Easter Transport Demand

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30399, 25 March 1964, Page 1

Easter Transport Demand

The Easter exodus from Christchurch will begin tomorrow. There is a keen demand for accommodation on all forms of transport.

The National Airways Corporation expects to handle a record number of passengers through Christchurch. In addition to normal services, N.AC. will operate 21 special outward flights tomorrow, including a Britannia and a

Comet flight, to cope with the extra demand. On Good Friday, 11 extra services will be provided. Air traffic will largely travel north although there is a keen demand for south-bound accommodation after working hours on Thursday. On Monday the corporation will operate 14 special flights, with 15 the next day. Tasman Empire Airways, Ltd., report good bookings over the holiday period. An extra Christchurch to Sydney service will be made to meet the demand. South Pacific Airlines of New Zealand, Ltd., will run seven or eight special flights. Tomorrow the company will operate two special services to Auckland via Nelson at special night rates of £6 15s.

The Union Steam Ship Company will run normal services between Lyttelton and Wellington over Easter. There is a heavy demand for bookings for tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday. Car space on the Aramoana sailings between Picton and Wellington is completely booked although passenger accommodation is available. Extra trains will be run by the New Zealand Railways. Tomorrow will be the busiest day. In addition to the normal rail-car an extra night express will run to Picton from Christchurch at 10.35 pm. On the south line there will be additional expresses to Dunedin at 6.5 p.m. and 10.55 pjn.

In addition to normal services, expresses will also run to the West Coast tomorrow. There will be one at 6.40 p.m. to Greymouth and another at 10.30 p.m. to Hokitika. On Good Friday, ttain services will be almost normal with few additional services. Special holiday time-tables similar to Sunday services will apply to the Christ-church-Lyttelton run. An express will run to Greymouth at 10.5 a.m. instead of the 10 a.m. yil-car. Another express

will travel to Dunedin at 9.10 a.m. To carry passengers attending celebration functions at Arthur’s Pass, a special train will leave Christchurch at 8 a.m. There Will be no services between Christchurch and Picton on Sunday. Southbound services from Christchurch will run as normal except that the rail-car will come not from Dunedin, but from Invercargill. It will arrive in the city at 11.35 p.m.

On the north line, services will be about the same except for an additional train from Christchurch to Picton at 5.20 p.m. For Easter Monday, the holiday time-table will function between Christchurch and Lyttelton. On the south line there will be an additional express to Dunedin at 9.10 a.m. and a night express at 10.55 p.m. An extra express to Greymouth will leave at 6.40 p.m.