THE RAILWAY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12537, 26 June 1901, Page 6

THE RAILWAY.

HEAVY TRAFFIC. SUCCESSFUL ORGANISATION. The Railway Traffic Department has had a most arduous task during the past . few days in connection with the Royal visit, and it is satisfactory to note that the arrangements were equal to the unprecedented strain put upon it. What with hr.nging the immense number of visitors and volunteers to Christcnurch, and returning them to their homes, the number of carriages included in the permanent stock was totally inadequate to the work, and no fewer than 126 trucks of various kinds had to be utilised' for the accommodation of passengers, all of which were provided with seats, and the majority were covered in. All the frozen meat vans on the section were fitted with seats, and many carriages of obsolete pattern were reccmmissioned for the occasion. Had the necessary rolling stock been provided in the shape of ordinary secondclass carriages, even, if there had been, time to obtain them, it would have meant an extra outlay of about £126,000, as each carriage costs about £IOOO, and these, of course, would only be dead stock under ordinary circumstances. With such adarge number of trains in and out of the.Ohristcfhurdh 'Station, it is not surprising that many of them were a little late in starting, but it is satisfactory to note that, in spite of'the extra traffic, the whole of the work of transport was performed without accident of any kind. The Traffic Manager (Mr T. Arthur), the Stationmaster (Mr F. Piper), Mr Perrier (the head! porter), and the staff must certainly be congratulated upon the manner in which the work was performed under the most trying circumstances. During Saturday and Sunday a large number of volunteers and visitors arrived both from the north and south, and during Sunday night a good many more volunteers came in from the south. On Monday morning the trains from all parts of tho country were crowded, but the greatest congestion of traffic was in the afternoon, when the visitors were returning home, and between 3.45 and 9 p.m. over 9000 people left the Christchurch Station. The platform was densely crowded, and, despite the efforts of a number of police, who were assisting the railway staff, many people got pushed off the jflatfonns on to the metals, and men had to be kept bn the lines in front- of the engines of the departing trains to see that] no one was injured. Yesterday morning, soon after the departure of the Royal train, the platform was again unduly crowded, by persons anxious to go south, while at tne same time hundreds were waiting to go to Lyttelton to visit H.M.S.. Ophir, and there were also many who were seeing friends off. So great was the crush that it was impossible to get the first express away until .11.25, and this took thirteen cars and two guards’ vans. At 11.48 the second express followed, with five covered trucks, nine American carriages and two large vans, all of which were crowded, and two powerful engines were required to draw it. At the same time, a train of twentytwo vans was standing on the goods siding, and this was quickly loaded' with the North Island and West Coast Cadet Corps, who were going to Lyttelton to catch, their respective steamers, while the ordinary train to Lyttelton was also a heavy one. Altogether, four heavy special volunteer trains left Christchurch yesterday. On Monday morning ten trains came into Christchurch from the country: districts, all heavily laden, one train from Rangiora, of forty-nine vehicles, containing 1000 people, and it is estimaJted that over 8000 people came in from the country surrounding Christchurch, excluding Lyttelton, on Monday morning. The 8.65 a.m. train from Ashburton alone brought 600, the 9.10 a.m. from Little River and Lincoln 900, the 9.15 from Rangiora and intermediate stations 950; the 9.20 from Ashburton, Fairfield, Dromore and Ghertsey only, 450 ; the 9.25 from Oulverden 800; the 9.30 from Soutihbridpe to Lincoln, 850 ; the 9.40 Springfield and Whitecliffs branch, 800; the 9.45 Methven branch 850; the 9.55 Rangiora, Oxford and Eyreton branches 1000, and the 10 a.m. from Timaru 700. • The foregoing numbers are approximate only, being made up from the 1 foreman’s record of the number of passenger cars, which were all fully .loaded. The following are the official returns for passenger traffic in connection with tho Royal visit from the various Canterbury stations alone, returns from Otago nob having yet been received:—Lyttelton 12,983, Heathcote 469, Woolston 439, Opawa 521, Christchurch 968, Addington 26, Papanui 8, Styx 5, Belfast 207, Kaiapoi 1632,' Rangiora 1433, Oust 234, Bennetts..339, East Oxford 236, West Oxford 387, Sefton 226, Amberley 349, Waikari 666, Oulverden 311, Hornby 455, Prcbbleton 237, Lincoln 262, Little River 606, Springston 273, Ellesmere 76, Doylesbon 241, Leeston 497, Southbridge 635, Templeton 109, Rolleston 93,- Kirwee 241, Barfield 371, Coalgate 158, Sheffield 122, Springfield 667, Burnham 167, Selwyn 78. Dunsandel 278, Rafcaia 363, Methven 345, Ghertsey 101, Ashburton . 1912, Tinwald 81, Mount Somers 28,‘Winslow 50, Hinds 56, Rangitata 53, Orari 338, Winchester 84, Temuka, 450, Washdyke 31, Pleasant Point 22, Albtiry 23, Fairlie 98, Tima.ru 1352, St Andrews 40, Makikibi 11, S'tudholme 92, Waimate 171, Morven 9. Total, 32,142.