MAIN TRUNK TRAINS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 77, 1 April 1932, Page 3

MAIN TRUNK TRAINS.

NEW TIME-TABLE ON MONDAY. MEETING PUBLIC DEMAND. OUTLYIXG DISTRICTS BENEFIT. Commencing on Monday next the new Main Trunk time-table wiil be inaugurated. The ordinary express from Auckland to Wellington, which leaves at 7.40 p.m. daily, except Saturday, will commence running at 3 p.m. each day with the exception of Sunday.

Up' till now there has been no provision for train connection between Auckland and Wellington from Friday evening till Sunday evening. Under the new arrangement an express train will be dispatclicd both ways between the two cities daily. Wellington has always had a daily connection with Auckland since the Limited express has been running, and in the past the two AucklandWellington expresses have left within half an hour to 40 minutes of each other on each night with the exception of Saturday, when neither express has been run.

From Monday next a. more efficient and suitable service will become operative, and the ordinary express, known to railwaymen as 227, will in future leave Auckland at 3 p.m. on Saturday end will arrive in Wellington at 7.42 a.m. on Sunday. This arrangement makes the southward time-table more in keeping with the northward running of the ordinary express, which leaves Wellington at 2 p.m. and arrives in Auckland at 6.38 a.m. next day, and which is the only train to arrive here on Sunday from Wellington. . The schedule of both the up and down Limited express trains has not been altered and they will adhere to their prescnt time-tables.

Auckland-Wellington Trains. The full time-table for the ordinary express, or 227, as from Monday next is as follows: Auckland depart 3 p.m.; Pukekohe, dep. 3.57 p.m.; Mefcer, arr. 4.16 p.m., dep. 4.24 p.m.; Huntly, dep. 5 p.m.; Frankton Junction, arr. 5.34 p.m., dep. 5.56 p.m.; Te Awamutu," dep. 6.2S p.m.; Otorohanga, dep. 6.54 p.m.; Te Kuiti, dep. 7.20 p.m.; Taumarunui, arr. 9.14 p.m., dep. 9.22 p.m.; Raurimu, arr. 10.35 p.m., dep. 10.39 p.m.; National Park, arr. 11.8 p.m., dep. 11.12 p.m.; Ohakune, arr. 11.59 p.m., dep. 12.8 a.m.; Taihape, arr. 1.58 a.m., dep. 2.6 a.m.; Mangaweka, dep. 2.37 a.m.; Hunterville, dep. 3.10 a.m.; Marton, arr. 3.39 a.m., dep. 3.49 a.m.; Feilding, dep. 4.24 a.m.; Palmerston North, arr. 4.47 a.m., dep. 4.57 a.m.; Levin, dep. 5.45 a.m.; Paekakariki, dep. 6.40 a.m.; Wellington, arr. 7.42 a.m.

In this new time-table full particulars of which were made public this morning, several new stops have been provided for, and yet over an hour has been saved on the journey to Wellington as compared with the present ordinary express time-table.

Long-felt Want. In the matter of stopping-places, both the South Auckland, King Country and Manawatu districts have been well provided for, and from what can be gathered the new schedule meets with the entire approval of business and other interests in those places. Hamilton residents and AVaikato settlers generally are more than pleased with the new arrangement, for which they, together with the King Country people, fought hard to obtain. Similar remarks apply to the Palmerston North and Manawatu districts, the business people there having expressed their opinion of the new time-table as being one of the most suitable connections they will have with Wellington.

As far as the South Auckland province is concerned, the schedule of trains running to and from Auckland is most suitable from every point of view. King Country and Waikato residents will be able to arrive in the city by the express trains from Wellington, and can reach their homes as far south as National Park before midnight the same day.

With regard to Hamilton, the Waikato and practically the whole of the South Auckland province, those people desirous of doing so can have several hours in the city and be in Hamilton, or Cambridge or Te Kuiti in time for dinner. Residents of Rotorua will be able to leave Auckland at 3 p.m. and be back home not later than 8.30 p.m. For such places as Pukekohe, Mercer, Huntly, Te Awamutu and Otorohanga, instead of spending most of the evening in the train on the return journey, they will be home in daylight during the summer months.

Other Advantages Gained. In addition to the advantages outlined, the new express time-table will serve another useful purpose—subscribers to the "Auckland Star" will in future have their paper delivered much earlier. As soon as proposals regarding the new schedule had been made concrete, arrangements were made for a more suitable and quicker distribution of the "Auckland Star" to the Waikato, King Country and Rotorua.

As far as the King Country is concerned, the delivery of the paper will be made much earlier than hitherto right down to Taumarunui. In the Middle King Country the "Auckland Star" will be on tho supper table the same night instead of, as now, on the breakfast tabic next morning. At Hamilton and the surrounding district, the "Star" will be in the home at dinner-time, and at Rotorua it will arrive not later than 8.30 p.m. This arrangement has been made possible through having the Aard service cars meet the express at Frankton on arrival. Intending passengers who wish to go on to Rotorua will have 25 minutes at Frankton for a meal at the railway refreshment rooms. The service cars will leave the station punctually at 6 p.m., and the "Auckland Star" will be delivered at various towns and townships en route to Rotorua much earlier than at present. As in the case of the King Country, the "Auckland Star" will be read in Rotorua at supper time each day.

MAILS CLOSE EARLIER. POST OFFICE ARRANGEMENTS. Consequent on the decision of the Railway Department to alter the time of departure of the Auckland-Wellington express train from 7.40 p.m. to 3 p.m., the time of closing of the mail dispatched from Auckland by this train will be as follows from Monday next: —

Mail closes C.P.0., Auckland, 1.30 p.m. Late fee mail closes C.P.0., Auckland, 2.15 p.m. Late fee mail closes railway station box, 2.50 p.m. Mails to connect with the above-mentioned dispatch will close at the principal suburban offices at 1 p.m.

From the same date the mail dispatched by the Limited express will close as follows: —Mail closes C.P.0., Auckland, 5 p.m. Late fee mail closes C.P.0., Auckland, 6.15 p.m. Late fee mail closes railway station box, 6.50 p.m. Mails to connect with this dispatch will close at the principal suburban offices at 4.30 p.m. The mail to be dispatched by the Limited express train will be restricted to letters.

As the mail closing at 1.30 p.m. will be the principal dispatch for southern offices for all classes of correspondence, and only a restricted space is available on the Limited express for the conveyance of mails, it is essential that business firms and the public generally post as far as possible to connect with the mail dispatched by the ordinary express.