EAST COAST RAILWAY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4584, 9 July 1923, Page 1

EAST COAST RAILWAY.

- THE WAIHI-ATHENREE SECTION. COMPLETION NEXT YEAR. While it is now quite clear that the forecast made some time back by the Minister fcr Public Works, Hon. J. G. Coates, that the Waihi-Katikati section of the East Coast Main Trunk Railway line would probably be available for traffic by the end of the present year,, or, at least, early in 1924, will not be borne out, inspection of the work in progress indicates that the. portion between Waihi z and Athenree is in an advanced state. - Spoken to as to the probable date of completion of this stretch, the engineer in charge,, Mr Dauber, said he was not in a position to make any definite statement,, but the investigations made by a. representative of the Waihi Telegraph (state,s that journal) . gave the impression thait, in the absence of any unforeseen circumstances, there is reason to expect to find the lines down to Athenree well before June, 1924. All the concrete piers for the bridges between the two points liave been erected except m one instance in the gorge and at the Ohinemuri River bridge, while practically all other heavy work has been completed. THE PERMANENT LINE. In the course of a month to six weeks a start will be made to Lay the permanent rails from the Waihi end, and the first stretch will extend from the Waihi railway station to Adams Street. This portion will be used by the Department as a stocking ground for the many requirements in connection with the further extension of the line, which will be proceeded with as soon as possible after the completion of the Ohinemuri and Adams Street bridges. Beyond Athenree the engineering difficulties, as least so far as bridge works ig*concerned, will not be ,so great as on this end, and although there will be quite a number of cuttings and large quantities of earth to be removed progress should be more speedy, especially in view of the fact that, a steam shovel will be available for much of the work. WORK BY The construction of the line from Athenree t,o the fourteen-mile peg, some two miles this side of Katikati, will be carried out under existing conditions as to labour and control, but from thence on the contract, system, recently referred it,o by the Minister for Public Works, will be introduced, and presumably will continue on to Tauranga. It was announced some time ago by Mr Coates that plans and specifications for"extensive contracts were being prepared by the Department’s officers, and it is anticipated tha ( t it will not be long before tenders will be called for certain of the works. Already it is understood that experts, representing likely tenderers, some from firms of considerable magnitude, have been inspecting the route with a view to tendering. SPEEDIER CONSTRUCTION. It is presumably from the fourteenmile peg that the Minister looks for a speeding up of construction work, a matter to which he referred in a recent reply to the Auckland Railways and Development League, urging more rapid progress. At the same time,, it is to be hoped that when the winter months are over Mr Coates will also find it possible to increase the working staff on the Aithenree-Katikati .section of the line, as once the connection is completed between Waihi and Katikat there will oe extensive traffic, particularly in goods required by settlers and in produce for consumption in Waihi township. THROUGH TO TAURANGA. As to the time likely to be occupied in laying the rails from Katikati, nothing definite can for the moment oe said, though some idea should be obtainable when the tenders are called for the big contract work, as in such cases it is customary to fix a time limit for completion. It, however, hardly seems probable that Tauranga and Waihi will be linked up inside of four to five years.