HOLIDAY RAIL TRAFFIC

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28167, 4 January 1957, Page 3

HOLIDAY RAIL TRAFFIC

HEAVY PASSENGER BOOKINGS

Although increased petrol sales have been reported during the holidays, railway transport is still favoured by a very large number of travellers. In the eight days between December 24 and 31 inclusive, 9675 passengers left the Christchurch railway station on long journeys, and in addition about 1500 persons travelled on special excursion trains to Timaru and Otira.

Most trains and rail-cars were fully booked during that period, and almost without exception arrived exactly on time at their destinations, according to a spokesman for the Railways Department in Christchurch. This year’s holiday passenger traffic at least equalled and probably exceeded that of the previous year, he said.

The Christchurch-Invercargill express was the most heavily booked of the long-distance trains, and in the eight days mentioned carried about 2500 passengers from Christchurch.

Traffic on the suburban services was also reported to be unusually heavy. Each day during the holiday, extra trains and rail-cars have made return trips from Christchurch to Dunedin, Greymouth, and Picton.

On Boxing Day, 375 persons left Christchurch on an excursion train for Timaru. and the next day 200 passengers made a similar excursion.

A special train which was run to Timaru on New Year's Eve for the celebrations at Caroline Bay carried 700 passengers.