THE BRITISH RAILWAYS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20367, 23 September 1929, Page 12

THE BRITISH RAILWAYS.

COMPETITION ON THE ROAD.

TIME SPENT IN TRAVEL.

To-day railway companies in England are fighting for their lives against competition that grows steadily moro intense —that of motor-coaches on the roads. Yet in this fight they have one big advantage—speed—which they are failing to utiliso fully. It is true that on many lines there aro now non-stop trains to various business and holiday centres, and that for many journeys times have improved during the last few years. But, as a rule, the railway train is still slower than it has any need to bo.

Certainly it beats the motor-coach, but that is not the point. At holiday time, tho novelty of road travel attracts many people and its cheapness appeals to still more. Speed would bo a counterattraction—first, because many peoplo regard time spent in travel as a bore; and, second, becauso there is a cortain fascination in speed for its own sake, and also in anything that gives ou element of novelty to a journey. That is why so many people travelled by the Flying Scotsman when the nonstop journey to Edinburgh was first introduced. That is why tho Great Western expresses, which do live up to their name, are so popular. The Great Western, indeed, has shown what can bo dono. Their 3.45 p.m. Swindon to' Paddington train is scheduled to do 77i miles in 70 minutes, and on tho very first day's run did them in 68 min. 4 sees. This was at a rato of just over 68 miles an hour, and at one point a speed of 81 miles an hour was reached.

Question of Averages.

Thon ono Plymouth train does tho 226£ miles from Paddington in four hours. This journey is especially notable in view of the difficulty of the lino. Tho average speed of trains leaving Paddington on journeys of one hour or moro without a stop was, indeed, over 57 miles an hour oven lust summer.

That shows what can bo dono, remarks n London writer. The best holiday trains betweon Waterloo and Bournemouth take exactly two hours, non-stop, to do tho journey. This is a speed of just over 53j miles an hour, or well under the Great Wostern average, as quoted above. Tho best trains betweon Victoria and Brighton take ono hour to do a fraction over 50 miles.

If ono wants to go from London to Lowestoft, tho 1172 m 'l es journey will take about three hours. It roquircs 101 minutes to cover the 74 miles to Margato from Victoria. Evon tho Flying Scotsman doesn't live up to its namo. It avorages under 50 miles an hour on its non-stop run to Edinburgh. The Scarborough Flier does rather better, howover. With ono stop —at York—it takes four hours and a-half to do tho 230 miles, But this is also well below 60 milos an hour.

Case for Speeding-up.

If tho Great Western can run roally fast trains, why cannot othor lines do tho same'! Thero aro now giant locomotives, and tho permanent way has boon strengthened to enablo tliem to travel safely at high speods. And not only safoly—but with absolute comfort for the passengers who travel by express. There is, indeed, no quostion of impossibility. Tho Great Western can do it, and thore aro instances which show that it can bo dono on other lines as well. For instance, some time ago tho Flying Scotsman was delayed on tho earlier p.ut of a journey to London. To malco up lost time there was a spurt between Grantham and London, and this 105 miles strotch was dono in 105 minutes. This suggests that tho non-stop journey botweou Edinburgh and London could bo dono in and hour or an hour and a-half less than at present. Thoro is, in fact, no reason—so far as the plain man can seo—why express trains should not make a bigger effort to livo up to their name. Travelling at sixty miles an hour is very little, if at all more dangerous than travelling at fifty miles an hour, and it is very questionable if speed, in itsolf, has over caused a railway accident.