12,000,000 TONS

Waikato Times, Volume 126, Issue 21082, 8 April 1940, Page 6

12,000,000 TONS

ANNUAL RAIL TRAFFIC

GREAT CENTRE AT FRANKTON LARGEST IN NEW ZEALAND MORE THAN 500 EMPLOYEES Greatest of the rail centres in New Zealand, Frankton Junction handles an enormous amount of traffic daily, a fact which was well exemplified on Saturday night, when the actingstationmaster, Mr H. H. Hornblow, issued details of the daily average tonnage of .traffic at the junction, when speaking at a farewell function to the retiring stationmaster, Mr W. G. Stewart. Rail traffic at Frankton Junction is increasing continually. The figures which Mr Hornblow chose to explain the magnitude of the rail traffic at Frankton were taken at random from various days, but he said they could be regarded as being an average for any 24 hours during the year. Daily, 139 trains arrived and departed at Frankton Junction, which was an average of one in every ten minutes, a schedule which was practically as frequent as a tram service. An average of 3485 waggons weighing 10 tons each, or a gross tonnage of 24.850 tons were handled at the junction every day. Including vans, passenger trains, and express trains, the daily average tonnage of rolling stock for the station was 39,214 tons, which amounted to more than 12,000,000 tons annually. With 210 employees in the traffic department, 250 on the locomotive staff and others engaged in the maintenance, signals, refreshments, and other departments, the staff of the Frankton Junction railway amounted to 532.

In order to cope with the tremendous traffic 60 engines were stationed in the locomotive department of the junction. Mr Hornblow said the figures indicated conclusively that an important railway centre was situated at Frankton Junction.