Other formats

    TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 3, Issue 6 (October 1, 1928)

Railway Extension

Railway Extension.

It has been stated by some enthusiast that no more railways should be built. It may be interesting to consider for a moment why a number of railway extensions were built. I have in mind in this connection, New Zealand. India, and Australia. The answer is, of course, that they were built to enable tracts of country to be developed which could not be done unless transport was provided. In many cases it was known that there would be no direct revenue for many years on the capital expended, but, indirectly, these railways paid owing to the enhanced value of the land and the resulting development. In India it was (and, I think, still is), the practice to build very light narrow gauge lines at small cost for development purposes. These lines are afterwards converted to standard lines if and when the capital expenditure is justified.

In many cases where the anticipated development has not taken place, it may be more economical for a railway system to discontinue the running of trains and substitute a road service for the railway. This has been suggested, but it is not quite as simple as it appears for the problem is, how can the capital value be disposed of?

The foregoing observations deal with some features of a big problem in its general aspects. The problem is world-wide, and whatever the solution is, it will no doubt be a gradual one. In the meantime the catch pharse is “coordination and co-operation,” but exactly where and how these two solutions begin and end I am not quite clear. Some countries have, however, taken steps to finalise matters. Among others may be cited the United States, Canada, Germany, Switzerland and South Australia. In my next article I shall outline the methods adopted in those countries.

(To be continued.)