RAILWAY SERVICES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3056, 17 April 1917, Page 6

RAILWAY SERVICES

THE NEW TIME TABLE WELLINGTON CHANGES TE ARO STATION CLOSED A new railway time-table will be brought into operation on and after Sunday, May 6. The principal alterations in the Wellington district are as follows :— MANAWATU LINE. ' The night express from Wellington and the midday express from Auckland will be discontinued. There will be only one express each way between AVellington and Auckland. The up train will leave AVellington at 1.0 p.m. —ten minutes earlier than at; present —and the down train will leave Aucland at 8.45 p.m. The lip and down Now Plymouth and Napier mails will be maintained. There... may be some slight variations at several ■ intermediate stations, but of little consequence. The morning train from Palmerston North (7.18 a.m.) remains. Return train leaves Wellington at 4.10 p.m.— five minutes earlier than at present, and as the preceding suburban train is being cut out, the through train will in future stop at Khandallah and Ngaio. ' The sTow train, 9.25 a.m., AVellington to Palmerston, and the return - train, 5.0 p.m. from Palmerston (future 5.10 p.m.) will run on much the same times as at present. .The 1.22 p.m. AVcllington-Paekaka-riki train will'leave Wellington "'at 1.20 p.m., and run as far as Plimmerton only. WELLINCTON-JOHNSONVILLE- [ PAEKAKARIKI. [ Wellington to Johnsonville: — ' AVellington dcp. 5.10 p.m. (not Saturday), 5.25 p.m., and on Saturdays only 9.45 p.m. Down trains leave Johnsonville at 10.5 a.m., 1.56 p.m., 4.45 p.m., 5.59 p.m., and on Saturday only 7.0 and 10.30jp.rn. AVellington to Paekakariki:—

Wellington dep. 9.25 a.m., 12.20 p.m (Saturdays only), 5.25 p.m. (not Saturday), 6.24 p.m.,. and on Saturdays only 11.25 p.m. Doyn;. trains leave Paekakariki at 5.50, 7.0 a.m., 6.8 p.m., and on Saturdays at 5.15 p.m. also.* .The Johnsonville, Ngaio, and Khandallah residents have, of course, the benefit of the Paekakariki service also. A notable'feature of the curtailment is that the.last train from town to tho suburbs (Manawatu side) is 6.24 p.m., with, a late train, 9.45 p.m. for Johnsonville, and 11.25 p.m. for Paekakariki, on Saturdays. WAIRARAPA LINE. The present mail trains between AVellington and AVoodvillo (Wellington dep. 7.50 a.m. and Woodvillo dep. 12.56 p.m.) will be maintained. The early train. from Masterton for Woodville will leave Masterton at 6.20 a.m., as at present, but the late train from Woodville to Masterton will leave Woodville at 2.25 p.m., instead of at 7.0 p.m. ■

Some alteration has been made in the Featherston-Woodville service. The train which now leaves Featherston at 8.27 a.m. (Masterton 9.50 a.m.) for Woodville will leave Featherston at 7.0 a.m., and will .run to Masterton only. Another train will leave Masterton at 8.55 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for Woodville. The early train from -Palmerston North and Woodville through the AVairarapa will run between Woodville and Masterton on only three days a week— Mondays, Wednesdays, .and Fridaysleaving Woodville at 6.5 a.m., and' arriving Masterton at 9.25 a.m. The service from Masterton south (Masterton dep. 9.40 a.m.) will bo continued. ' -The 2.25 p.m. train from Woodville for Featherston, will be discontinued, and in its place will be substituted a train from Woodville at 10.35 a.m. for Masterton, and a train at 3.25 p.m. from Masterton' for Featherston. The present 10.0 a.m. WellingtonWoodville'train will leave Wellington at 8.30 a.m., Featherston 12.55 pirn., Masterton 3.0 p.m., and arrive Woodville at 6.22 p.m. The morning train frour Mastorton to Wellington will run as at present, but the return train will leave Wellington 2.55 p.m., instead of 4.25 p.m. THE HUTT SERVICES. Considerable curtailment will bo made in file Wellington-Lower HuttUpper Hutt suburban services. The Te Aro line will be closed, and the suburban traffic will in consequence be dealt with at Lambton station. The following- is n brief outline of the new suburban service :-*-

For Lower Hutt.—Wellington dep 7.30 a.m., 4.35 p.m. (not Saturday), 5.5 p.m. (not Saturday), 5.12 pm (daily), 5.27 p.m. (not Saturday). For Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt — Wellington dep. 7.8 a.m., 8.30 am 9.55. a.m., 1.20 p.m., 5.12 p.m (not Saturday), 6.14 p.m. ' • Additional trains as follows on Saturdays :—

For Lower Hutt.—Wellington dep 12.6 p.m., 1.12 p.m., 9.30 p.m. For Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt — Wellington dep. 12.15 p.m., IL3O p m Down Trains.—Upper Hutt dep 627 •7.50, 10.45, 11.30 a.m., 2.55 p.m. 4V and on Saturdays 6.25 p.m. ' •Lower Hutt dep. 7.5, 721 817 ?-36. 11.21 12.7 p.m. (Saturday only); 12.17, 1.30 (not Saturday), 1.45 p.m (Saturday only), 3.47 p.m. (daily), 5.9 p.m. (not Saturday), 5.23 p.m. '6 45 p.m. 7.6 p.m. (Saturday only), 1010 p.m. (Saturday only). / • A train for the benefit of visitors to the camp will leave "Wellington at 12 30 p.m. on Saturdays for Tretftham. Eeturn train will leave Trentham at 5 30 p.m. No trains will be run on Sundays. A special arrangement will be'made' to convey soldiers on leave' from Trentham to Wellington several times a week, and from Featherston each weekend. The matter is now the attention of tho Railway and "Defence authorities.

WORSE TO COME v ll' , COAL STRIKE CONTINUES. Users of the railways were very much shocked when the Railway Department announced its recent scheme, of curtailment of services, but unless the West Coast miners go back to work in tho coal-mines a very much greater reduction in services will have to be made J'ho change will have to be mado at short notice, but probably notice of"one week will bo given. In the scheme already announced the Government did not propose to exit down tho ■ goods traffic, but if a further cut- in services has to be made the goods tTains -will have to be reduced. An effort will be made to carry all essential commodities, but other goods may on occasion be shut out. There will be no delay for the preparation of the new time-tables because the arrangements were all made at Christmas, when the general striko danger was regarded os a real one. • A PLEA FOR .SOLDIERS ]3Y CENTRAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. The Railway Department's proposals for the curtailment of railway services, especially those relating to suburban services, were the subject of' brief coin-

ment at the meeting of tho Wellington Central Chamber ot Commerco yesterday. The chairman (Mr. C. M. Luke) was asked to make eome reference to the subject on behalf of the chamber. Mr. Luke said that he had already expressed his opinions as a member of another organisation, and he had little or nothing to add to what he had then said. He was especially concerned about the proposal to ■ cut off, altogether the soldiers' leave trains. He was bound to say that the civilian population must expect to have to submit to sacrifices, for it was evident that the train services were going to le seriously dislocated. He would rot stand in the way of the authorities if the reduction of trains was necessary to release men to help.to win the war. But he hoped that the interests of the soldiers would not be forgotten. As for suburban traffic, he thought that perhaps some arrangement could be made by which tho ruthless cutting out of trains really necessary might be avoided. (Hear, hear.) He wished it to be understood that he was most unwilling to embarrass the Government, for he was very strongly of opinion that just now the winning of the war must be the paramount consideration.

Mr. A. Leigh Hunt said he was in complete agreement with what the chairman had. said. He thought that soldiers were entitled to have trains provided for them on Sundays to allow tbem to friends. " After a week of hard work training in camp, a 'soldier was entitled to a respite on Sunday, and he hoped the Government wou]d not stop these trains, so necessary tolhe soldiers. It might be that, civilians would have to suffer, but he thought the soldiers should be given some opportunity of enjoying their leave. ' ' ■

A HUIT PROTEST The matter of the reduced suburban train traffic was discussed at last evening's meeting of-.the Lower Hutt Borough Ifc was generally agreed that tiie Hutt Valley suburbs were being treated unfairly, in that after working to get Lower Hutt and Petone to the sued townships they are,' the train service was to be reduced, with the ultimate result that many of the residents would undoubtedly commence to.looE for fresh residences in town, which, as a matter of fact, had already been the case, and those whose permanent homes were in these two particular suburbs were to be subjected to exceeding Inconvenience. Speaking in connection with the matter, the Mayor (Sir. H. lJaldwin) pointed out that owing to stipulations made by the Government it was impossible for a company or the City Council to lay a tramway to the Lower. Hutt which, would do away with the difficulty, and as a result it was probably owing to the large number of residents who required to get to town and back for business , purposes who would be unable to do so that the results would be most unhappy for at least some of them. MiBaldwin stated that the deputation which had waited on the Minister of Railways had asked ni'bst particularly that if a late train was to be run on any night that it should bo on Friday, and yet, according to the new time-table, there was to be- no train'-, on Friday night, and two on Saturday., there should be two on Saturday lie could not understand, as there was practicalfy .o, business done in Wellington on a Saturday night, and as far as he could see the two trains would be run entirely ,for pleasure purposes, or for taking a few golfers back to town from the district above the Hutt. It was still Tiopea that the Department would see its way to run a train leaving town at about 9.30 p.m. for Lower Hutt on week nights, to enable workers to return to town and business again in the evenings. A motion of strong protest to the Minister of Railways in regard to the absolute cutting out of all late trains, and especially; of the Friday night trains, was unanimously passed by the council. t PETONE PROTEST At last evening's meeting of the Petono Borough Council; Councillor Cox moved that the council should protest against the "erratic reduction in the suburban train service," and ask that a train should leave Wellington at 9.30 o'clock each evening. It was pointed out that a largo number of Petono residents work in Wellington, and that many do not stop work for the day until late in the evening. On the 9.30 o'clock train on a recent evening were about.two hundred workers returning to their homes. If this train" was discontinued it would be a serious matter. , The motion was carried.