RAILWAY FINANCE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 17 April 1939, Page 4

RAILWAY FINANCE

FIGURES FOR FORTY-FOUR WEEKS WELLINGTON. This Day. Though the railway year does not end till 31st March, interest attaches to a comparison of returns during the elapsed 44 weeks of the current year for which statistics are available with the position during that period of 1937-38.” states the Abstract of Statistics for March. “The number of passenger journeys during the 44 weeks was 19.217,377. as compared with 18.678.856 in a similar period of last railway year, an increase of 2.9 per cent. The volume of goods traffic increased only slightly, the net ton-miles run during the period being 456.692,000, as against 456,411.000 in 1937-38. “Railway working revenue during the period amounted to £6,404,411, as compared with £6.244,052 in the same period of last railway year. Operating expenditure has risen from £6,082.719 to £6.478.408. so that the net result ror the period is an excess of expenditure amounting to £73.967. as compared with an excess of revenue of £161,333 in the same period of 1937-38. It should be noted that the final eight weeks are among the busiest of the railway year, and a substantial surplus of revenue for that period is the usual experience.