TUNNEL PROJECT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26906, 19 October 1948, Page 4

TUNNEL PROJECT

SAWYERS' BAY TO WAITATI

EARLY COMPLETION SOUGHT Special to the Daily Times OAMARU, Oct. 18. It v’as decided at the conference of South Island Chambers of Commerce to-day that a proposal that the Government be urged to give further consideration to the Sawyers' Bay-Wai-tati tunnel project with a view to its completion before the electrification of that portion of the railway system, be deferred for discussion to-morrow. The subject was introduced by Mr M. S. Arthur, of Dunedin, who said that in view of the overall plan to proceed with the main highways in and around Dunedin and the fulfilment of the promises to electrify the railways, the Dunedin chamber felt that this major improvement in the railway which connected Dunedin with the north should not be overlooked. It was evident that the tunnel, cutting off the awkward and lengthy route between Dunedin and Oamaru, would be beneficial, Mr Arthur said, and the Dunedin chamber desired that this tunnel be included in the scheme of early public works so that when the present expansion of the hydroelectric schemes reached the point where the railway between Oamaru and Dunedin was to be electrified then all would know that another progressive link had been welded in a matter beneficial to the railways, the distributors of merchandise and the public.