NAPIER-GISBORNE FREIGHT

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 183, 20 August 1937, Page 4

NAPIER-GISBORNE FREIGHT

Use oi East Coast Railway Service : 1 SCHEDULE FROM MONDAY Goods trains are to operate on the Napier-Wairoa section of the East CoastMain Trunk railway as from Monday - next, the Napier-Putorino section being under the regular management of the New Zealand Raihvay s PepaTtment, and tho section from Putorino to Wai-' roa being operated by the Public Works Department pending tlie handing over of the whole Napier-Wairoa portion of the liue in complete running order. Nq immediate changes are to be made 10 the road freight "gervices operating between Gisborne and Napier, which inelude the night mail truck, but it ia anticipated that in the course of a week or two some announcement will be made of the Government'a iotentions with regard to the correlation of road and rail services on the East Coast. Passenger trains will not ruo on the Napier-Wairoa section of the railway until after Christmas, according to the Btatement made recently in Wairoa by the general manager of the Railways Department, Mr G. H. Mackley, who however, gave an indication that he hoped to have the line all clear for the January $how and race datea in Wair roa, In the meantime, only gqods traffic will be handled on. the line, and tne opportunity will be taken to study the cQnditions in Wairoa and Poverty Bay with a view to improving on the tentative schedule prepared by departmental experts, The general manager has given an undertaking that gervice to the district will be the beynote of the schedule, and though it will be necessary to conform to the broad lines laid down by the department for connection with existing railway time-tables in other districts, no trouble will be apared to give the East Coast areas the best

possible freight schedule. Facilities at the Wairoa station yards are already capable of handling a substantial volume of freight, but the Public Works Department has still a good deal of work to accomplisb before the Putorino- Wairoa section can be coneidered complete. The later months of the year will be busy ones for the district epgineer and his staff, for there are sidings to construct, stock-loading facilities to provide, and liouses and station. buildings to erect at different points. Discussing the new freight arrangements between Wairoa and Napier, a member of the Napier-Wairoa-Gisborno Transport management intimated that sq far no alternative in the company's schedule has been advised, and the company was carrying on as usual while awaiting an official intimation of what the future held jn store.