NEW RAILWAY STATION

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 107, 7 May 1937, Page 7

NEW RAILWAY STATION

IMPOSING INTERIOR

STRIKING FEATURES

SUPERB YET PRACTICAL ,

The work of finishing the new railway station-has been concentrated chiefly on the ground floor and on the facilities for passenger traffic, so as to be ready for the official opening on June 19. Work is progressing on the upper floors, in preparation for the moving in of all district offices and the head office staff, but the effect of the progress is not so noticeable as it ir below. Every successive visit impresses the fact that Wellington will have a station unique in New' Zealand, and worthy of far larger cities. When further clearances have been made, the approach will be a magnificent one. The front grounds are now fully laid out as far as the roads, kerbing, • and pedestrian pathway are concerned, arid only need sowing and planting with shrubs to complete a very fine job. The coloured non-skid flags, with the central circle, harmonise so well that they seem to have always been part of the building, which, with its columned front is a very fine piece of architecture.

The1 only inharmonious note in a very fine facade, is the little cantilever wing, stuck, like a milliner's afterthought, at the focal point of artistic effect. It is reminiscent of the latest style in ladies' hats, and though it i» evidently placed ' there to keep the weather off those arriving by , motor, it is not large enough to serve any useful purpose, as the high building will shelter from northerly rain, and Strong southerlies will drive unojer this. unwinking eyelash. ; . : ! MAIN FEATURES IMPRESSIVE.; . The front entrance is closed at,present while the finishing of the lobby is proceeding, but entering from the Featherston Street entrance, which the bulk of suburbanites will use, one is immediately struck by the fine- appearance of the concourse, 200 ft long, which is now practically completed. With-its glazed arched roof, tiled dado, and cream-coloured arches, and the natty and elegant shops, post office, etc., this sheltered space will be a great convenience to the public in all weathers, while architecturally it has a distinct appeal. Doors and windows are picked out in colours which emphasise the various entrances and exits. The floor is tiled. Chromium-plated handles are on the doors, and tiw whole effect is only a little iess impcww ing than the more delicately-finished lobby. The lobby may be described without exaggeration as magnificent. Its extent is in itself surprising, and the lofty domed ceiling is picked but in attractive plaster designs in -pale greens and pinks on a cream ground. Finely-figured reddish marble dadoes the lobby, to a dignified height, and between this.polished.panelling .and the ■springing: point. of the arched roof, the' wall is 'a' dappled warm" reddish, plaster. The floor is a mosaic flag, with the points of the compass inset in black as a centrepiece. Its day light- . ing is remarkably efficient, owing to the tall domed, windows at each end, and over the front entrance, while plenty of light comes in from the exit to the concourse,"the glazed roof of which makes the latter pleasantly warm on a sunny day. \ ,■; HANDSOME FITTINGS. : , Not, only, is the lobby architecturally superb; but the fittings of the counters are ornately handsome. . At the booking counter, each clerk will be enclosed in; his cubicle, much like the teller of a bank. „ Bronze rails, .near the base of the counter front will keep off the feet of pressing passengers from the polished woodwork. Nobody will have any trouble in finding .his, way about this part of the station. '■ Opposite the booking counters are the luggage counters, and a look over the luggage facilities behind these counters shows that everything should run lika clockwork. Steel racks will hold waiting luggage, and on the Waterloo Quay side there is an enclosed gallery; where: luggage and parcels can be received and dispatched, with a verandah covered dock for lorries. The luggage scales are something new to New Zealand' railways. The pointer is on a wedge-shaped scale, which- in addition to giving ' the ' weight of the package, tells the cost for various distances according to tha weight at a glance, saving calculations arid time. RACE DAY THE TEST. Looking through the grille's betweer* the concourse and platforms, one observes that little remains to be dona towards finishing the platforms. AH seem to'be finished to the final coat; of paint except one.. The general effect of roominess and convenience is excellent, • but the final test will come with' the 5- o'clock "Lambton/ rush," and on race days. At ordinary, tunes it. will be possible. to keep some of the doors closed or partly closed, but no system of swing doors cbuld deal with such influxes of the public as sometimes occur, and on those days and at rush hours, the lobby and concourse will be very windy places, not worse, of course, than any other part Ox Wellington. The waiting-rooms, dining-room, and other facilities for the public . are finished in the most ornate yet serviceable way. The dining-room ceiling is supported by pillars capped with heavy bronze scrolls, and throughout the dark marble and bronze effect at? tracts. The kitchen is in course of being furnished with a battery,, of tha most modern culinary apparatus. It has tiled walls, and a red tiled floor. Those who see the interior of this building for the first time will ba pleasantly amazed. It is the finest example of a public facility in New Zealand, : and has the merit of being as practically designed as it is handsomely finished, embellished without being over decorated, and with tha advantage that its most attractive inerior finishings are of the quality lhafc [ will not lose their appeal with time.

New feeder air lines are being planned in India in connection with the introduction of the "a)I-first-class-mails-by-air" scheme. Such feeder lines, linking up with the main air routes, will distribute mails over wid* areas.