RAILWAY CUTS.

Thames Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 17929, 3 July 1930, Page 5

RAILWAY CUTS.

TEN BRANCHES CLOSING.

Economy in South Island.

MORE RETRENCHMENT. I

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINNGTON, July 3.

The Minister of Railways, speaking in the House yesterday, said that in view of the financial position, Cabinet had had under considerate the question of an adjustment of the railway time-tables throughout the Dominion, including branch lines, with a view to achieving' a definite curtailment in expenditure, while at the same time providing a railway service reasonably adequate to the public requirements. After a very'careful examination of the whole of train services, - the following curtailments had already been decided upon:—

North Island.

The Limited expresses between Auckland., and. Wellington will be discontinued. v

The present Auckland-Opua daily express trains will run daily between Auckland and Whangarei, but -• between Whangarei and Opua they will run thrice weekly only. The through days, Auckland to Opua, will be Tuesdays, '.Thursdays and Saturdays, and the through days, Opua to Auckland, will be Wednesdays and Fridays. The present Auekland-Taneatua daily express • trains will .run daily between Auckland, and Tauranga, but between Tauranga and Tanea-, tua these trains will run. thriceweekly only. days from Auckland to: Taneatua will be days, Thursdays and Saturdays, and the through days from Tanea-., tua to Auckland will be Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.,

The present night expresses be-*-. tween Wellington and New Plymouth"' will be discontinued.

Further alterations in the North Island include the discontinuance of the train now leaving Kumeu for Auckland at 6 a.m. daily and returning from Auckland to "Kumeu in the evening. In future these trains will commence and terminate their runs at Waitakere. South Island. \

In the South Island the following adjustments to the mail and express' trains have been decided upon: — The through expresses between Christchurch and Invercargill, will run on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays each way. . ;■•••••,■- The mail .trains between Christchurch and Dunedin will run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Provision will be made (as formerly) for the Monday train from Christchurch to run on an earlier schedule than on the otKer two days. The mail trains between Dunedin and Invercargill will run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays each way, with an additional mail train from Dunedin to Invercargill on Saturdays. -

The present night expresses be-, tween Christchurch and Invercargill will be rearranged to leave Christchurch on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and run to Dunedin only, and, in the reverse direction, will start from Invercargill on only one day of the week, namely, on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The Gore-Kingston express train will run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Under the altered arrangement of mail and express trains in the South Island, although the night express from Christchurch will run to Dunedin only, passengers will still be able to make the through connection to Invercargill by the morning.mail train from Dunedin, arriving at Invercargill only two hours later than under the present time-tab.le. Similarly in the reverse direction passengers leaving Invercargill by the mail train on Wednesdays and Fridays will connect at Dunedin with the night train for Christchurch, arriving there on the following morning. The alteration in the time-table for the night expresses will permit of a much-improved connection between the West Coast and the southern districts.

Branch Lines to be Closed.

After outlining further economies

proposed in connection with train operations in the various districts of the South Island, the Minister announced that the following branch lines, which were showing heavy operating losses and; very small returns in revenue, will be closed: Cape Foulwind line, on the Westport section. Oxford West-Sheffield line.

Eyreton branch, extending from Eyreton Junction to Bennetts. '' Portion of the Springburn branch, between Mount Somers and Springburn.

Portion of the Kurow branch, between Kurow and Hakataramea.

Tokarahi branch, from Windsor to Tokarahi.

Portion of the Tapanui branch, between Heriot and Edievale. Portion of the Glenham branch, between Wyndham and Glenham.

Mossburn branch. , Portion of the Tuatapere lin,e between Tuatapere and Orawia.

Other Cuts to Follow.

"I may add," continued Mr Veitch, "that my review of the whole of the branch lines of the Dominion is not yet quite complete, but my invesigations, so far as they have proceeded, indicate that it will probably be necessary to close .the whole or some portion' of one or more branches additional to those enumerated above, or to make l substantial alterations in the services."