RAIL SERVICES

Southland Times, Issue 22813, 12 February 1936, Page 3

RAIL SERVICES

KINGSTON-QUEENSTOWN ROAD THE DEPARTMENT’S PROPOSALS An event that will mark a milestone in the history of Queenstown and the Lakes districts is approaching with the projected opening, • probably on April 1, of the Queenstown-Kingston road. For many years past the idea of linking Queenstown with the south by a land route around the edge of Lake Wakatipu has held the imagination of the public. A round trip including Queenstown has always involved the journey by steamer between Queenstown and Kingston, but with the modern developments in road construction and the revolution in the motor vehicle, the public demand for the completion of this highway became irresistible; and finally, the reluctance of a Government beset with the difficulties of ensuring a balanced Budget through the years of depression was overcome. It is now a matter of some satisfaction that the end is in sight. Interest Revived. The initial work on the road was commenced prior to the depression, but by 1929, only about nine and threequarter miles had been completed. This left about ten miles at the Kingston end and five miles at the Queenstown end to be constructed. The depression years intervened and the road construction engineers and workmen were withdrawn and placed on other public works. In 1932 general interest in the road was revived, and as a forward move local and other bodies, including the Southland Progress League, the Southland Motor Association, the Lake County Council, the Queenstown Borough Council and the Invercargill Chamber of Commerce met the Railways Board at Queenstown for the purpose of securing a full discussion of the situation, it being realized that the completion of the road must have a serious effect upon the financial position of the Railway Department's lake steamer services. Apart from a complete agreement that the interests of the railways and the retention of the lake steamer services should be safeguarded, nothing further of a practical nature resulted, and the matter was held in abeyance for a further two years. In July 1934, public pressure was again brought to bear upon the Government, and as a result the then Minister of Public Works announced that Cabinet had authorized the completion of the road. From that date onwards the completion of the road became a certainty; and during recent months considerable public interest has been aroused through the prospect of having the road opened during the early months of this year. It was a disappointment to many motorists that the road was not available for the recent holiday traffic, but an inspection of the road showed that a considerable amount of work had yet to be done. The engineers and construction gangs would only be placed at a disadvantage if thej’ had to complete the work under general traffic conditions. Transport Interests. There has been some disturbance in the minds of private transport interests regarding the conditions under which the late Government intended to complete the road, which in effect gave the Railway Department the absolute right of commercial operation. This was determined on the grounds that the Lake Wakatipu steamer service was a vital necessity as a means of transport in the Lakes district, more particularly to the settlers on the lake shores both east and west of Queenstown. The Railway Department has recently given public notice of its intention to provide comprehensive. services south of Queenstown, involving a properly co-ordinated scheme in which the department will supplement its rail and steamer services with road services of an attractive type. Rail Car Services. The department’s proposals are based on the provision of rail cars which will provide the backbone of the service between Invercargill and Kingston. It is the intention that a rail car should start from Lumsden in the morning at a convenient time and run to Invercargill via Winton. This car will then run to Gore (leaving Invercargill about 10.25 a.m.), connect with the DunedinInvercargill express, and run to Kingston via the Waimea line. Another rail car will leave Kingston at 11.5 a.m., run to Invercargill via Gore and leave about 4.20 p.m. for Lumsden. These rail car services will effect a considerable saving in travel time. There will be a daily road service in the afternoons between Queenstown and Invercargill. A service car of the most modem type will leave Queenstown at 3.30 p.m. arriving at Invercargill at 8.30 p.m. while the service operating in the opposite direction will leave Invercargill at 4.0 p.m. arriving at Queenstown at 9.10 p.m. These services will cross at Lumsden at about 6.0 p.m. where sufficient time will be available for tea. The link connecting the railhead at Kingston with Queenstown will be completed by the operation of special buses of a class somewhat similar to that used by the Railway Department on its Dunedin-Eglinton Valley service. The buses will run daily, while a special goods road service will be provided to carry goods and parcels on the days that the steamer between Queenstown and Kingston will, except at busy periods, be restricted to three days a week. In addition, the department will have available both service cars and omnibuses for use in running tourist services from Queenstown to Te Anau and the Eglinton Valley and from Queenstown to Gore as required. At the commencement these services will be run as traffic is offering, but as soon as experience shows sufficient regularity in the flow of traffic, regular timetable services will be inaugurated. The new rail cars will not be available until the latter half of the present year, but in the meantime the department will meet the position by running the Gore-Kingston passenger train as a daily service instead of three days a week as at present. Development of “Key” Lines. At the present juncture the development of “key” lines of transport is of the greatest consequence. The fostering of a regular flow of tourist traffic throughout New Zealand is receiving the serious consideration of the Government and hotel interests alike, for it is realized that with this development lies the exploitation of a great national asset that will surely establish an important source of national income. It is claimed that the main lines of transport through these areas should be. in the hands of the State so as to ensure impartiality of treatment to all concerned. There is the further important consideration that when the Milford tunnel has been pierced a greatly increased volume of tourist traffic will develop from this area, and it seems reasonable to prophesy that in the comparatively near future Milford itself should develop into an important port, furnishing as it does one of the closest contacts with the Australian coast The traffic, it is stated, may then become of a type that cannot be left to the handling of comparatively small private transport interests whose finances may not be sufficient to enable them to cope

with awkward fluctuations in the movement of tourists. The Railway Departments scheme is one that should bring the South Island into its own and rectify the unbalanced flow in the distribution of tourist traffic between the two islands, a matter that has exercised the minds of southerners for a considerable number of years.