EASTER RAILWAY TRAFFIC.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1407, 6 April 1912, Page 6

EASTER RAILWAY TRAFFIC.

MORE CONFUSION AT THORNDON. THE DEPARTMENTAL VIEW. A puzzled, indignant crowd surged and struggled outsido the entrances to the Thorndon station prior to tho leaving of the first express for Auckland on Thursday. The train left punctually on schedule time, but upwards of a couple of hundred people who had intended to go with it were left behind. They wero not even allowed to cuter tho station, being held up by porters, backed up by policemen, at tha station entrances. The twelve coaches on the train wero all filled, every seat kaiii" occupied, Ijut so soon as tlio full number had been admitted, no others wero allowed within the station gates. The remaining travellers went on by the train leaving 55 minutes later. ■ "Tho confusion is only in the minds of-people who do-not understand our difficulties," said a responsible railway officer to ti DouiNuix reporter. "There is no confusion about our arrangements. Last year we ran two expresses in the holiday seasons, one in tho morning oivcJ one in the evening. We found that tho morning train always left overcrowded from here, and that the later train carried only GO or 70 passengers. It '.was therefore decided to run two (rains in the morning. In order to keep at least one of tho trains up to time-table, we limit Iho size of the first train to one engine load—or twelve carriages. That is the si/.e usually adopted ks the most workablo train. It permits the stall's at roadsido stations to handle luggage expeditiously, and there is a minimum of delays. If you allow a train to get up to two engine-loads, you generally find that the train i=> running late. The second train we do not limit in si'/.e, so that no intending pass?ugers may be disappointed. ' "Tlioro'need bo no hardship about , our insisting on tho station platforms being kept clear. Wo. must make our lulo absolflte; otherwise passengers , would pay as much as half-a-crowri for a platform ticket in order to get away by the first train. Our arrangement is the best for our passengers, and wo can see to their comfort when tho station is kept clear. 'If tho public were admitted, our staff would no longer be able to keep things in hand. Everybody in that train (tho first) went away with a seat, and there wero no unoccupied seats. Thjy are all passengers for Taihape and beyond; the second-train .will tako passengers for roadside stations. "What we uro doing now is no.'inore than is being , done in other countries under similar circumstances. Wβ haven't many facilities for regulating crowds yet, bnt.we are doing our best with what we have. You must remember that our traffic now has increased far beyond the topmost limit of ten years ago, and new methods have become necessary."