SLIP ON MAIN TRUNK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20597, 23 June 1930, Page 8

SLIP ON MAIN TRUNK.

FALL NEAR TE KUITI, EXPRESS TRAINS DELAYED. DISCOMFORT FOR PASSENGERS. LINE NOW CLEAR FOR TRAFFIC. A slip in a cutting between Pukelutu and Kopaki, south of To Kuiti, on Saturday afternoon blocked tho Main Trunk railway line for soveral hours and dolayed expresses between Wellington and Auckland. The slip occurred at about 4.30, and it was not until nearly two o'clock yesterday morning that tho lino was cleared. Tho fall was a largo one, but the greatest difficulty was the removal of an enormous boulder, explosives having to be used for tho purpose. When advice of tho slip was received at Te Kuiti the inspector of tho permanent way left for the scene immediately, and it was not long before gangs from various parts of tho lino wero at work removing the fall. -Passengers Transferred. Only two important trains wero affected by tho slip, the daylight limited express and tho afternoon express from Wellington. Passengers on tho limited express wero transferred to a train on the opposite sido of the slip, this train arriving at Auckland at 1.50 yesterday morning, nearly three hours late. The lino had been cleared when (ho afternoon express arrived, but the shunting of carriages from the daylight limited on the Taumarunui side of the slip caused a delay of about three-quarters of an hour, tho express arriving at Auckland about 7.30 yesterday morning instead of 6.41. All other traffic on the portion of the lino affected was suspended during clearing operations, and trains which passed through tho cutting yesterday did so at a greatly reduced speed. When tho daylight limited express reached tho cutting at about 6.50 p.m. light rain was falling, but the night was warmer than is usual there for this time of the year. Leaving the warmth of the steain-hcated carriages, passengers shouldered their baggage and walked tho short distance to the opposite side of the cutting, where the train which leaves Frankton Junction for Taumarunui at 1.30 p.m. was waiting to bring them to Auckland, the engind having already been reversed. Substitute Carriages. Extra carriages had been added at Te Kuiti, but as there were nono of the type used on Main Trunk expresses available, passengers were forced to put up with some discomfort for the remaining part of their journey. The carriages were without steam-heating, and they lacked the one or two other comforts provided on Main Trunk carriages. Fortunately there was more stone than clay in the fall, and the walk was not so unpleasant as it might otherwise have boon.

The slip is believed to have been the result of the heavy rain in the district in the past few days. Its consequences were less serious than if ifc had occurred earlier in the week, since Saturday night traffic is not so heavy.