ELECTRIFICATION

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 141, 17 June 1938, Page 10

ELECTRIFICATION

OPENING CEREMONY WELLINGTON-JOHNSONVILLE LINE FASTER SERVICE i The inaguration of the multiple-unit electric service on the WellingtonJohnsonville line on July 4 will be preceded by a function at the Welling- | ton Station at 2.30 p.m. on July 2. Speeches will be made on the platform by the Minister of' Railways, members of Parliament for the electorates concerned, the Mayor of Wellington (Mr. T. C. A. Hislop), and representatives of other lodal bodies aryd organisations on the Wellingten-Johnsonville route, after which, the official party and other visitors will journey from Wellington to Johnsonville and back ,by the new trains. Arrangements are also being made for the new standard rail-car Aotea, as well as the new electric locomotive for the Wellington-Paekakariki line and other types of railway passenger and power units to be on view at the station. The Minister of Railways (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan) in a statement today emphasises tin welcome improvements that will be made. THE TIME-TABLE. m.. T,,1„ A

1 The first scheduled train on July 4 '■ leaves Wellington for Johnsonville at 1 6.35 a.m. Thereafter, from Monday to - Friday inclusive, trains will leave Wel- * lington for Johnsonville during the peak period every 12 minutes until 8.10 a.m. From then on, during "offl peak" hours, trains will leave Welling--5 ton at intervals of approximately 30 J minutes until 3.58 p.m., when a 12-min-r ute service, will again operate until 6.34 p.m. From 6.34 p.m. until 11.30 pjn. a 21-minute service will be run. t On Saturdays, the outward time-table is practically the same until about 11.30 , a.m., after which, from. 11.35 a.m. to ' 1.10 p.m., the 12-minute sejvice will operate. For the balance of Saturday afternoon and evening there will be a ; 21-minute service, Excepting for one ■ or two spaces of 30 minutes. . From johnsonville, the first train . leaves at 7.1 a.m. daily (Sundays ex- ; cepted), and thereafter at 12-minute ! intervals until 8.37 a.m. From then on the inward trains will' be spaced at ; 30-minute intervals until about 4.0 ' p.m., after which they will run with : greater frequency (corresponding with that of the outward' trains) during the peak hours and evening. On Sundays (commencing July 10) a service will leave Wellington At*7.ls' a.m. (for the convenience Of passengers arriving by express from Auckland and by steamer express from Lyttelton), and will return leaving Johnsonville at 7.38 a.m. From 8.0 a.m. there will be a half-hourly service from Wellington to Johnsonville until 10.30 p.m. The last train will leave Johnsonville at 10.50 p.m. The normal running time of trains from Wellington to Johnsonville or Johnsonville to Wellington will be 19 minutes, but in certain -cases this is extended to 23 minutes to fit in with the crossing of several opposing trains during peak hours. INTERMEDIATE STOPS. All trains are scheduled to make intermediate Stops for passengers at Ngaio, Awarua Street, Simla Crescent, and Khandallah, Simla Crescent and Awarua Street being new stations on the route. The time-table provides for approximately 52 trains outward, | and a similar number inward, on week days, as compared with 14 each way daily at the present time. There will : be 31 trains outwerd and 31 inward , on Sundays. \ BUS SERVICES. i When the decision to electrify the Johnsonville line was announced, it J was intimated that a curtailment of i the bus services operating in the Wei- ! lington-Khandallah-Johnsonville area

' would be necessary. The present road , services will remain undisturbed until . Saturday, Jjily 30. after which a new • route and amended time-table will be ■ maintained, as follows':— t Wellington-Khandallah, via Ngaio,— • Outward: From Wellington up the Kai-' i warra Gorge, along Kenya Street, s Abbott Road, Aplin Terrace, Bombay ■ Street, Swansea Street, Lucknow Teri race, Cockayne Street (where it re- ■ joins the main road), thence along i Clutha Avenue to' Nicholson Road, Agra Crescent, Ganges Road, Everest ■ Street, Ranui Crescent, and Cashmere ! Avenue to the point where it joins Izard Road—which will be the new ■ terminus on the outward route, instead of Khandallah Station as at present. The inward route to Wellington, commencing from the new ter- . minus, will 7 be along Izard Road to Ranui Crescent, thence traversing the outward route. The time-table on the inward route will be an hourly one (augmented during the peak hours), the first bus for Wellington leaving the new terminal at Khandallah at 7.10 a.m. and continuing until 11.10 p.m. The outward ser- ' vice will also be at hourly .intervals, the first bus leaving Wellington at 7.35 a.m. and the last bus at 11.35 p.m., with an additional service at 12.35 a.m. on Sundays and during the peak hours. On Sundays six return trips, on an intermittent time-table, will be provided. Wellington-Khandallah, via Onslow Road—The route via Onslow Road will be as at present, excepting that the terminus will be Khandallah Town Hall instead of Khandallah Station. The inward morning services from Khandallah will remain as at present up to 8.30 a.m., and thereafter at ap-

• proximately two-hourly intervals until . 5.20 p.m., after which there will be ' an evening service at 7.10 p.m., 8.30 p.m., and 10 p.m. On the outward journey from Wellington, the first bus will leave Bowen Street at 7.35 a.m., and the last at 10.40 p.m., with an intermittent time-table during the day increased during the peak'period. On Sundays there will be six return trips instead of one as at present. The alteration in the terminal points i of the service via Ngaio from Khan- ■ dallah Station to Izard Street, and of > the service via Onslow Boad from the • i station to the Khandallah Town Hall, ■ will have the effect of improving the frequency of the service, inasmuch as Khandallah residents on the route of the Onslow Road service will be able to use this service as well as the one via Ngaio. Likewise residents at the top end of Onslow Road will be more r conveniently placed to make use of : the service that traverses Ranui Crescent with its terminus at Izard Street. Wellington-Johnsonville, via Ngahauranga Gorge.—The first bus will leave Johnsonville for Ngahauranga at 6.45 a.m., and the first service for Wellington will leave Johnsonville at 7.10 a.m., and thereafter at intermittent intervals until 10 p.m. The first . bus from Wellington for Johnsonville . will leave at 7.35 a.m., and thereafter : at intermittent intervals until 10.45 • p.m., with a late bus via Ngaio and : Khandallah at 12.35 o'clock on Sunday ■ mornings. On Sundays there will be ; four return trips between Johnsonville and Wellington via the Ngahauranga Gorge. i The buses between Wellington and , Titahi Bay will continue to run via]

Ngaio and Khandallah. On the Wel-lington-Khandallah routes and similarly on the Wellington-Johnsonville service the new type Diesel bus will be available, and the permission of the Licensing Authority will be sought.to allow of the departure point at Bowen Street in Wellington being used for the dispatch of buses to Neaio, Khandallah, Johnsonville. and Titahi Bay. TRAIN FARES ALTERED.

Afwrnxxi rnnuo nuiuivbi/i | Whilst the bus fares will remain as at present, the train fares will be increased by 3d per week in the case of workers' 12-trip weekly and other concession tickets and Id per trip in the case of the unrestricted six-trip ticket, in accordance with the decision made when the electrification proposals were first discussed with the representatives of the Ngaio and Khandallah Progressive Leagues and Johnsonville Town Board. "In conclusion," stated the Minister, "I have every reason to believe that the transport needs of the district will be particularly well served by the greatly-improved quality of service that the electric multiple units. In conjunction. with the road services, will give in speed, comfort, and economy, and if there is anything in the suggestion, as I believe there is, that satisfactory transport conditions, more than anything else, encourage city folk to live in the suburbs, then the area between Johnsonville and Wellington will have a special attraction and should make - rapid progress." The Khandallah, Ngaio, and Johnsonville districts will also celebrate the occasion on July I by a combined meeting of the Johnsonville Town Board and the Khandallah and Ngaio Progressive Associations at a public function in the Khandallah Hall from 8 p.m.- to 10 p.m. The Minister, of Railways, the Mayor of Wellington, the Member of Parliament for the district, the GeneraJ Manager of Railways (Mr. G. H. Mackley), and several other prominent men will address the gathering and a musical entertainment will be provided. i