Down at the Station

摘要

Auckland Transport announced on 1 February that it had placed an order with CAF of Spain for another 23 electric multiple units, with an option for another five units. The three-car units, which are expected to start arriving in late 2024, will take the Auckland fleet to 95 units. The cost of the additional units is $330 million, half-funded by the government through Waka Kotahi, and the balance by Auckland Council - using an unspecified amount raised via the Regional Fuel Tax. The arrival of the new units will coincide with the opening of the City Rail Link and the extension of overhead catenary to Pukekohe. Also included in the new order are modifications to the present 72-unit fleet. The modifications will make more power available in the CRL tunnels, enabling them to run as triple-sets, up to nine carriages, instead of the six carriage limit at present. 35-38 Letters to the Editor I have just read the book Can't Get There from Here by Andre Brett, published by Otago University Press. This is a comprehensive book, although I am surprised it makes very limited mention of the 1924-25 Merz & McLellan report (pages 108,144) which proposed electric suburban services in the four main centres. Frank Aickin's 1950 report and the bulk purchase agreement with English Electric were based on their report. Auckland might have had electrified suburban trains in the 1950s if Frank Aickin's 1950 report had been followed. As in the 1924 Merz & McLellan report by the English consulting engineering firm, he proposed electrification of suburban lines in the four main centres, including Christchurch (26.4 route miles: Christchurch-Heathcote-Lyttelton and Christchurch-Addington-Rangiora) and Dunedin (17.9 route miles: Dunedin-Ravensbourne-Port Chalmers and Dunedin-Mosgiel), which Brett does not mention in his book. Brett suggests that Frank Aickin was retired early at 57 because of opposition to his proposals, although under the Government Superannuation Scheme civil servants retired after 40 years' service (later amended to require service to age 60 years). Hence, telegraph boys and trainees or apprentices then retired in their fifties.