LINKING THE ISLANDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3889, 25 September 1928, Page 50

LINKING THE ISLANDS.

WELLINGTON TO PICTON TRAIN FERRY. DEPARTMENTAL ENGINEERS’ VIEWS. For some years past, the question of a South Island main trunk railway has been the subject of much discussion, not only by the chambers of commerce and the various progress leagues, but also by travellers and the general public—all of whom appear unanimous in the belief that a through railway service from Invercargill to Picton, in conjunction with a ferry service across Cook Strait, would speed up considerably communication between the North and South Islands. Obviously, a direct connection by rail between Christchurch and Pieton would be of inestimable benefit to the districts through which the railway would pass, but when one goes into facts and figures—carefully compiled by officials who have made a thorough investigation of the possibilities of building and working such a line —the advantage accruing to the general public does not appear so great as might at first be imagined. Three years ago, Mr E. Casey, railways inspecting engineer, and Mr S. E. Fay, operation and equipment assistant, reported very fully to the Minister of Railways on the subject, which they dealt with from every standpoint, and. far from taking an Optimistic view of the possibilities of such a service, their'report was exactly-the reverse.

Tn the first place, it should be realised that, at the present time, the line between Picton and Christchurch is constructed from Picton to Wbaranui—a distance of 56 miles. Between AVharanui and Parnassus is a gap of 81 miles, and then the line goes on for another 44 miles to Waipara, where it connects with the existing main north line. The distance from Waipara to Christchurch is 41 miles, making the total distance from Picton to Christchurch 222 miles. It is estimated that to link up Wharanui and Parnassus would cost in the neighbourhood of £2.250.000—n0t an insuperable obstacle, admittedly—but one which would undoubtedly cause the Government to consider seriously the matter before expending such a huge sum. Allowing that direct connection by rail was established, the next consideration would be the journey across Cook Strait, and for this, two alternatives have been mooted—a through route by train-ferry carrying goods and passengers and a through route by train-ferrv carrying pnssengers only. Here, again, considerable expenditure would be entailed. The estimated cost of a train-ferry steamer is £195.000. this estimate being based on a vessel 370 feet in length, 50 feet in breadth, drawing 22 feet of water, and pi a gross tonnage of 3000. Her carrying capacity would be 12 passenger cars, and she would have a‘speed of 15 knots’ On top of this would come the cost of providing terminal ferry facilities at Wellington and Picton, which is estimated to cost £155.000. and, allowing for 312 round voyages per annum the running costs of the Jerry have been computed at, roughly. £60.000 .yearly. So far so good, but the question then anses whether a through service by way of 1 icton would in actual practice prove superior to the present one, and this has to be studied both from the point of view ot the Railways Department and of the travelling public. Naturally, in the former case, the department would wish to run the service, if possible, at a profit, but certainly with as little loss as possible, but here again, figures may prove tlie stumbling block, as Messrs Fay and Casey estimate that even with an annual leienue from 60.000 passengers, the net £s}sor er annum on working would be

For through passengers for'Christchurcli and stations south of Christchurch, speed comfort. and cheapness are the three factors which might be relied on to attract tratbc The present service. Wellington to Christchurch by way of Lyttelton, takes about 11J hours, whilst the time taken on the new route would be at least 13 hours, allowing an hour for embarkation and disembarkation at the termini three hours and a-half from Wellington to Pieton, and eight hours and a-half from 1 icton to Christchurch. Moreover, it is possible that the time between the two last-named towns is under-estimated as some remarkably steep gradients ’and difficult curves would have to be taken into consideration. •It is doubtful, too, whether the new route would score on the point of comfort. Investigation has shown that a day service as part of a through system is impracticable. For a night service, the duration of the sea journey and the unsuitability of the time of arrival and departure in the South Island would make the provision of sleeping cars necessary, and it is doubtful if passengers would not prefer the comparative comfort of the run over on the ferry to eight hours in the somewhat limited space of a sleeping Question of cheapness arises. The first-class fare from Wellington to Christchurch, taking the whole distance at railway traffic rates, would be £2 3s 4d, and this, compared with the first-class ferry fare, shows a considerable difference in favour of the latter. It is generally admitted that seaborne traffic is cheaper than transport by rail, and New Zealand is fortunate by reason of its physical configuration, in that good

harbours serve almost every part of the Dominion. The establishment of a goods ferry between the southernmost port of the North Island and a harbour on the north of the South Island would mean that the sea portion of transport would be reduced to a minimum; thus, the long rail journey in either island to reach the ferry would make it impossible to compete with the existing rates for coastal transport, as is evident by the fact that general merchandise could, not be carried from Wellington to Christchurch by way of a train ferry to Picton under £5 16s lid per ton. against the present rate by way of Lyttelton of £2 2s 6d per ton. Even at the higher rate, the Railways Department could hardly compete with the present ferry from Lyttelton to Wellington on the ground of more rapid goods delivery. The bulk of any goods offering would require to travel on goods or mixed trains, with numerous stops for local traffic, and the time would probably exceed 20 hours between Wellington and Christchurch. Moreover, the reduction of terminal handling usually associated with a train ferry would not be so great in the Wellington-Picton service as might be anticipated, as, "in order to obtain full truck-loads on the ferry steamer, concentration of goods would have to take place at both terminal ports, which would necessitate a considerable amount of rehandling. On these facts, in addition to the probability that goods offering for such a. service would be practically negligible, it would "appear doubtful whether the establishment of a ferry for goods traffic is economically feasible. Thus, in view of the increased efficiency and improvement of the train services in the North and South Islands to which the Railways Department is gradually working, the benefits of a through train route from Auckland to Invercargill by way of a train-ferry across Cook Strait, would, as yet, appear to be distinctly problematical.