SPEEDIER EXPRESSES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18994, 16 April 1925, Page 6

SPEEDIER EXPRESSES.

The .Railway Department's policy of time-saving in long journeys has been carried into the South Island. The run from Christchurch to Invercargill is to bo shortened by one hour. This is a very practical manifestation of tho desire to cater better for the travelling public. The curtailment in time will be of much value to those with urgent business for transaction, while all who use the trains will appreciate the quicker transport to be offered them. The successive grappling with the problem in the North Island and then the South shows that a new spirit of enterprise and initiative is inspiring tho running of train services. The Minister and his department are to be congratulated on its manifestation. But, while what has been achieved can be received very thankfully, it is not out of place to remind them that there are other things still waiting to be done. The service on tho Rotorua line, for instance, badly needs attention. An earlier time of departure, elimination of some of tho far too numerous stops, and the development of a higher train speed are very necessary to this particular journey. An earlier arrival would enable visitors to settle down and begin tho process of sight-seeing at once. Those going further, to Taupo, Wairakei and the Bay of Plenty, could complete the journey in a day instead of having to' wait overnight. It must not be forgotten that Rotorua, while a railway terminus, is also the jumping-off place for journeys beyond. The railways gain a considerable measure of patronage because of the trips by other means of transport which start from Rotorua. This should be remembered, and the timetable framed to facilitate connections. This is a matter for urgent action, and an announcement that it is under way would bo eagerly welcomed. The public is waiting, too, for fulfilment of the promise that a daylight express is to run from Auckland to Wellington. The Easter holidays are over and the time for its inauguration is at hand. With these improvements added to the faster services by the two great trunk lines, the Railway Department will have worked a notable improvement in passenger transport.