WORK AT OTIRA TUNNEL.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 December 1922, Page 5

WORK AT OTIRA TUNNEL.

SATISFACTORY PROGRESS. READY FOR TRAFFIC JN APRIL. The progress of work on the Otira tunnel was recently the subject of a report to the Canterbury League which stated that though satisfactory progress had been made at both the Arthur’s Pass and the Otira ends, it was not nearly so marked as it was on the occasion of his last visit. The weather conditions had not been favourable. At the Otira end the station yard, rail laying, ballasting, subway, platform and power station building were all virtually complete and so were the two reservoirs'. Other W’ork was making good progress, and the railway township was advancing toward completion. The position was not nearly so striking at the Arthur’s Pass end. While the rail laying and ballasting were practically complete there was a good deal of formation work to be done on the platform, and the subway leading to it. The station .building had to be moved to its new position. Steady progress had been made with the girder bridge over the Bealey River, and this should be finished before the end of the month. A start was being made with the erection of the dwellings. It was anticipated that all the electrical work should be completed by the end of February, and. allowing a month or six weeks for testing, the line should bp open for traffic some time in April.