PARNELL TUNNEL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 841, 13 June 1910, Page 5

PARNELL TUNNEL.

THE DUPLICATION PROPOSAL. SOME INTERESTING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. A conference was held at the Government Buildings, Auckland, on Thursday morning, between tho Hon. J. A. Millar, Minister for Railways, and the committee appointed by the Mayor ol Auckland to adjudicate upon tho question of the duplication of tho Parnell tunni-i in accordance with tho agreement arrived at in October, 1905, with tho then Minister for Railways, Sir) Joseph Ward. The Minister said a promise had been made by the present Prime Minister, when Minister for Railways, that upon completion of the Auckland to Penrose railway duplication he was prepared to submit the matter of thq duplication of tho Parnell tunnel to ten representative men of »"JCKland for them to decide. Ine names submitted to him fully complied with tho stipulation made. In dealing with this question, he considered they would deal with it as representative men, not of' Auckland city alone, but from the broader view of tho country as a whole, and as business men. He thought he would be able to show them as representatives of tho community that tho time for the expenditure of money on the duplication of the Parnell tunnel had not yet arrived. The only justification for such expcnditude would bo the inability of the present tunnel to cope with tho existing traffic, or that of the immediate future. He was prepared to supply them with the fullest information possible, and no felt confident that when they considered this thov would agrco that tho duplication of the tunnel should be allowed to stand over for much more urgent works required on the Auckland section itself. At Tuakau the Department was spending £7000 in improving tho grade, and tins was but the commencement of a big scheme of alterations in improving the grades on the line. The Department had big difficulties to contend with. Tho traction power of the engines was limited bv tho steepest grades, and it they eased these grades it followed that they would increase the earning power of their rolling stock. He thought that during the next two or three years tho Department would be spending £fo,UOO or £100,000 in reducing tho grades on the Auckland section. This, however, was only one item. .So far as the Auckland railway yards were concerned die Department found that an expenditure of something like £100,000 would bo necessary within the next five years. Mr. Myers: Do vou contend that ,by tho duplication of tlfe tunnel no greater facilities will he afforded for transit than provided by tho one tunnel at present? ' . The Minister: That is our contention. Mr. Peacocke: May I ask if there is any advantage in duplicating the line without duplicating the tunneli so far as coping with the traffic is concerned!' The Minister: The only part of the line not duplicated is that from the. Newmarket end of the tunnel to Newmarket itself. At present we can dispatch trains from Auckland and Newmarket simultaneously. Mr. Peacocke: You gain something there, but not so much as you would otherwise find. . Mr. Bagnall: You speak of running 100 trains in eleven hours fifty minutes, but docs not the Department find that tho traffic is greater during the day than at night time? That is what wo find in the tram service. Tho Minister: At present we run a lot of goods trains in tho daytime, and when we want to run more passenger trains these can displace the goods trains; which may bo run at night-time. That is what 1 is done in older.countries, and on tho Manawatu line we arc gradually having to ruii our goods traffic at night. If you can send a train away every eight'minutes you can deal with a pretty largo traffic. ' Mr. Peacocke: The Rotorua tram was hung up for a quarter of an hour the other morning, owing to another train, being hung up in the tunnel. That delay would not have occurred if thero wero two tunnels. The Minister: We.admit that. lou can deal with, double the traffic with a duplicate tunnel, but tho point is whether such a delay is worth an expenditure of .£35,000 or £-10,000. Mr. Waito: That only happens onco in about six months. ' •.,,. Mr. Goldio: You say that £35,000 is required. How much of that is reI'quired for the purchase of land itself? The Minister; That will bo given. Mr. Goldie: I ask that because of the increase that might take place in llii. prico of the land. Mr. Entrican: Your figures don't agree. If it takes 11 hours 50 minutes to handle 106 trains, it would be a mathematical impossibility to handle 240 in 24 hours. If you double 106 that makes 212, and allowing one more for tho extra five minutes, that makes 213. How do you get 240? The Minister: I said with eight minute breaks. Wo can get it with five minute breaks. Mr. Entrican: I do not think you will find tho ten gentlemen present convinced that the Parnell tunnel will meet double our requirements. The Minister: That would not be admitted in 1882. Mr. Myers: With reference to the 106 trains you have given, is that ordinary or extraordinary traffic ? Does it include race trains ? The Minister: The 106 trains I have mentioned is the highest number that have ever run in and out of Auckland in one day. Mr. Peacocke: Can you give us tho average number of trains run through daily,? The Minister said 84 trains a day was the average number. s . Mr. Entrican: When does the Department tliink this duplication will be necessary ? The Minister: As soon as we find wo cannot handle the traffic we will go on with the duplication. Mr. Gunson: Will, the Commission bo permitted to visit the tunnel and make a personal inspection, besides calling for information required ? The Minister: I am quite willing ,to supply you with all particulars, and to prove that the tunnel is at the present time only occupied up to half its capacity. '