FOXTON-PALMERSTON RAILWAY.

Shannon News, 9 October 1923, Page 3

FOXTON-PALMERSTON RAILWAY.

MINISTER SUGGESTS ABOLITION.

The suggestion of the -Minister of Railways (Hon. J. G. Coates) to abolish the Palmerston Norfch-Foxton railway lines and concentrate on the road as a means of transport was greeted with surprised! glances by a deputation representative of Foxton interests which met the Minister at the port last week. “At the present time,” B aid Mr Coates, “you have the road and the railway line running side by side in competition .and neither method is profitable. If you.had a good rdad, couldn’t you do without the railway and let all your passengers and goods be transferred by road?”

A member of the deputation ; “‘Oh, no; it is bad enough now with the restricted service that we have.”

Mr Coates: “But I mean, that you would make a good road and receive a grant from the Government towards its maintenance, instead of running the railway through. This line is a dead loss to the country and as things are now neither the motor nor the rail traffic can pay. It is a big question as to whether the proposition is economically sound.” The opinion wgs expressed that the Levin-Greatford deviation would solve tfhe problem, but other opinions were that the motor traffic was assuming such proportions -(hat 1 something would have to be done to place the whole question of transport on an equitable basis.