SERVICES NOW NORMAL

Taranaki Daily News, 20 August 1935, Page 6

SERVICES NOW NORMAL

MAIN TRUNK EXPRESSES STRATFORD ROUTE NOT REQUIRED. PKT.AV TO TRAINS ON SUNDAY. TRANSHIPMENT DIFFICULTIES. Normal Main Trunk train services were resumed last night and no traffic was diverted through Stratford. The slips at Ngauruheku and Hihitahi, which caused the diversion of the trafflc through the Ohura line on Sunday night, were cleared up yesterday and no further trouble is expected. The expresses which passed through Stratford early yesterday morning arrived several hours late at their destination. A football special due at Wellington at 7 o’clock did not arrive until nearly 11.30, while the ordinary south-bound Limited arrived, at 2 o’clock, five hours behind schedule. The Limited to Auckland was also five hours behind time, arriving at 2.40 p.m. . . The greatest inconvenience caused vO travellers was to those on the expresses arriving at Wellington and Auckland on Sunday’ morning. Passengers and luggage had to be transhipped across the slip, which was about three chains wide, at Ngauruheku, and trains were many hours late. The Auckland train, due at 7.42, reached Wellington at 11.25 and the Wellington express reached Auckland at 2.46, seven hours 42 minutes behind its’ scheduled time of arrival at 7.04 a.m. After a four hours’ wait at Taihape on Saturday night, the Wellington express went on to Ngauruheku and the transhipment to the south-bound express, which was to be reversed, began. The train was driven along a siding not covered by the slip and steps cut in a six--foot bank separating the two trains. Then the work of transhipment began and when all passengers’ luggage had been removed the railway staff was faced with the transference of the luggage and goods ih four vans. The work took three and a-half hours to complete. •