DESCRIPTION OF RAILWAYS IN COURSE OF ERECTION.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 292, 22 August 1888, Page 5

DESCRIPTION OF RAILWAYS IN COURSE OF ERECTION.

Auckland. Helensville northwards. —A contract is in progress to complete the line to a point in the Kaukapakapa Valley, about 8 miles from Helensville. When this is done the total length of the railway northwards from Auckland will be 44 miles. The works now in hand are expected to be finished about the end of March next. A trial survey has been run for the continuation of the line to near Wellsford, 37 miles from Helensville, but it is not proposed to put any more works in hand for the present. The vofce required to meet the existing liabilities on account of this railway -will be £15,000 for this year^ and about £40,000 for next year, leaving £49,839 for further undertakings in the future. ' Grahamstown-Te Aroha.— On the Gra-hamstown-Te Aroha railway the rails are laid from Grahamstown to Kaueranga, about five miles, and the formation, without bridges, is completed between Kaueranga and Hikutaia, about eight miles, and is in progress from there to near Ohiuemuri, 6 miles. It is expected* that the latter section will be finished next 'month. From Ohinemuri to T& Aroha, 13 miles, the contract survey is complete. The- total distance from Grahamstown to Te Aroha will be 32 miles. Plans and specifications have been prepared - for - a contract- for the bridges and culverts on the Hikutaia and the Ohinemuri section, but it is not, proposed to call for tenders during - the current, year. The amount now required to be voted, for this railway in order to meet existing liabilities which include a considerable sum for land purchase .will be £5,000, leaving £32,926 for appropriation in succeeding years.

PUTARURU-ROTORUA. On the l'utaruru Rotoi'ua railway the first contract from JPuiaruru to jNgatira 8 miles has been hnished, but a& there would be no biaftic on this section by itself it is not proposed to open it ab tho Kotorua end. The formation of 6 miies between RoLorua and Ngongotaha has been carried out by the Maoris in piece-work contracts tv tho extent of j15,94U in a very satisfactory manner. The intervening distance between Ngatiri and Ngongctaha, about nineteen miles, ha* been surveyed tor contract. The total distance trom Pubaruru to Ohinemutu ia 32 milos. A survey is in progress tor a road to connect the proposed station at Okohiriki, which is 18 miles trom Putaruru with the Oxtord, Ohinemutu load. The length of this road will be ! about 6 miles, ana it willstriko the existing road about 6 miles trom the Ohinemutu i township. Beyond the cum pletionottlnVrodd survey it is not iu tended to do any woric in connection w ith the l'utaruru-Roturua railway at present. Tho amount required to bo now voted tor this railway to meet exi&tiug liabilities, which will probably fall due within the current year, i& £20.000, leaving A.36,103 tor turther undertakings in the tuture.

NORTH ISLAND TRUNK RAILWAY. The North Island Trunk Railway at the north end is completed and open for traffic trorn TeAwamutu to To Kuiti a distance of 25 miles. A further section ot 9 miles is in progress and expected to be completad iv December next. This will bring tliu railway to the Upper Mokau Valley, a distance of 34 miles trom Te Awamutu, and 134 miles from Auckland. The Mokau Valley working surveys have been made to a point about two miles south ot Te Koura, 66 miles from Te AwamuUi, but no construction work has been put in hand beyond the Upper Mokau except the paro ot Taroo Tunnell Contract, length $ mile, which occurs near the forty-seventh mile. After considerable delay this contract is now making satisfactory progress. The work being well advanced towards completion. The amount required to be now voted to ne^t existing liabilities on account ot these North end Works, which will all probable fall due within the current year is £57,000, , leaving £177,359 for further undertakings in the future. At the south end the railway is completed and open tor traitic fiom Mar ton junction to Rangitara ci distance of 19 miles. Working surveys and plans have been made there, to the j extent of the Pangaroa section, 51 miles from Marton and from thence to the head ot the Hautapu Valley 61 miles. From Marton the line hat> been finally located. This embraced all the rough country at the southern end of the line. The ! amount required to be voted this year for South end works in order to meet existing liabilities, which will all probably come in for payment before end of March next, is £8,000, leaving £114,756 for appropriation in succeeding years. The road works in co .nection with the North Island Trunk Railway that were in progress when the last Public Works Statement was delivered have been carried on to completion, but no new road woiks has been undertaken in inland. A fair dray road has been made from the Rangitikei to the Moawhanga, 16 miles, and trom thence to the Hautapu, 11 miles further. The track is just passable, following the railway line itself. There is now a good riding load all the way Irom Hunterville to the Mokau (about 170 miles), with a branch Irom Murimotu to the Wangantri River at Pipiriki—2s miles. The amount required to be voted this year on account ot road works, in order to meet existing liabilities, ib £1,700, leaving £690 for future appropriation burvevs in connection with tho Noith Island Trunk Railway, but paid for out of the vote for surveys of new lines of railway. Under part 3 of the Public Works Fund an exploration has been undertaken for a line of railway to connect Taranaki with the main trunk line. This was ,in January last, and the field work is expectad to be finished about Deceber next, aa the survey is being made of two routes — the Ngaire and Waitara routes. The Ngaire lines leaves the Foxton-New Plymouth Railway at a point near the Ngaire station, about 33 miles south of New Plymouth, and practically follows the original Strattord route to Nihoniho. It then crosses the intervening range to the Ongaruhe Valley, noar Maramata, where it merges into the central route. The Waitara lines follow up the coast from Waitara to the Mimi River and then strikes inland up the Mimi Valley and across the intervening ranges into the Tangararkau watershed, where it joins the Ngaire route. It is impossible to give a definite opinion with reference to either of these lines till the surveys and plans are completed. The information obtained so far shows no insuperable difficulty, but a considerable portion of the country is very ! rough and broken generally. Beyond completing the works and surveys that are actually in hand it is not proposed to incur any further expenditure on the North Island Trunk Railway for the present.