RAIL PRIORITIES

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 24076, 12 October 1943, Page 6

RAIL PRIORITIES

ANOMALIES IN AUSTRALIA

SYSTEM UNDER REVIEW From Our Own Correspondent

SYDNEY, October 8. The present system of interstate rail travel. priorities in Australia may be modified as a result of anomalies revealed by the New South Wales Commissioner for Railways, Mr T. Hartigan.

In his annual report, tabled in the state Parliament, Mr Hartigan stated that a more : elastic , priority system would have permitted almost 12,000 more passengers bri interstate trains in three months without extra enginepower or carriages. Interstate travel priority was introduced on June 23,1942. Persons wishing to travel were obliged to prove a degree of urgency defined within the limits of certain priorities. Those who failed to convince the authorities that their business fell within the defined categories were denied a passage, even though all accommodation may not have been used.

In his report, Mr Hartigan said: “The permit system is unnecessarily restrictive and irksome. I favour limitations to ensure priority for defence personnel and for essential civilian travel, but I contend that any accommodation still unbooked on interstate trains should be made available for persons having good reasons to travel,” The new Minister of Transport, Mr E. J. Ward, is known to favour an easing of the. restrictions and is expected to urge the Gommonwealth Land Transport Board to adopt a system of unrestricted booking, on an understanding that "priority’' travellers may displace unprivileged ticket-holders up to the last minute of the train’s departure. This system has operated satisfactorily with the air services. While MfvHartigan seems assured of a victory in the matter of priority travel, he has been criticised for relaxing restrictions on holiday country rail traffic. It has been the practice for some time to adhere to normal time-tables in holiday periods, but to cope with the six-hour day hohday rush last week-end trains from Sydney to country resorts were "strengthened., This “strengthening” involved the running of an extra 23 trains, which, in the eyes of envious Victorian railway officials, who because of coal shortages have had to curtail time-tables, was outrageous extravagance.