THE NEW STATION

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 132, 5 June 1937, Page 10

THE NEW STATION

PUBLIC SERVICE

THE TRAVELLER'S ROUTINE

MODERN FACILITIES

Thorndon station will go out of use on June 19, when the new railway station opens, and . the last shreds of Lambton station will already have vanished. There will no longer be .the need to walk from Thorndon to the' city, as many suburban travellers did. The "new railway station" will ' on Wednesday week become "Wellington Station." it has been decided to give the siation no special name, as after nearly half a century of scattered stations, there will be only one railway station in the city. The facilities offered patrons there are thorough, and the arrangements for inward and outward passengers and luggage most complete. ■ • •

From the front entrance one passes into the magnificent booking hall. In the middle of the mosaic floor, a little to the left of the entrance, is an octagonal stand, showing the departures of the tfains from the various platforms, the arrivals of the expresses, etc., and just on the left of the exit to the concourse is an automatic information machine, with a bank of numbers in four rows, something like the keyboard of a typewriter. Beside the machine there is a list, on which opposite the number is the indication of the information it is assigned to. Pressing the requisite button throws the information on a ground glass window from within.

On the right of the entrance is the booking office, where there are six windows, the booking clerks being enclosed in grilles. The first three windows contain the counters for the short-distance trains, such as Waterloo, Upper Hutt, Longburn, and Johnsonville. . The other three windows are for the long-distance passengers, who take their tickets there and then pass on to the seat-reservation counter at the east end of the hall. Across the hall from the ticket counters are the luggage windows, where three men will always be on duty, checking in the heavier luggage. Next the reservation counter is the information bureau, where an officer waits to explain things to passengers. Some people find time-tables quite unintelligible, and get stage fright when asked t. decipher them. Not only this kind of traveller, but all those desiring information about tours, routes, and scenic attractions, etc., will be able to save time by getting their information here. This should be a boon to people whose available time is short. PLATFORM ARRANGEMENTS. Passing to the concourse after having, disposed of ticket and luggage requirements, the passenger will see over the.big grilled gateways to the platforms the number of each platform, and on each platform when it is reached there is its number very plainly show*., and semaphores giving the destination of the train, time of departure, and the stations stopped at en route. In addition to' this, there is, hung from the ' centre of the great arched glazed roof of the concourse, a loudspeaker, which ' will broadcast timely information about all trains, ludible in practically any part of the 'round floor. Starting- from the eastern end, the first platform, 1000 ft long, is the main arrival platform,. ■ where all the important long-distance trains will come in. On the other side of the wido platform is the. roadway where taxis, private cars, luggage vans, and other vehicles will-draw right up to the platform. Nearby is the left luggage department, where anyone leaving Wellington for a few days may leave his bulkier packages. . No. 8 and No. 7 form a large double platform, the wide roof of which has double pillars. Between these the luggage trucks will run, leaving the space at the sides clear for passengers. These trucks have rubber tyres and ball-bearings, and are silent. No. 8 platform will be for outgoing expresses and . long-distance trains. It will .not be possible always to have the departures and arrivals of the suburban trains from the same platforms, but the remainder of the platforms, Nos. 6, 5, 4, and 3, will be used for this purpose. On all platforms the engines will come right in to the end'of the rails, where massive buffers are placed. EMERGENCY TICKET WINDOWS. The Featherston Street entrance will be used chiefly by suburban passengers alighting from or going to trams. The three small ticket windows in this entrance will not be opened except on specially busy days, such as race days and holidays, but it is no distance to the booking hall, and most of the suburban travellers have season tickets. Along' the western side of Mo. 3 platform are the ample lavatory provision and the staff accommodation. It will take a number of men to keep the big building clean, and some 100 porters are provided for, each with his own locker and correspondence pigeonhole,' while a slightly larger number of guards is catered for in their own room with bigger lockers. A novel washing fountain is installed for the men. Instead of wash-hand basins, this fountain is ebout four feet in diameter. In the centre is a container for liquid soap, standing on a pipe well above the fountain basin, and just below the container is a circular spray laught by the basin. Six men may vash at once at this fountain, the water is always fresh, and time in filling and emptying the basins is saved. Stores and lamp rooms are provided, and alongside the Featherston Street entrance is the barber's, shop for passengers. Here are a fullyequipped saloon, a shop, and a lavatory, in which there are two baths and two showers. With an entrance from Featherston Street is the bus office, with all facilities for passengers. Nearby is the ambulance room, with its own exit to Featherston Street. LUGGAGE FACILITIES. The outwards and inwards luggage arrangements, contained in the Waterloo Quay side of the building, are remarkably complete. There is a great deal of traffic between the two islands by ferry, and a special covered dock has been installed to deal with it and the bulkier loads. Here the inwards and outwards ferry luggage is sorted and dealt with. The luggage and parcel system adopted should save time, as everything is docketed and stored in steel racks. There is a vermin-proof safe deposit for perishable goods, such as fish or game. In another part of the building is the strongroom for valuables, worthy of a bank. The ladies' waiting-room is a very finely marbled, spacious place, and upstairs there is the ladies' rest-room, in the lavatory of which there are two very fine baths. In a recess in the rest-room is a baby's-bath, a porcelain miniature of the large bath.

Radiators, hot and cold water, and ample lighting .are features of every roost and office in the station. The men's waiting-room, cafeteria, diningroom, and all other facilities in the station are superbly finished. One' of the most pleasing features is the harmony of the bronze fittings and coloured marble, while the light brown tile dadoes and Maori-like ornamentations are a feature of the concourse and outer mural decorations. All doors are l^ck,1 with red pointings, • •