MAIN TRUNK DAMAGE

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 71, 25 March 1933, Page 14

MAIN TRUNK DAMAGE

THE BAD PATCHES

The transhipment of passengers on the Main Trunk is still necessary, as no train can get through the badly disturbed unstable country where the breaks in the permanent way have occurred. At midday today it was stated that the dowa limited from. Auckland tomorrow night will not leave there until 11 p.m. This latest departure in procedure is to enable a gang of workmen to finish repairs quickly and without interruption. Both the up and the down Limited 011 Monday will be subject to several hours' delay. The ordinary expresses 011 Monday, 2 p.m. from Wellington, and 3 p.m. from Auckland are cancelled. '

Much of the country concerned is of a very loose nature. There are three particularly bad places.

The wash-out just north of Okahukura, where the Limited came off the rails on Thursday, is receiving special attention. The old culvert there is being replaced by a permanent 25ft span steel girder bridge, which it is expected will be completed on Monday.

The second difficulty is being found at the slip near the power house a mile north of Piriaka, where the formation went down towards the river and left the track in, the air. Here a new road is being blasted round the edge of the papa rock, in search of a firm foundation that will carry the main lino. That should be finished today.

The third bad place is two miles north of Piriaka," where the up express ran into soft ground on Thursday morning. Here the ground gave further trouble yesterday, but it is expected to get carriages across it on Monday or Tuesday.

In addition to these three troublesome spots there are slips and washouts in many other places. Sufficient attention has already been given to these places to enable traffic to proceed at reduced speeds. Over the whole stretch between Okahukura and Eaurimu conditions requiring reduced speeds also exist at many spots. The weak places are being guarded night and day by members of the maintenance staff.