WEEKEND RAILWAY TRAFFIC

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 43, 14 November 1939, Page 6

WEEKEND RAILWAY TRAFFIC

Exhibition Specials

WELLINGTON STATION VERY BUSY ’Thousands of people, many of them from outside centres, passed through the Wellington railway station on Saturday, when the first of a series of busy centennial weekends was experienced. Special trains with visitors for the Exhibition arrived on Saturday morning from Auckland, Tauranga and Waikato stations. Taumarunui, New Plymouth, Napier and Woodville. Though not as heavy as expected, bookings on these long-distance trains were said to be satisfactory. Train arrivals and departures at ■Wellington on Saturday totalled 235, and the busiest period was between 10.50 p.m. and 11.48 p.m., when all out one of the long-distance specials left on their return trips. In less than an hour 15 trains arrived or departed, the outward flow of long-distance traffic coinciding with heavy suburban services. In spite of the extra traffic handled there were no delays or congestion, and the trains ran well to time. No additional trains were run on suburban lines on Saturday, but extra accommodation was provided on regular services and trains running between Wellington and the Hutt Valley, also between Wellington and Paekakariki, were particularly well patronized. People in the Manawatu, Levin and Otaki districts were catered for by ordinary passenger services in the morning, and a special train which left Wellington at 11.30 on Saturday night. The first of the long-distance specials to arrive on Saturday was the train from Taumarunui at 6.15 a.m., and the first to start the homeward journey was the Napier special at 10.50 p.m. Ten minutes later the Waikato special steamed out, and between then and the departure of the New Plymouth excursion at 11.10, a troop special left for Trenthain, and one multiple-unit electric train arrived from Johnsonville and one departed. From 10.30 onward the station presented an animated scene, but by midnight was back to normal. Busy Weeks Ahead. Though traffic on Saturday was unusually brisk, railway officials believe it was only a preliminary to what must inevitably follow during the summer holiday weeks. Weekend excursions will be run at intervals from practically all parts of the North Island, and during the holidays bookings for these trains are likely to be heavy. In addition, holiday visitors staying in 'Wellington and the outer suburbs are expected to place heavier demands on suburban traffic. Considerable improvements have been made to the Wellington station, and the major work was completed in time for the opening of the Exhibition and the beginning 'of the centennial traffic. The Featherston Street wing has been extended northward with a three-story structure dropping to one story, and so constructed that additional stories to the full height of the station building may be added if necessary. Though certain interior fittings have yet to be completed, the new wing is occupied. The cafeteria has been considerably enlarged and extended to the Featherston Street frontage. Improved kitchen facilities have been provided, and the accommodation for the public increased. Other alterations to the station building include additional receiving windows for left and checked luggage, more storage space, and the introduction of other facilities which will greatly assist the station staff and passengers during holiday rush periods.