RAILWAY SERVICE.

Manawatu Times, Volume LXV, Issue 680, 1 April 1909, Page 6

RAILWAY SERVICE.

THE WAIRARAPA CONNECTION. The Hastings Chamber of Commerce at its last meeting passed a resolution calling upon the Minister of Railways to make euoh an alteration of the time-table" as to provide through communication between Napier and Wellington on the Manawatu route without having to break the journey at Woodville and Palmerston North." The mover of the motion pointed out that the NapierWellington train might easily be arranged to reaoh Palmerston at 1 p.m., and that as the Auckland-Wei-lington express now starts from Palmerston southwards at 12.55, an easy adjustment involving less thai ten minutes would provide the arrangements asked for in the resolution.

Commenting ou this resolution the Napier Telegraph says:-"The essential fitness of the suggestion made by the Hastings Chamber of Commerce is constituted by its recognition that the true question is not one of trains, but of route. If once it is conceded that the express train service between Napier aud Wellington should run over the Manawatu line, all the rest follows. The faot that the distance from Woodville to Wellington ifi very muoh less via the Manawatu than by way of the Wairarapa and over the Rimutaka incline, is too generally ignored. Thd person tiie most contemptuous of the amount of general knowledge possessed by the railway authorities would not oharge against them that they do not kuow it is 210 lgles from Napier to Wellington by #ay of the Wairarapa, and 190 miles from Napier to Wellington by way of the Manawatu line. What -is now aßked of them iB that they Bhall save the delay of 112 minutea now imposed upon passengers who decide to go to Wellington from Napier by way of the Manawatu, aud make that route the express route. By so doing they could save in alii 142 minutes, for the present train service time of G5 minutes from Woodville to Palmerston, 18 miles, oonld be out down easily, in the case of the express running that way. to 85 minutes. By this means, even if the present Napier express started at its oustomary time, it oonld reaoh Palmerston by 1.48, or less than an hour after the Auckland-Wellington train at preeeilt leaves Palmerston jou its way south."

The Napier Telegraph advooates that this hour should be saved by speeding-up the Napier train, which if run at au average rate of 25 miles per hour and despatched at 8.80 oonld reach Palmerston at 1 p.m. The Telegraph 'suggests that the Auokland-Wellington express should start from Palmerston at 1,5 p.m. to allow the connection to be made.