HEAVY TRAIN TRAFFIC.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20217, 30 March 1929, Page 12

HEAVY TRAIN TRAFFIC.

MANY. EXTRA EXPRESSES. COPING WITH EASTER RUSH. THOUSANDS USE RAILWAYS* Thousands of holiday-makers on the move for distant parts, and thousands more arriving to *pend Easter in Auckland, 'with special r&gsrd for Ellerslie, have taxed to the full the rolling-stock resources of the Railway Department. Many Epecial trains had been arranged to cope with the seasonal rush, and in nearly every instance the whole of the accommodation \ras taken. Although excursion tickets were available from Tuesday, it was not until Thursday, the eve of the general holiday, that the rush set in, ending in a hectic climax in the evening, when, in the space of a few hours, eight expresses, six of them special trains, were despatched irom Auckland. The traffic on the Wellington section has been particularly heavy. One relief express, in addition to the limited and ordinary expresses, each with extra cars, arrived on Thursday morning, vrhi!e yesterday morning southern arrivals reached abnormal proportions and four extra expresses were necessary. In the past two days' considerably over 10,000 passengers have arrived at or departed from Auckland. Another busy day is in prospect to-day, when the traffic is expected to be more of a local character, in view of the opening of the Auckland Racing Club's Easter meeting at Ellerslie. An insight into the great volume of traffic, handled on Thursday and yesterday is provided by the following statistics, which take no account of purely suburban trains:— Departures on Thursday.—Whangarei special, 9 carriages; Whangarei ordinary, 10; Tauranga ordinary, 16; Rotorua ordinary, 13; Taumsrunui special, 11; limited to Wellington, 8; Wellington ordinary, 20; Wellington relief, 17; Wellington relief. 10; Tauranga special, 7; Rotorua special, 14; Helensville special, 8; Opua special, 14. Arrivals on Thursday.—Wellington ordinary, 11; Wellington relief, 10; limited from Wellington, 9. In addition the ordinary trains from Whangarei, Rotorua and Tauranga were well patronised. Departures yesterday.—Rotorua, ordinary, 12; Tauranga ordinary, 13; Opua ordinary, 13; limited to Wellington, 7; Wellington ordinary, 17. Arrivals yesterday.—Opua special, 13; Wellington ordinary, 12; limited from Wellington, 8; four extra expresses from Wellington with 10, 10, 11 and 12 carriages, respectively.

Although accurate passenger statistics have not yet been worked out, railway officials expect the traffic to be fully equal to that of any previous Easier.