TAWA FLAT RAILWAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22629, 22 July 1935, Page 6

TAWA FLAT RAILWAY

REASON FOR EARLY USE TIME AND EXPENSE SAVED (Special to Daily Times) WELLINGTON, July 20. Trial runs were made through the Tawa Flat tunnel yesterday. The tunnel will come into regular use on Monday. The change-over is being made now because operating costs and running times on the new line will be substantially less than those of the present line via Johnsonville, and the Railways Department is naturally anxious to secure these benefits as early as possible. Some idea of the great advantage which the new route offers over the existing line will be realised if a comparison of the grades, lengths and running times on the two routes is made. The existing line over the present route via Johnsonville has steep grades, the average rise being one in 40 from the Wellington 6ide and one in 50 in the opposite direction, from Tawa Flat. The grades on the deviation are one in 110 on the Wellington side and one in 100 on the Tawa Flat side. The is over two miles shorter than the existing one, and the maximum heights to which engines have to haul the trains on tha respective routes are reduced from 619 feet to '297 feet. The shorter distance and easier gradients on the deviation will permit a big reduction in the running times of goods trains. At present it takes from 40 to 50 minutes to traverse the WellingtonTawa Flat section, but 20 minutes will be sufficient when the change-over is made. The Tawa Flat deviation will not be available for passenger trains of the electric service until the new Wellington station is brought into use. It is expected that the complete change-over to both station and deviation will be made about April, 1937.