RAILWAY ROUTES

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2240, 28 August 1914, Page 7

RAILWAY ROUTES

PROPOSED LINES INTO WELLINGTON.

There was laid oil. the table of the 1 House of Representatives last evening a ; report-by Mr. ,R. W. Holmes, engineer i .in chief, on the cost of making a level line of railway round the rocks from ; Paekakariki- to Plimmorton. The. report was asked for by Dr. A. K. Newman, M.P. ■ , , Accompanying the report was a plan a glance at which-. Mr. Holmes said would show that the constructed line was far the shortest and most direct between Wellington and Waikanae. The next shorter would probably bo ono leaving Upper Hutt and joining the present line at Waikanae. This line, however, would havo to climb over a saddle about 1400 feet above sea lovel, a height reducible, liowevor, by tunnelling to about 1000 feet. Johnsonville, the highest point on the existing line, was about 500 feet above sea level. In addition to tie Upper Hutt-Waikanae route having to climb to the height mentioned, the work of construction wauld be extremely heavy. A route from Haywards on the Wellington-Hutt line was practicable, hut as originally surveyed from Pahautamii northwards, was, through passing over the. Paekakariki hill, impracticable north of Pahautanui. This route was so much t longer than tho existing lino as to be nob worthy of consideration. Along the existing lino between Wellington and Paekakariki there were two hills. Johnsonville was at the summit of one and Pnkerua at the summit of the other. The latter hill could easily be avoided by constructing a line round the sea coast. This line would be longer, somewhat difficult to construct iu a few places, and subject-to the corrosive action or the sea spray as regarded the mainten-. ance of the rails. This line would have a perfectly level grade, over whioh traffio could, be handled quickly and with very little expense as regarded locomotive charges. The present lino between. Wellington ahd Porirua, could ciily\be improved by lowering the summit level at Johnsonville by tunnelling. Probably, however, to effect a marked improvement worthy of consideTatiou, it would be accessary to, adopt a tunnel not loss than two miles long. To construct this tunnel, and to improve the gradients on each side, would probably cost £350,000, the. interest alono "on which would amount to £14,000 per ' annum, or far more than assistant en- : gines cost to work the traffic over the 1 hill. On the question of haulage, the ' construction of such a deviation or any of the deviations quoted between Hay- ' wards and Upper Hutt, could not bo ' considered as Business-like propositions. > Tho only possible excuso for. considor- ■ ing au improvement of tho line would • bo when speed had to be considered, ■ and it was proved that tho traffic cou'.d s not bo worked with sufficient rapidity between Tawa Flat and Wellington.