DEVELOPMENT OF RAILWAYS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 141, 2 July 1937, Page 2

DEVELOPMENT OF RAILWAYS

-Bresi AsBOCiation.)

Details of the £3,000,000 Programme EXPANSION JUSTIFIED

• (By Telet'rapb-

WAIROA, Last Night. "Tbe work that the railways have been able to do for the public of New Zealand during the last year is considerably greater than has been the case for'many years, and clearly shows that the public is Tealising to an increasing extent 'the many ways in vyhich they can use their pwn great national trpinsportation service for travel and trade," said the Minister of Railways, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, at a function at Wairoa last evening. Mr Sullivan said that there wero 21,235,428 passenger journeys, an increase of 876,904 on thejiumber of passengers carried by trainln the previous yeat, and goods tonnaga amoimted to 6,813,240 tons, an increase of 62M36 upon the tonnage carried in the previous year.- The indications so far for tho present financial year were that this lm-provement-'would be continued. A good record had also been put up by the Railway Department's road services, which during" the financial year ended March 31 last, carried 4,556,316 passengers, an increase of 1,313,847 over the figures for the previous year. Certain additional services were of course taken over and operated during the year by the department. These indications of improvement gave every encouragement to the Government in its railway development policy and furnished further reason for adopting the department 's £3,000,000 programme of new works, renewals and replacements for the current financial year. Included in this pogfamme Weru the following major works required for necessary improvements in the North Island:— 'Duplication between Hototiu and Papakura to complete the duplication of the Auckland-Frankton Junction section, £180,000; Turakina-Okoia deviation, £18,000; Wellington Station building and yard, £139,000; Palmerston North deviation, £100,000; new waggons and improvements to the existing waggon stock, £347,840; the provision of 12 multiple nnit coaches for the Wellington- Johnsonville ^ine, £107,500. Other large items of expenditure in which the Noi'tb Island would participate included £110,000 for bridge strengthening and £21,000 for passenger cars. In addition to £90,000 for locomotives, including 20 new Class K engines for the North Island, there were also renewals to cost £230,000 and an amount of £118,716 for workshops, buildings and plant.