CO-ORDINATION OF RAIL AND ROAD TRAFFIC

Chronicle (Levin), 3 October 1946, Page 6

CO-ORDINATION OF RAIL AND ROAD TRAFFIC

-Press Association

. EXTENSION OF PLAN PROPOSED

By Telegraph—

WELLINGTON, Oct. 2. In view of the snccess of the first applicatipn of the principle of co-ordin-ating road and rail traffic — between Wellington .and Palmerston. North — it is proposed, as and when suitahle road service vehicles hecome availahle, to inaugurate co-ordinated road services, similar to that in operation hetween Wellington and Palmerston North, over the other routes covered hy the Railways Department 's present licences. This whS annoraiced' in the report of the general* manager of railways (Mr. J. Sawers)/ cohtained in the Railways Statement, which was presented to the House of Representatives yesterday by the Minister of Railways (Mr. Semple). In- 1937 the Government policy of coordination of long-distance rail and road goods services was introduced, and since then the Railways Department had acquired a number of road motoi goods service licences - extending over practieally all the main routes parallel ing rail, said Mr.. Sawers. When the road services were first purchased it was not possible to make immediate radical changes in methods of operation, and later the process of eo-ordination of rail and . road route services was interrupted by the outbreak of war. It was felt, however, that tiie tinie was now opportune for co-ordination to be implemented, and d studv liad boen made with a view to determining the best metliod of operation. An analysis o£ the traffic handled by rail showed that considerable railway operating economies and an improved service to the publie were possible if road services operating auxiliary to rail wero instituted for the purpose of conveying the following classes of traffic: — 1 4 ymall consignments providing less tlian a rcasonable railway wagon load, direct from oue railway station to another; small consignments bulk loaded by rail to selected distribution points for distribution by road to destination railway station instead of being railed ' ' tranship at" various intermediate stations; short-liaul traffic from railway station to railway station whare the wagon-user time was excessive in relation to the distance the goods were trausported; and special consignments sucli as urgeiit perisliable or fragile go'o'ds, direct-by road. An experimental service on thosc lines was first tried out between Wellington and Palmerston North, and the service proved very successful. The advantages were: — A substantial number of railway wagons was released from small consigumcnt and tranship work and made available for bulk loading; a faster service was provided for small consignments at present loaded "tranship"; reduction of tranship work relieved cougestion at Palmerston North goodsshed; a noticeable improvement in timekeoping of trains due to elimination of the necessity to shunt wayside stations to lifit- or. put off small ,consignmeiits; thc fast trausport provided by the Auckland-Wellington exprcss goods trains was extended to small centres; and the existing co-ordination between rail and local carriers was not being disturbed. The most pronounced increase on the revenuc side was in the road motor services, said ilr. Sawers. Since the relaxation of wartime controls services had beea reinstated'and expanded. New services had also been inaugurated and some purchased from private operators.