Railway Passenger Traffic at Feilding

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 6837, 19 April 1932, Page 3

Railway Passenger Traffic at Feilding

AFFECTED BY TIME-TABLE ALTERATION * IMPROVED SERVICE POSSIBLE. It was a fortnight yesterday since the new main trunk express time-table was instituted whereby Feilding lost its daily connection at 9 a.m. with the Capital City and according to the records kept at the Feilding station there has resulted a big drop in the passenger traffic which is accounted for in the main by the altered service. For years the (South bound express proved a popular train for Feilding and district and passenger revenue was consistently good, it was not expected that this traffic would be held by the alteration in the running of this convenient train, but it was felt, that, at least some of the normal flow of passengers would take advantage of the South bound limited which leaves at 0.20 a.m. The figures supplied to a Times representative yesterday indicate cither one or two things, peoplo are using the road services or cutting out travelling practically altogether. The limited certainly picks up a few passengers from Feilding each morning but the business in this connection is nothing like it was. The main trunk which now pusses through at about 4.20 a.m. has in the past fortnight set down 2 passengers and picked up 2. (Shortly then, passenger traffic from Feilding for the south Ims fallen away substantially and while the prevailing depression can account for some of the loss, the altered timetable is in the nraiu responsible.

Feilding's direct connections with Wellington consist of the Main Trunk at -1.20 a.m., the Limited at (J. 20 a.m. and Iho Now Plymouth at 2.40 p.m. The first two are too early to appeal lo the business community who found the old Main Trunk 9 o’clock service most convenient. Palmerston North offers other connections, in Field’s express and the Napier express but both require road transport to Palmerston North to make the collection and as far as the former service is concerned this is not always available.

It lias been suggested that the Railway Department could quickly recapture the passenger traffic from Fcilding and district by providing a service to replace the former 0 o’clock Main Trunk connection. This would be possible by starting Field’s express from Fcilding or even Marton, where Southern Taranaki and Wanganui passengers could bo tapped. Field’s leaves Palmerstou North ahead of the Limited and whether it would be a serious inconvenience to put this train back, say an hour, for tho Manawutu populace, would require investigation. The point, however, to consider would appear to bo the provision of a convenient, passenger service for the centres of population who have lost in the altered Main Trunk time-table, an excellent connection with the Capital City. If Field’s express were put back an hour, and was started from Marton and timed to leave Palmerston North at 8 a.m. it would, it is considered, prove to bo a service which would become extremely popular. It would benefit Wanganui and Southern Taranaki and the centres of population between the Main Trunk junction and Palmerston North. Such a service would tend to check and possibly eliminate altogether, the existing road traffic and would more than make up for the loss of the Main Trunk connection.

The suggestion is one which might well be taken up by the Fcilding Chamber of Commerce with the object of offering it to tho member for Oroua and the Railway Board.