HUTT VALLEY TRAINS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 40, 17 February 1939, Page 7

HUTT VALLEY TRAINS

TWO COMPLAINTS

DEPARTMENT'S REPLIES

Complaints have been made by correspondents of "The Post" regarding the Hutt Valley train services and have! been referred to the Railways Department.

One . correspondent, "Waterloo Traveller," wrote under date January 31:—"When are the residents of the Hutt Valley to have a decent train service? Last night on the 5.19 to Waterloo I made the journey crowded with fourteen other unfortunates on the outside platform, smothered in smoka and bombarded with hot cinders. * Although the Government has built hundreds of houses in the Hutt Valley the Railways have done nothing to improve the evening service. A large number of the new residents are Government servants and Wellington workers. If one is kept late at work, say, until 6 o'clock, and misses the 6.9 to Waterloo there is no other train until 8.30. The Johnsonville residents, however, have seven trains in the same period. It would be interesting to know the proportion of money spent on the Johnsonville service by the Railways in proportion to the number of new houses and then make >a

similar comparison with the Hutt. Th« buses are useless to the regular traveller as the tickets are riot interchange* able, except for the first class. Some of the rolling stock on our line would make excellent material for the Exfhibition, showing what travel was lika in the early days.',' ■

The Department replied as follows:—

"There was no occasion for 'Waterloa Traveller' or anyone else to travel on an outside platform of the 5.19 p.m. Wellington to Waterloo train on- January 30. There were 431 passengers on this train leaving ■ Wellington, arid there was seating accommodation for 457 passengers, actually 26 more seat 3 than there were pasesngers, and, as travelling on platforms of cars is contrary to the railway bylaws designed for the safety and comfort of travellers there was not only no occasion for any passengers, to. be on an 'outside platform', they had no right to ba there.

"The Department is fully acquainted with the increase in the population living in the Hutt .Valley, and the train service position is reviewed from time. to time and augmented as necessary with a view to giving the best possible service having regard, of couys^ to the economic results. Quite cently additional trains were provided for this locality, and it is not long since the Department's bus services were materially increased to provide a ten minutes' service' in place of the previous 15 minutes'- service between Wellington and Lower Hutt. "With regard to the evening train service after the departure of the 6.10 p.m. train to Waterloo, there is not at present sufficient traffic at this time in the evening to warrant the running of additional • outward trains on ■ the Hutt Valley line. Travellers on this line are well aware that the cars in use are of a high standard and will beaj favourable comparison with the accommodation- provided on any .other form of suburban transport in" New Zealand. The accommodation is also distinctly better than that provided on the suburban services of either Sydney or Melbourne. It is, in fact, the generally high standard of transport provided by the Department both by rail and road in the Valley area that has been a leading factor in making for its popularity as a residential area."

UPPER HUTT RAILCARv

I Another correspondent, ''Suburbanlite," wrote as follows, under date Feb» i ruary "l:—"On Tuesday evening, of this I week it was necessary for me to remain at" my office-for some time. Owing to the distance" I live from the city I made it my business, to leave early in order to connect with a failcar which departs at 8.35 p.m. and ar* rives at my destination some forty-fiva minutes later. On arrival at the Central Station a few minutes prior ,to departure of this Upper Hutt car, I was informed by the guard in charge. 'She's a full house.' From previous experience I very much doubt whether sufficient passengers travelling' beyond Lower Hutt and Petone would have been carried in order to make 'a jEull house.' I was informed, that a 9.30 p.m. train would be leaving for' Upper Hutt (the Cinderella suburb), and 'Cinderella' would use that. Instead of fortyfive minutes' travelling, one hour's travelling in which to cover a distance of nineteen miles, lay ahead of me. Do you think, Sir, this is a fair and square deal that passengers who are dependent on train' travelling :as a means of transport and who have had their fares'increased by 10 per cent, and are not even permitted to use their tickets on buses even in a case such as this, should have to cool, their feet whiles Lower Hutt passengers who have a very much better service and shorter distance to travel, are occupying their seats? Apparently the day of consideration is past. I was one of several passengers to Silverstream and beyond who were refused seatsl" To the above letter the Department replied as follows:—"The Department's instructions regarding railcars operating between Wellington and Upper: Hutt require that preference be giveri to passengers booking for the longer distances, inquiries made following the receipt of this correspondent's letter show that on the date mentioned the instructions in this matter were duly carried out and that therefore the correspondent is wrong in his assumption that Lower Hutt passengers were given preference on this occasion. The Department is now running a steam train in place of the 8.35 p.m. railcar on week nights (Saturdays excepted)."