ALL-ELECTRIC MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY

Chronicle (Levin), 7 June 1949, Page 7

ALL-ELECTRIC MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY

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Railway Head Speaks Of Saving Money

(Per

WELLINGTON, June 6. "I am convinced that complete electrification between Auckland and Wellington will be entirely self-supporting, and tke investigations carried out so far have forced me to the conclusion that, without it, we will have the greatest difficulty in getting goods through the Main Trunk in 10 years ' time unless we carry out expensive duplication works hoth of tracks and of tunnels.' ' With these remarks the General Manager of Raiiways (Mr. I. W. Aickin), who is to leave New Zeaiana tomorrow by air for Engiand, today providtd a glimpse into the nature oi New Zealand's rail service of the future. . ^ Eiectrification, with lts greater eihciency, would euable the _ raiiways to avoid expensive duplications, said Mr. Aickin. . "To me it seems obvxous that 11 money must be spent to enable us to carry increasod traffic, then it shouiu '>e speut on p modern system and no. tor the purpose of bolstering up the old," he said. "I will give figures and reasons when i report to the Minister of Raiiways after my return iron. Engiand in early Octooer of this year. Mr. Aickin s trip is mainly to deaj with eiectrilication questions. Auckland, lie said, would get an electrk niuitipie-unit service as soon as it couic be done. The Auckland-i rankton elec triiication was a delinite commitnieiit and then the subur'bs on that routt must and would be provided with elec

tric units. The iiutt Valley suburban electriJieation scheme would not delay or in any wav prejudice the Auckland scheme, he | said, as it wTas being carried out by the j Department's own staft', augmented b> a contingent of 100 men being brougin ^ out under the inimigration scheme. He was optimistic of his chances while overseas of arranging a contract foi | the Auckland end covering both man- j power and materials. The Cash Side. .On the subjeet of economics, ,Mr. ' Aickin said that until he had compieted his investigation he couid not be certain whether a suburban eiectrification — Wellington or Auckland — would pay its way tor some years. He thought, nevertheless, that suburban residents beyond the tram routes in cities the size of Auckland and Wellington were entitled to suclr a service. Up to the present, Hawke's Bay and New Plyniouth were not inciuded in the Department's proposals for eiectrification. "By the time the traffic density in those areas warrants something different in the way of motive power, the gas or turbo-electric locomotive niay nave been perfected, " lie added. Investigations regarding eiectrilication in the bouth. Isiand, on the instruction of the Minister of Works (Mr. Semple), would "be coniple'ted in time to coincide with the availability of power, said Mr. Aickin.