OTIRA TUNNEL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 16186, 24 July 1923, Page 3

OTIRA TUNNEL.

(Per Press Association.! CHRISTCHURCH, this -Jay. The new time-table for the railway between Canterbury an<l tile West Coast comes into operation on Monday. August ('). It provides for an express train between Christchurch and Greymouth, connecting; with the train for Hokitika, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, connecting with Boss on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and Bcwanui on Saturdays. There will be a saving of two hours iifty-two minutes on the present time by making the journey from Christchurch to Greyrnouth through the tunnel. It is expected the control of the tunnel section will be transferred from the Public Works Department to the Railway Department on the opening day. The charges for goods will be the same as those for similar distances on any other section of the railway in the Dominion. There will be no special tunnel charges. GREYMOUTH. July 18.—Mr. J. L. Morgan, District Traffic Manager, stated to-day that providing the Departmental officers who were to inspect the line prior to the opening of the service are satisfied with the work, through passengor trains will commence permanently on Monday, August 6th, two days after the official opening of the tunnel. These trains will run between Greyrnouth and Christchurch, and vice versa on four days a week—Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. All work in the Otira end of the tunnel is now completed, but the Arthur’s Pass end is receiving some finishing touches. Mr. Morgan, who visited Otira yesterday, states that although tho work at that end is not quite completed, sufficient of it will be finished to enable the service to go on. If the service is ready on the date named, trains from Greyrnouth and Christchurch respectively will bo the first to make tho complete overland journey. Questioned as to the suggestion that excursion rates should prevail ■ for one week after tho official opening of the tunnel to encourage an interchange of visits between Canterbury and West Coast residents in honor of the occasion, Mr. Morgan said the Department’s decision would all depend on the naturo of tho applications, but he thought it extremely unlikely that excursion rates would be available at least until about two months after tho opening date.