SUBURBAN RAILWAYS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14835, 11 November 1911, Page 8

SUBURBAN RAILWAYS.

AN UNSATISFACTORY REPLY. IMPROVEMENTS NOT GRANTED FURTHER STEPS to BE taken.

About two mom ago the Northern Suburban Railway League communicated with the Railway Department, urging the need for improvements in the suburban railway service on the north line. Special stress was laid on the need for extra and faster trains, for shelters at'the principal crossings on the line traversed by the motor train, and for workmen's trains between Auckland and Swanson. The president of the league (Mr. M. J. Coyle) has now received a reply from the General Manager of Railways (Mr. T. Ronayne) stating that it is not practicable to maintain the ordinary time-table on the AucklandHenderson service at holiday times, when the bulk of the people are on pleasure bent, and railway arrangements have necessarily to a large extent to be made to fit. in with the various local attractions along the route served by the railway. Regarding the request for additional trains on Sundays between Auckland and Henderson, Mr. Ronayne says ho regrets that the request cannot be complied with, He adds that the general j experience of tho Department lias been that strong objection is invariably manifested in respect of any proposal for increasing the number of Sunday trains, first by tho public, and then by'members of tho railway staff. Mr. Coyle said last evening that the reply of the General Manager is regarded by the members of the league as being far from satisfactory. It does not refer at all to the major points of the league's requests. The members of the league felt that they had just cause for complaint, and that their requests were all reasonable and well grounded. People would not go into the further suburbs unless they could get to and from their work with iacilitv, and at convenient hours. It was not expected that the improved train service would pay at first in the direct sense; but by encouraging the population it would increase the revenue in other directions. Kingeland illustrated the way in which transport induced the growth of tho population. Before the trams ran there the place was fairly settled but in the subsequent years the population had increased at least fourfold, 'llie league felt that it was unfortunate that the Minister was unable to go into questions of this sort personally. In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the Departmental reply, a meeting of the executive of the league is to be held on Monday night, to decide upon a plan of action. The league does not intend to let the matter rest where it is, and will agitato until some improvement is effected. Mr. Covle proposes that all the candidates for election in the Auckland" district should be asked to support the league in its endeavour t<Miave tho service improved. He suggested last night that in a case of this sort the whole of Auckland should interest itself, and fight tho question of suburban services. If necessary, a league, not trespassing upon the province of tho prosent Railway League, which is concerned with railway expansion, should be formed to deal with traffic matters.