RAILWAY ADVANCES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18855, 5 November 1935, Page 2

RAILWAY ADVANCES

EXPERTS INVESTIGATION

COMPETITION WITH MOTOR

A visit to England, the Continent, Canada and the United States of America for the purpose of investigating the thermit welding of rail joints. Diesel and electric locomotives!, the air-condi-tioning .of carriages, rail inqtor service developments, and road transport improvements, onijehalf of the New South VVales Government, has. just been completed by Mr. Thomas ,1. Hartigan, .Commissioner of Railways for New tiorjth Wales, who passed through Auckland recently on his way homo to ..Sydney. When interviewed, the visitor said he had gained much valuable information on these subjects during the course of his tour, but he would not be aide to divulge it until he had made his report to the New South Wales Government.

Mr. Hartigan said lie had travelled on some of tho fastest trains in the world during his tour, including the Hamburg flier, which reached a speed of 100 miles an hour in its run from Hamburg to Berlin, a French light steel train capable of a speed of between 87 and 90 miles an hour, and on the Zephyr and Hiawatha, in the United States. In all these trains streamlining and the latest mechanical improvements had been incorporated. "In America the railways are menaced very seriously by the road motor and by air services," said Mr. Hartigan. There it was common to see streams of motor-lorries, each drawing two trailers, on the highways. The American railway companies were making a great effort to meet both road and air competition by speeding up trains, and by cutting freight, rates and passenger fares. They were also making improvements in their passenger accommodation, but it was doubtful how long they could keep all this* up. To-day they were in a very serious financial position. In England tho railway companies were also being affected by motor competition, but this had been nullified to some extent by the companies investing large amounts of capital in motor transport. In addition, tne British companies were investing larg« sums in providing air services.