RAILWAY TICKETS IN DEMAND

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 66, 10 December 1938, Page 10

RAILWAY TICKETS IN DEMAND

Fares Go Up From Tomorrow BOOKING OFFICES HAVE BUSY DAY Because of the department’s decision to increase its fares by 10 per cent., as from tomorrow, and the usual advance bookings for Christmas travel, there has been a demand for railway tickets in Wellington during the past few days. Bookings for the Christmas and New Year holiday period are said to be very heavy and in addition people who intend travelling even as late as next autumn have already purchased their tickets. The increase of 10 per cent, will be effective from tomorrow onward, and the Government’s decision to raise the fares was made known toward the end of last week. After this announcement the sale of tickets increased at booking offices in different parts of the Dominion Many people lost no time in availing themselves of the old rates, because tickets bought before tomorrow will still be available for travel after the new rates have come into force. The Government’s announcement had the effect of causing people to take out their tickets earlier than otherwise would have been the case. In Wellington the sale of tickets increased on the day following the announcement, and the rush proper set in. last Saturday. Queues were waiting at the counters of the central booking agency in the Government Tourist Bureau, Mercer Street, on Saturday morning, and again during the week, when business was particularly brisk. Yesterday was perhaps the busiest day of all at the central booking agency, and queues were waiting almost all day. The railway station booking office has also experienced a busy period, and in addition to the actual sale of tickets, the department has received many inquiries about holiday travel. As return tickets are valid for three months only, a number of people have asked for their tickets to be post dated. Saving On Long Trips. Normally, the railway ticket sold for a single journey is available for one month only, but the system of post dating, which has been in force a long time, enables the traveller to state the date from which he wishes his ticket to become effective. This is not requested very often in the case of single tickets, but has m<?ant a saving for people who have purchased return tickets for use a few months hence. The increase in fares will not be so noticeable on short journeys, but people who intend travelling any distance made a considerable saving by buying their tickets in advance. The second-class return fare from Wellington to Auckland, for example, will increase tomorrow from £3/8/- to approximately £3/14/10, and the cost of a first-class return fare for the same journey will be £5/12/-, instead of £5/1/10. In the following table a comparison is given between the first and secondclass single fares from Wellington to various stations at present and after

Return fares are double the rates for single fares, less a reduction of 10 per cent. The same reduction will apply when the new rates become effective.

tomorrow: —- First Class. Present Now Second Class. Present New Fare. Fare. Fare. Fare. Paekakarlki ... 3/9 4/2 2/7 2/10 6/3 6/11 4/3 4/8 7/9 8/6 5/4 5/10 Palmerston N. 11/4 12/6 7/9 8/6 Marton June. . 15/16/0 10/3 11/3 Wanganui .... 19/4 21/3 13/2 11/6 ■ New Plymouth 32/3 35/6 28/2 22/17/6 -4/2 10/3 Auckland 54/6 59/11 37/2 40/11