RAHWAY DEVIATIONS

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 12021, 26 December 1924, Page 9

RAHWAY DEVIATIONS

THE RIMUTAKA LINE TAWA FLAT AND HUTT VALLEY IMPORTANT CHANGES FAVOURED LEVIN TO MARTON OPPOSED On the subject of railway deviations of existing lines, and improvements in terminal accommodation, the FayRaven Commission states th at the works foreshadowed in the programme of improvements, involving an estimated expenditure of ,£8,081,500 to be spread over the coming eight years, includes the balance of the cost,of works authorised under the Railways Improvement Authorisation Act, of 1914. In the main the proposed works are designed to facilitate traffic movement by reduction of grade and enlargement of terminal accommodation. Considering firstly the deviations and works proposed at and in the neighbourhood of Auckland and Wellington they have no hesitation in confirming the necessity for a rearrangement of approaching lines and of the stations and goods yards at these places. The cost of manipulation of traffic and the running expenses, due in each instance to excessively steep grades and inadequate station' accommodation, accounts for the meagre return,'in many cases, upon traffic conveyed to and from these centres. In this connection their recommendations are summarised below: —

INTERESTING POINTS AUCKLAND PROPOSALS. The Auckland passenger lay-out, we consider, could be improved by the provision of a complete through-running station instead of a dead-end main, line :station as shown on the plan. As the city -grows, there will be suburban passenger traffic from north to south, and vice versa, and this could be provided for as well as the main line .service in ohe station. With regard to the yards and sidings, .the present traffic doeß not justify such expensive tidings and accommodation as the plan provides. Whatever lay-out may ultimately he decided upon, the work should only be carried out as traffic grows, care, as a. •matter of course, being taken that any addition amde from time to time conforms to the complete scheme. As in the proposals' for dneetihg . traffic ‘ requirements at other places, the changes ‘-Drought, about by dividing passenger ■ from goods traffic as far ae possible will need study in conjunction with the operating staff so that the latter may have at their disposal sidings and connections 1 b.est suited to the direction and volume, of. traffic . at. each station. The reduc-, tion of grade alone is justification for the Aucklajid-Westfisld deviation line,, which is ureent also by reason of traffic increase. The double tracking of the existing line - between Westfield and Penrose Junction is • also a pressing necessity. . ■ SUGGESTED REARRANGEMENT AT WELLINGTON.

At Wellington the deviation line® on the Tawa Flat and the Hutt Valley shoud prove financially successful and greatly improve the running of trains. As in the case of Auckland, the lay-out qf the station and yard to the extent shown on the plan is not justified by the present traffic, and should be carefully studied with a view of meeting requirements from time to time, any additions being in accordance witK the complete scheme. Here, hgain, a rearrangement of passenger and goods working may lead to some considerable modification of the scheme. Existing lines and sidings are certainly inadequate and costlv to. work; a considerable enlargement more or loss on the lines shown on tho plans is badly needed. PALMERSTON NORTH DEVIATION, ETC. Palmerston North deviation and the new station and yards ara a rfebeesity of traffic operation to-day. Congestion, with its consequent cost over and above the normal,, is evident day by, day, and during busier seasons it must" obviously be far worse than it is at the time we axe writing.. It should without doubt be relieved as soon as possible. In this connection we may refer to the Levin and Marten new line, advocated as an alternative to eoime .extent for expenditure at Palmerston, North. Even if a direct line be made between Levin and Marton the necessity for a complete realignment and! extension at the former place would still' obtain. If Ho railways existed' in New Zealand and it were desired to construct a direct line between Wellington and Auckland, it is more than probable that 'lie LevinMarton route would be chosen, but, unfortunately for the advocates of the new route, the lines centering upon Palmerston North do exist and must so continue, and be provided with train services not only for the district immediately adjacent to Palmerston North, but a'so as a junction l point for traffic east (Hawke’s Bay line) to and from south, north, and west, ns well as the Warrarapa line to and from the sarnie districts. The route from Levin to Marton does not, apart from bridges, offer any physical 1 or costly difficulties of construction, and the district is a good one from an agricultural point of view, but the faot remains that tWo railways will have to be maintained 1 and worked when this line is constructed. The time will come, no doubt, when a doublin of Main Trunk lines will have to be coni sddered seriously, and then it will

probably bo found desirable to relieve the Palmerston North route by an alternative north and south line between Levin and Marton.

CHRISTCHURCH AND LYTTELTON TUNNEL WORKS. The Government, having committed itself to tho doubling of the Lyttelton tunnel, no remark is called for from us, but the proposed site of a new shunting-yard at Woolston appears to us to need l further consideration. Such a yard would without doubt deal effectively with traffic to and from' Lyttelton ; it would not, however, serve traffic proceeding from 1 north of Christchurch! southward, and vice versa. When the complete railway system of the South Island becomes an accomplished fact a yard, at Woolston would bo available for a,portion only of the' traffic passing .through Christchurch, and in oiir opiqicn, it. would be wiser to anticipate future requircmdnts 1 by selecting a site suitable tor traffic movement north and south as well as .to and from Lvttoltorx. ,1 '

BIMUTAKA DEVIATION. Engineering difficulties make any alleviation of Hie slow ahd costly movement of traffic over the present incline a matter of considerable expenditure, which, as traffic grows, will have to he faced. There is, however, a means whereby on the existing line an early and comparatively cheap method of expediting trains to some extent and' reducing costs could be secured—via., by ’building suitable articulated engines for this particular service—probably £50,000 Would cover the cost of such machines, and they could be at work within twelve months. OTHER PROPOSALS.

With regard to the proposed expenditure upon locomotive workshops and 'equipment. our _ report upon “Management (Meehanical" deals fully with the needs of the railway under this heading.

The ‘various items of proposed expenditure upon doubling of lines and smaller- deviations, together with strengthening of bridges, should doubtless bo carried out as soon as possible, and the same remark applies to the electrio lighting, signals, telephones, and telegraphs. There are a. number of items of expenditure prgposed f or rearrangement of stations-; our '.remarks upon the Wellington and Auckland lay-out apply to these. They should be studied in the light Of changed train-opera-tion facilities. It may he that some Of the?e will found unnecessary un'der altered conditions. NEW LINES. The location and order of construction of new lines for developmental purposes are questions upon which we do not feel bonvenient to express a decided opinion ; only those who know the country and its possibilities are competent to offer suggestions of value upon these subjects; there is, however, one important link in the chain of railway communication upon whicli we think it desirable to express an opinibn-r-viz., that of the gap between Ward and Parnassus. It is not 90 much in the local advantage of such a line that we view its completion as of greater importance -than some other railways upon' which considerable sums have been spent; it is 'because of the possibilities , offered by its construction of making a complete railway transport system between all parts of the North and Goutlh Islands without change of carriage in the case, of passengers or break of bulk or delay in the incidence of goods traffic that wo advocate its construction.

train Ferry between picton AND WELLINGTON.

With this line in being a train ferry between Picton and Wellington (or, if, possible, a bay with sheltered water and easily available by a short railway nearer tile South Island) would give all' the advantages of throughout rail transit 'between Hie two inlands. Some day, no doubt, this form of communication will be established. The sooner .it is done, looked at from a railway administration point of view only, the earlier Will be the time when it wjll be possible to operate the system as a whole as economically and efficiently ao in countries where lines are disjointed. The public aspect needs but little demonstration.

■Throughout communication would make the Jwo islands one in so far as transport is ooncepned. Internal trade would benefit by through rates and fares and avoidance of break of bulk. The cost of landing stations and ferry boats capable of conveying upwards of fifty ordinary good vehicles need not entail very great expenditure in proportion to the advantages foreshadowed and the prospects of revenue to be obtained. Probably £600,000 would be found' sufficient. Wherever train ferries have been provided they have developed travel and traffic to a very much greater extent than obtained 1 under former shipping Conditions. Between Denmark and Sweden, Germany and Sweden, in North and South America, this form of bridging the seas has Ibeen adopted with s-uccess. Recently a train-ferry service has commenced to run across the North Sea between Harwich and Zeebrugge.