D.—lA

6

Hutt Valley Railway Deviation. (Length, 2 miles 20 chains of double track.) This line runs from 7 miles 56 chains, on the Wellington-Napier line, to Waterloo Road. Construction on this line was commenced in April, 1925, and the work completed and handed over to the Railway Department on 25th May, 1927. The principal work consisted mainly of bridges and station-yards, buildings, &c. The principal bridge was the crossing of the Hutt River at 8 miles 30 chains. This bridge consists of sixteen 45 ft. plate-girder spans on reinforced-concrete piers and abutments. Total expenditure, £288,000. Stratford Main Trunk Railway—Bast End. (0 miles to 32 miles. Length, 32 miles.) In March, 1920, formation was in hand to about 1 \ miles beyond Matiere, a distance of 11 miles 61 chains, but no platelaying or ballasting had been put in hand. Since then the formation, platelaying, and ballasting have been completed to Ohura, at 19 miles 10 chains. This section is practically ready for handing over to the Railway Department, but in order to facilitate the construction work ahead it is intended to retain it some little while longer; in the meantime a regular goods and passenger service is being run for the benefit of the settlers, and is well patronized. Beyond Ohura, formation is in hand for another 2 miles. The total length of bridging on this section is 2,090 ft., practically all of which has been carried out since 31st March, 1920. There are 11,076 ft. of tunnelling, 6,451 ft. of which were practically completed prior to the period under review, and 3,670 ft. remain to be done. It is anticipated that a junction will be made with the construction work from the west end at 32 miles, thus leaving approximately 13 miles of formation yet to complete on this end. The estimated cost of completion to Tahora is £830,000, and the amount spent between 31st March, 1920, and 31st March, 1928, is £720,110. Stratford-Main Trunk Railway - West End. (Length, 9 miles 40 chains.) On 31st March, 1920, the line had been completed and handed over to the Railway Department as far as Kohuratahi, at 42 miles 26 chains. Erom there to Tahora, a distance of 5 miles 14 chains, the formation and platelaying had been completed, and the ballasting and general cleaning up of the section was in hand. A small amount of work had been started on the section beyond, but this was shortly discontinued, and when the section to Tahora was handed over to the Railway Department on 21st November, 1924, practically all activities at this end of the line ceased. In 1926 construction work was again commenced at this end of the railway, a vigorous policy being initiated, and the piercing of the four large and two small tunnels which were the main obstacle to the final completion of the line was put in hand. In order to deal effectively with the large amount of tunnelling on this section, a large steam-power house for generating electric energy for the construction works was erected at Tangarakau Flat, and the work generally is well equipped. At the present time, of these six tunnels which constitute the main part of the formation of this end of the line, one, with a total length of 2,041 lineal feet, has been completed, and four others, involving lengths of 3,574 ft., 4,158 ft., 726 ft., and 410 ft. respectively are in hand, while one is so far untouched. The total length from Tahora to the point of junction with the construction from the eastern end is 9| miles, and the estimated cost of completion for the whole line, including the eastern end, is £830,000. The expenditure from the time of recommencing (in 1926) the work was £238.470.