ELECTRIFICATION OF RAILWAYS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 407, 25 October 1911, Page 7

ELECTRIFICATION OF RAILWAYS.

In the Public Works Statement there is extended reference to the electrification of railways. Last year it was the fixed belief among professional men in these islands that electrification was only possible in the case of suburban lines serving dense populations, where frequency of service was certain on the scale ve.(Hired for economic working. Electrification was, of course, possible, under other considerations, but the cost under such circumstances quite prohibitive. Tins canon is set aside by the Public Works Statement entirely. There we have a hint of new developments by which the electrification of long distance railways has become an economic success. This being the case it follows that the electrification of the railways may be within measurable distance of installation. About the power there is no great difficulty, and this fact gives the electric power policy inaugurated last year very much larger [possibilities of immediate development. In the beginning the only possibility of electrification seemed to be in the Lyttelton tunnel at first and in the Otira tunnel later on. Now there seems to be reason for believing that other sections of railway may at perhaps not a distant date be supplied with the new

power at a cost of working very much lower than steam and with a higher degree of efficiency. There may indeed be a cuniplete revolution in the working of the railway system. We have reached paying point now, and we may get into the region of profit with the choice of reducing charges as an alternative. Nor is this all, for the Public . Wurks Statement goes somewhat fully into the question of constructing light railways to be worked by electric power in connect tion with the road system, largely doing away with difficulties that at certain seasons prove insurmountable. There is a prospect here of a traction system independent of heavy cuttings and not requiring flat grades; one able to send trains up fairly steep gradients and keep up high speeds at small cost comparatively. What amount of power this would absorb it is impossible to say at the moment, but evidently it will be considerable. The remarks in the Statement under this head have every appearance uf having been very carefully considered, and we may look for rapid developments N.Z. Times.