SOUTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 13887, 21 June 1938, Page 5

SOUTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK

SECOND EDITION

PROGRESS OF CONETRUCFION WORK MAY BE COMPLETED AHEAD OF TiME. Electric Telegraph—Press Association BLENHEIM. June 2 i By Christinas the railhead on ike southern section of the South L aud Alain Trunk lin * will be* transferred from Parnassus to ( oiiwav . ac c >rding to Mr E. I*. Meachen, MP . who, as one of the members co-opt-ed by the* Minister of Public Works, Hon. R. Semple, has just completed a week s tour ol railway constitution works. He found satisfactory progress being made and stated that the schedule set by Mr Semple was well up to date. There was everv reason to believe that tho whole undertaking, which .s one of tin* largest in the country, would be completed ahead of time. ihe new length ot line between Parnassus and Conway, it is expected, will be available initially for the transport of live stock only, eliminating 15 miles of road droving. The aetiial permanent way i> now bein r laid, and steel, already fabricated, is waiting in the Parnassus yards to complete the bridges on the section. Mr Meachen i ©ported favourable progress in tunnelling and in. otli r directions. He mentioned that :he piers Dor the big Clarence River bridge, which is the principal undertaking on, the northern section, arc* expected to be completed in August. As it may be 18 mouths b< •fore the necessary steel for the bridge is all fabricated at the Hutt Railway Workshops, it is possible that a temporary bridge will be used bv work trains to facilitate track laying between Clarence and Kaikouia.