe that a broad and forward-lookiug policy is necessary, not merely with a view to Ihe transport position as it will exist one or two years hence, but keeping in mind the conditions likely to obtain eight or ten years from now when the bulk of the work in railway and road construction upofi which we are engaged * will have been completed. Main Trunk Expresses. " Ten years hence the railway system of the Dominion will be much more homogeneous than at present. For instance, loose ends of sections like those at Dargaville, Stratford, Gisborne, Tauranga, and Westport will be linked up with the mam lines. The Pokeno-Paeroa railway will be an accomplished fact, as will the northern rail outlet from Auckland and the Westfield and Tawa Flat deviations. All these improvements will niake possible increased standardisation of rolling-stock and equipment, with consequent reduction in production, operation, and upkeep costs, and favouring increased, mobility for locomotives, cars, and waggons, with consequent increase in ; then operating efficiency as revenueearning units. " The through. ;ime between Auckland and Wellington, with vastly improved .access to the cities at either end, and intermediate grade-easement and curve reductions made in the interests of economical and expeditious working, will be capable of providing a substantially more efficient service than is possible at present. The new terminal stations at Auckland and Wellington will greatly facilitate the handling of all classes of traffic. Passengers, in particular, will find the coimorts and convenience offered there comparable with the best now obtainable in other parts of the world. Slip-Coaches in Use. " .Electrification of lines in certain suburban areas and the use of smokeless fuel where such is found advisable will help to improve travel conditions in ail respects. More powerful /.ocomotives, with greater water and fuel capacity than any we have at present, will make long non-stop runs feasible on our expiess routes, enabling—'with improved track, curve; and grade conditions—further reduction in the times required for covering the distance between our principal cities. .This development will, of course, call for the introduction of slip-coacJies on nonstop expresses to serve the more important intermediate towns. Many More Tourists. " By. that tune, too, New Zealand will be vastly better known as a tourist and health resort, and on account of the attractions it oilers to sportsmen. The alternative railway routes which the link mg up of several jiow detached rail-heads •will make possible, such as the Okahu-kura-Stratford route on the east and the Pokeno-Paeroa-Tauraiiga-Uisboine Napier on the west of the Noi'tk Island, will help to make rail tours particularly attractive for overseas visitors. - " Looking ahead, it may be expected that the practice of ' land cruising ' by train, recently initialed in Great Britain and America, will be fully established In. this country the railway.- may look foi heavy work of this kind during the summer months in .outing and conveying chartered trains loaded with sightseers to the favourite rail-served resorts ihe collection and delivery of train-passengers and luggage from and to then homes or hotels by cars 01 buses, which will be provided tor at stations so that they may dock right alongside the trains, and which will be worked fully in conjunction with train services as part of the ordinary routine of railway-operating, is another development that I hope to see brought about during the period named." NEW AUCKLAND STATION. CALLING TENDERS THIS YEAR [BY TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON. Tuesday. The annual report of the Railway Board states tenders for the new Auckland station will probably be called during the present year. FUEL FOR RAILWAYS. WAIKATO COAL EXPERIMENTS [BY TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON. Tuesday l'he Railway Department is hopeful of rood from recent and current researches nto the treatment of lower-grade New iealand coals for the production of a raokeless railway fuel. The Railways Statement refers to sxperiments carried out in Germany with he low-temperature distillation of Waicato coal for the production of oils and >f a fuel suitable for . briquetting These experiments were watched by at? English fuel expert on behalf of the New Zealand Government. * The expert's report, says the statement, together with full information of trial tests on the New Zealand railways of this fuel manufactured from Waikato coal, have been referred to a special council to consider all the data available on the subject ?nd make recommendations to the Government as to what course of action should be followed.