Luxury Rail-car To Be Transferred

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31764, 22 August 1968, Page 16

Luxury Rail-car To Be Transferred

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, August 21. New Zealand’s first attempt to streamline the rail-car service has failed because of insufficient public demand.

The special rail-car with airline seats and hostesses, which has been running between Auckland and Hamilton since April, will be taken off the run on September 13.

The rail-car will be transferred to a thrice-weekly Auckland-Wellington daytime run for a trial period of at least three months. The Minister of Railways (Mr Gordon) said today that the extended trial of the railcar between Auckland and Hamilton had demonstrated conclusively that there was insufficient demand at present for such a service on a relatively short route. A starting date for the new service would be announced as soon as possible, Mr Gordon said.

It was proposed to run the rail-car from Wellington to Auckland on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and from Auckland to Wellington on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The departure time would be about 8 a.m. from each terminal and the run would take about 11 hours. Mr Gordon said the Monday and Friday departures from

Wellington and the Tuesday and Saturday arrivals at Wellington would connect with the Lyttelton steamer express. Passenger stops would be limited to Palmerston North, Marton, Taihape, Taumarunui, Te Kuiti and Frankton to maintain the fast schedule. The only refreshment stop would be at Taihape, where a

' light luncheon would be avail- ■ able, but hostesses would i serve light refreshments to . passengers at their seats as s required during the journey. , On the Hamilton-Auckland , run, except during the school > holidays, the average number of passengers was fewer than > 20—barely a quarter of the i rail-car’s capacity.