Minister Hears Complaints On Train Service To Lyttelton

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27688, 18 June 1955, Page 8

Minister Hears Complaints On Train Service To Lyttelton

No possibility of an improvement in the accommodation on trains on the Lyttelton-Christchurch service until articulated railcars are on the main lines in the South Island was held out by the Minister of Railways (Mr J. K. McAlpine) terday, when he heard strong co ™" plaints from the Lyttelton Council on the accommodation, tne increase in fares, the un P unct M of trains and poorness of room accommodation at Lyttelton Carriages will be released when rail cars are used on the mam services. The complaints were delivered mfnrmallv to the Minister by the M™or of Lyttelton (Mr F. G. Briggs) and the Town Clerk (Mr J. Th ° l JP' son) at the borough council after the Minister, accompanied by Mr H. R. Lake, M.P., had inspected the station. Although the weather was cold and wet, Mr McAlpine inspected the yards and met many 01 the workers. . First, he had to compliment the Minister on the improvement in the service in the last week, said M B1 Mi? S McAlpine (laughing): It sounds like sarcasm to me. “Since your visit has been advertised we have been pleased to see on our service four brand new carriages—new to us, lit by electricity, one with a convenience—and they have been swept out mostly each time the train reaches Christchurch, said Mr Briggs. Before the announcement of the visit, an atrocious service had been given. The recent vast improvements reminded Lyttelton residents of the Centennial tram, the 20-year-old carriages of which were brought from the north, but when the Centennial was over the “spirit of progress” disappeared. The former Minister of Railways was astounded to hear that the Centennial carriages had gone and instructed the District Railways Manager to replace them, said Mr Briggs. They had not been replaced. “If the people of Fendalton had to Sut up with the service they would ave revolted years ago, yet we are prepared to try to convince the powers that be that we require something decent,” said Mr Briggs. “We cannot boycott you like Fendalton can do, because we have no other means of transport. We know the hole in the hill is coming soon and if you think the people of Lyttelton are going to patronise the railways then, you have another think coming, because we have been poorly served.” The practice of selling flrst-clasS tickets when only second-class carriages were used on the steamer express trains was taking money under false pretences, said Mr Briggs. The time must come before long when a shuttle service would be run on the Christchurch-Lyttelton line by multiple units, said Mr Briggs. As far back as 1949, the Minister of Railways gave instructions that the units were to be used. The tunnel was used only 17 minutes in every hour between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. at present and the available time could be used by a shuttle service. Station Conveniences If the railway station were in the borough area, the people would revolt over the conveniences and passengers delayed on arrival from Diamond Harbour had to wait in a cheerless station, said the Mayor. It was absolutely wrong that the waiting-room had no fire. Discussing the increases in suburban fares, Mr Briggs said the age beneficiaries were most affected. He could not see the argument for increasing tne return fares because oeasier selling of tickets on the trains. “We don’t want to bring all our moans and groans to you, sir,” Mr Briggs told the Minister. Mr McAlpine (smiling): You have done fairly well so far. Another complaint was the charge for sortage of goods that did not go through the tunnel, said the Mayor. The tunnel rate was charged on sugar loaded into stores for Lyttelton purchasers, and which never left Lyttelton. Reasonable Accommodation “We don’t ask for first-class accommodation—we ask for reasonable accommodation," said the Town Clerk (Mr J. Thompson). Since the announcement of the Minister’s visit, the wooden seats had disappeared on the 9.10 a.m. train from Christchurch. An officer of the Waterfront Commission had remarked, “It makes you inferior to go by train. We are herded into the trains like cattle." Workers seemed to have different travelling from ordinary passengers. The trains should be reasonably comfortable and lit. In one carriage the light had been out for three weeks and a half, the guard saying globes were not available. In the last few weeks the punctuality of the trains had greatly improved. Discussing the increase in fares, Mr Thompson said that on figures supplied to him only one ticket and a quarter a train was sold by the guard. “I appreciate your remarks about the new carriages, but I hate to disillusion you," replied the Minister. Mr Lake had made representations about a month ago, and he had promised to do something. To say that the improvement coincided with his visit was a stretch of the imagination. The policy now was to try to revitalis6 the Railways Department, said Mr McAlpine. He did not want to pass uispafaging remarks about past Governments or Ministers, but it was his hope to modernise the railways. One way was by multiple units and diesel rail-cars and locomotives. It was futile to spend £lO.OOO on a new carriage.

"Historical" Carriages it would not be very long before 88-seater rail-cars were running in the South Island, said Mr McAlpine. As carriages were released from the main lines they would be placed on suburban lines and feeder services. Carriages could not be transferred now without robbing the main line trains. He knew how inconvenient were the historical carriages which had to be brought ‘from the bottom of the barrel" for peak traffic. The Prime Min-

ister himself had complained of gaslit carriages on the Lyttelton line- but the Mayor would agree it would ? be « waste of money to convert the carnages to electricity for a few months* service. The intention was to use articulated carriages on the main lines, said the Minister. There were no spare multiple units. Whether there was anv chance of placing multiple units on the Lyttelton line he had no idea: he would find out. Heating in the waiting room at Lyttelton was a comparatively simple matter and could be fixed, he said. "I would rather not comment on the increased fares because a letter from you has gone to the department and I have asked for the whole story ” the Minister told Mr Briggs. The charging of the tunnel rate on goods for Lyttelton looked like the old story of the human factor, said Mr McAlpine. Whatever the system some people would do the wrong thing sometimes. Mistakes were inevitable He did not think it would ever be different. • “It looks a§ if we are just a port of workers and anything can do for us—we get the discards,” commented the Mayor. The Minister: You are quite wrong with that. "It is not fair treatment of the oeople nere," replied Mr Briggs, “tfobody else would put up with it.” Mr Lake described as “perfectly true” a statement by Mr Briggs that after a Ministerial visit improvements had lasted for only two weeks. He asked Mr McAlpine to make it known to the District Traffic Manager that Lyttelton expected a little better treatment.

"We have three newspapermen here and if we built new carriages and took them off after three months they would say something about the waste,” Mr McAlpine told the Mayor The only thing he could tell him was that rail-cars would not be on the Lyttelton service within six months.