LOSS OF TRAIN TRAFFIC.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20743, 10 December 1930, Page 10

LOSS OF TRAIN TRAFFIC.

need of tunnel scheme.

FIRST SECTION ADVOCATED.

USE OF STEAM LOCOMOTIVES.

The abandonment of the proposed Morningside tunnel scheme by the present Government is by no means the last word on the subject and it is confidently predicted in Auckland that the next few years will see an actual start being made on the scheme. The inevitable growth of the city and its wide spreading suburbs will make the introduction of the underground system of railways absolutely necessary. The question is being asked: " Does the Railway Department propose to abandon its suburban traffic and the accompanying revenue to the road services or will it show some enterprise and begin to build up a service that can be developed to cater for the heavy traffic that will soon be demanding such facilities?" When the tunnel scheme was conceived it was certain that the new Auckland railway station would be proceeded with and the heavier volume of traffic from the north, consequent on the closing of the gaps in the Auckland-Whangarei section, was beginning to emphasise the uneconomic arrangement of the'northern railway approaches to the city. Cost of Original Scheme. The programme of improvements and new works announced in 1924 by the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, then Minister of Railways, included details of an alternative route from Auckland's new station to Morningside, crossing Beach Road by overbridge and passing under the city by a tunnel 116 chains long. At that time it was realised that the capacity of the Newmarket-New Lynn line had about been reached and it was not considered feasible to improve the grades, particularly over the portion between Newmarket and Morningside, and duplication of the line was therefore considered. The work of duplicating between Newmarket and New Lynn was estimated to cost £300,000,. as against the duplicated tunnel_ route costing:—Auckland City to Morningside, £449,000; Morningside-New Lynn duplication, £167,000; total, £616,000. It was then stated that the tunnel route would reduce the distance from Auckland to Morningside by approximately one mile and a-half, and the travelling time by about 15 minutes. The bulk of the suburban traffic to andVfrom that direction would be much better provided for by the alternative route than by the existing train and trarn facilities. One underground station would be required in the vicinity of the Town Hall. In view of the decided advantages to be obtained and the comparative costs of the two works the Government announced that it had decided to adopt the tunnel scheme. Apart from the question of electrification, which was considered necessary, it wa3 estimated that the saving in working expenses would almost pay full interest on the cost of construction. A Temporary Terminal. At a later stage Messrs. Mens and McLellan, reporting on electrification, suggested that all the Auckland suburban area should be electrified at a gross capital outlay of £840,900, or- £6/2.500, allowing for credit on steam locomotives released for service. annual savin? would be £66,200. givinga return on capital of 9.85 per cent. Now that the Government has definitely abandoned the tunnel scheme on the ground, among others, that the line would not stimulate traffic, several leading men in the north suburban areas seeking !to revive the proposal. The drift from the railwavs to the road services as the result of the recent increase in workers' weekly concession fares, together with the opening of the new station at a considerable distance from the business centre of the city, is creating the fear that, the train services will be curtailed. To offset this the suggestion"has been made that the underground line should be constructed to a temporary terminal somewhere in the vicinity of Wakefield Street. The advantages put forward on behalf of this scheme are that suburban passengers would be disembarked in the centre of the city at a point from which the great majority of workers could,, reach their places of business much more conveniently than from the new station. While this would save the expense of, excavating the tunnel from Beach Road Wakefield Street the portion of the line now prosposed would, lend itself to a natural extension to the new station when finances and the support of the administrators of the day made this possible. Comfort in Travel. While the use of electric locomotives would undoubtedly make underground travelling much more pleasant for passengers and more profitable for the department, it is claimed that the use of steam engines need not be considered a bar to the immediate prosecution of the work. Those who are urging the construction of the line say that, they have been assured by competent engineers that modern ventilation methods can make the tunnel to the west of Queen Street almost) free from smoke and fumes, as the construction of air shafts and the installation of fans would carry away the bulk of these obnoxious elements. At all events it is contended that trains could be run under comparatively comfqrtable conditions until such time as the electrification of the suburban lines could be faced.Members of the North Suburban Railway League are convinced that the tunnel, connecting the north- line with the new railway station, must eventually be built. It is anticipated that when figures taken over a reasonably extended period showing the effect of the higher rates and tha removal of the station are available further strong representations will be made to the Government.