FASTER TRAIN SERVICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19061, 4 July 1925, Page 14

FASTER TRAIN SERVICE.

THE NORTH AUCKLAND LINE SAVING OVER HALF-AN-HOUR. CHEAPER SUBURBAN FARES. A savins of 41 minutes in the railway journey from Auckland to Opua, Bay of Islands, is provided for in the new timetable to'come into operation on Monday, July 13, while on the southward journey the time will be reduced by 31 minutes. Under the existing time-table, an impress leaves Auckland at 8.25 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, rooming Whangarei o|t 3.20 p.m. and •Opu# at 6.38 p.m., but under the new arrangement there will be a (tally express, leaving Auckland at 8.40 a.m. and arriving at Whangarei at 3.10 p.m. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays this train will connect with a train leaving Whargafei at 3.20 p.m. and reaching Opua at 6.12 p.m. Thus the time occupied on the through journey will be reduced from 10 hours 13 minutes to 9 hours 32 minutes. ]tn addition to this there wijl be a trt).in on Wednesdays, leaving Whangarei at 3.20 p.m. and reaching Opua at 7.5 p.m. This will be a, mixed train, but will give travellers the advantage of making the through connection on one of the days on which the faster train does not run. The 8.40 a.m. from Auckland will leave Helonsville at 10.21 a.m. and Wellsford at 11.50 a.m., arriving at Maungaturoto at 12.42 p.m. A stop of 20 minutes wiill be allowed here for lunch, and leaving Miiungaturoto at 1.2 p.m. the express will run into Whangarei at 3.10 p.m. The present service from Opua to Auckland is run on only three days of tho week, the trains leaving Opua on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8.31 a,m., and Whangarei at 11.50 a.m., arriving at Auckland at 6.29 p.m. Under tho new time-table tho express is to leave Opua on the same days at 8.45 a.m. for Whangarei, which will be reached at 11.33 a.m. There will be a daily express service between Whangarei and Auckland, the trains leaving the northern town at 11.43 a.m. and reaching tho city at 6.12 p.m. The time from Opua to Auckland will therefore be reduced from 9 hours 58 minutes to 9 hours 27 minutes.

Changes are boing made in several of the other trains running on this section. There is to be a train leaving Opua on Saturdays at 4.20 p.m. for Okaihau, which will be reached at 7.20 p.m. A train is to leave Okaihau on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3.60 p.m. for Otiria, leaving on the return journey at 5.40 p.m. ; instead at 6 p.m., as at present. The daily train, Helensville to Huarau, is scheduled to leave at 2.5 p.m./five minutes earlier than at present. The 3.45 p.m. train, Helensville to Auckland, is to leave five minutes later, reaching Henderson at 5.45 p.m., observing the present time-table frbm Henderson until Auckland is reached at 6.50 p.m. The train which usually leaves Newmarket for Henderson at 5.55 p.m. is to leave three minutes earlier, reaching its destination at 6.41 p.m. Another move toward popularising the railway services is to be made next Monday, when reduced fares on suburban lines vriil come into force. l't will be seen from an announcement in another column that a considerable reduction in the fares to and from stations within a radius of five miles of Auckland is being made. >