New Vehicles For Railways Road Hauls

Chronicle (Levin), 12 March 1949, Page 6

New Vehicles For Railways Road Hauls

WELLINGTON, Marcfi 11. Extensive additions to, tfie Railway Department 's road serviee fleet are planned for the next two yeafs. For some time tfie Department has had an important vehicle building programme in fiand but has been concentrating on making up tfie ,big leeway iu the number- of large buses required for suburban traffic. Now that tfiis-.niove is well under way, greater attention is to be paid to the smaller deluxe eoaefies for long distance journeys. - . Among plans for tfie freight transport fleet is a proposal to buy five articulated trucks, a type of vehicle not previously used by tfie railways. Tfie type of vehicle the serviee requires varies not only witfi tlie kind of work to be done but also with the quality of tfie road over wfiiefi it has to opcrate. For fieavy peak loading over flrst-class roads such as the suburban serviees eucounter, large. omnibuses are used. For smaller loadings over long distances and roads of varying quality wfiere speed and comfort are paramount considera1 tions, the need is for lighter and smaller vehicles with high quality seating accommodation^ These are serviee eoaefies and smaller deluxe eoaefies. The Department 's 1948-49 building programme provided for 88 new vefijcles com-prising 62 omnibuses, 24 serviee eoaches and two composite passenger and freigfit vehicles. Tfie 194950 prdgramme is even bigger providing for the construction of 101 new vehicles. Of tfiese, twenty 24-seat eland smaller deluxe coaches for long- dis-

tance work on wfiieh the greatest propbrtion of tlie fleet is engaged, are now priority wofk. Tfie full programme ia for six six-seater and 64 20 to' 24-seater eoaefies, eigfit 30-seater' and 20 37seater omnibuses, two horsefloats and one pantecfinicon. j i i