TRAIN TRAVEL

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 1, 2 January 1945, Page 3

TRAIN TRAVEL

VISITORS RETURNING

ALL SEATS FULLY BOOKED

The rush to reserve train accommodation at the Auckland booking offices is slowly easing. Queues today seldom contained more than 20 people, in contrast with recent rushes, when more than a hundred people frequently lined up to reserve seats.

Most visitors to Auckland have already booked their seats to their home towns and they will leave within the next fortnight. All accommodation on trains leaving Auckland has been taken for the maximum period of 14 days ahead. Judging by the trend of reservations at the booking offices it is believed, that Auckland has been most popular with holiday-makers. For many years Wellington and nearby centres have been busiest before Christmas in handling travellers to Auckland, while the rush has been easier after the New Yqar. In Auckland, however, the period comes after Christmas flu providing accommodation for southern travellers returning to their homes after the New Year holidays. The queues at the Auckland booking offices were all dealt with by about mid-day before Christmas, but in the last week queues lasted until about five o'clock.

Reports from the South Island indicate that several hundred travellers from the North Island have been unable to reserve seats for their homeward journey and that they will have to wait several days for seats. No such position exists in Auckland. Although accommodation is fully taxed, it is expected that all visitors will be able to return on the days they wish.