The Hawera Star. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1924. IMPROVING RAILWAY TRAVELLING.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 2 December 1924, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1924. IMPROVING RAILWAY TRAVELLING.

Delivered ever}’ evening by s o’clouK in Hawera Manaia; Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham ; Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna, Opunake, Otakeho, Manutahi, Alton, Hurleyville, Patea, Waverley, Mokoia, Whakamara, Ohangai, Merefnere, Fraser Road, and Ararat*.

The decision to run a- faster passenger service on the North Island) Main Trunk line will be welcomed by people who have to make frequent journeys over the full length of that line, and a saving of some 3£ hours must be regarded as a great improvement, on the existing timetable. To speed up the train over such a long distance, is not a simple matter, and not only are a number of stops to be cut out, but the size of the train will be limited. This is a new departure in New Zealand, but, we think, a very good one. Many of the trains, especially during holiday seasons, are very long, and their weight makes it almost impossible for drivers to run to schedule owing to the stiff grades which have to be negotiated,- and to the layman it seems that it would be far better to have more and shorter rains running up to time than to continue the present method. Of course, with our narrow gauge lines, the inadequate facilities existing at many stations for handling trains, and the limited number of locomotives and rolling stock, the difficulties in the way of effecting these improvements are easily understood. But the population of. the Dominion is increasing steadily, and the desire, for speedier means of travel is finding expression in the growing patronage of numerous motor services, which have become serious competitors with the railways. The Government and the Railway Department must therefore turn their attention to the railways and) explore the possibilities of increasing both passenger and goods traffic. ’The support which motor services in competition with the railways are receiving is due to the enterprise of the owners of the motors and their willingness to meet the wishes of the people, both as to speed and convenience. The railways have cost the State a very large sum of money, and they are a very important factor in the progress and development of the Dominion, but it is the duty of the Government and those who. direct this giv?at service to keep up to date and effect all possible improvements calculated to make the railways more popular, and we take it that the speeding up of the Main Trunk passenger traius is a herald of improvements on other lines in the Dominion later. The majority of our trains are run in the daytime, but it may be that the long distance passenger trains could be run at night time with advantage. Business men travelling from one city to another would probably appreciate passenger trains at night time because of the saving of time. In most countries, as far as we know, the fast passenger trains are despatched at night time on journeys of three to five or six hundred, miles, and it may be found that New Zealand could adopt the system with advantage. It would certainly save much valuable time for many people. It will be interesting to see if the English experts, who are investigating the New Zealand railways) at the present time, will have any recommendations to make in this direction. People often complain that the speed of cur trains is not very great, but those who know of some of the performances on certain occasions realise that much faster services are possible, but that the Department is handicapped under the present system, in which the objective seems to be to confine the running of trains as far as possible to the hours of daylight. There are not many trains' in motion, except on suburban sections, after eight o'clock at night, and from that hour until seven o’clock in the morning there is very little movement on the lines, excepting the Main Trunk line. Possibly a solution of a large part of the problems facing the Minister and the Department is to be found in making much more use of the hours of darkness. But those who have the control and management of the lines may be able to give, many good reasons against, a proposal to run more trains at night time.