SUNDAY TRAINS TO RUN

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25737, 24 February 1949, Page 6

SUNDAY TRAINS TO RUN

ANNOUNCEMENT BY MINISTER

EXCURSION SERVICES (P.A.) WELLINGTON, February 23. Sunday excursion trains between Christchurch and Timaru will soon be run again after their suspension for several years because of tne shortage of coal. No date has been announced by the Minister of Railways (Mr R. Semple) for the resumption of the service. The Minister said to-day that the trains would not necessarily run every Sunday. The Minister said that it was also intended to restore the Sunday excursion services between Auckland and Hamilton. Wellington and Palmerston North, and Dunedin and Oamaru. Mr Semple said it was unlikely that Sunday picnic trains could be run, as this would add further to the burden which the short-handed staff would be carrying. The Minister said that occasionally it might be possible to fit in a trip with crews who would be on duty in any event, and there might be instances where certain workers, such as tramwaymen. could not hold a week-day gathering without upsetting normal transport. In such cases, applications for Sunday picnic trains would be considered on their merits. Mr Semple said there were a number of trains which he and all railwaymen would like to see running, but he had to have regard for the health and welfare of his men who. for a considerable time, had been working longer hours than he cared to see. He could not-permit advantage to be taken of the loyalty of the men by running an unreasonable number of additional trains.

There was also a shortage of guards, shunters, and signalmen, and to-day’s forward survey of the staff situation indicated that it would be some time before a substantial improvement could be expected.