TIME-TABLE CHANGES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20722, 15 November 1930, Page 12

TIME-TABLE CHANGES.

LIMITED LEAVES EARLIER. OTHER ALTERATIONS MADE. NEW FARES TO OPERATE. \ With tlio arrival of tlio Sunday train from Hamilton at 10.34 to morrow morning, passengers will use (lie old Auckland railway station for the last time. Tlie Wellington express, which is due at Auckland at 6.41 to-morrow morning;, will also enter the old station, and the train which leaves Auckland for Hamilton at 8-53 a.m. will he tho last to take passengers from tlio old platforms. To-morrow evening's trains will uso the new station.

Simultaneously with tho opening of the new station, the Westfield deviation will bo brought into commission for passenger trains, and all long-distance trains will traverse that route. The North Auckland trains and a number of suburban trains designed to servo the district between the city and Westfield, via Newmarket, will continue to travel by tho old line, although they, too, will bo despatched from and will return to the new station.

The opening of the new station and the uso of the Westfield deviation have necessitated the adoption of a new timetable, which will coino into forco as from to-morrow. The limited express will leave Auckland for Wellington nightly at seven o'clock, ten minutes earlier than at present. The limited express to-morrow evening will be the first to observe the new time-table, and will also be the fiist to make stops at Te Awamutu, Te Kuiti and Paekakariki. The Rotorua Express.

The time-table for the Rotorua express has also lieen altered to include a stop for the Auckland-bound train at Huntly, tho train leaving that station at 2 p.m., and stops for both up and down trains at Mercer, to enable passengers to obtain morning or afternoon tea. The trains will niako a stop of seven minutes at Mercer. However, there will be no alterations in the times of arrival and departure, as the wait at Mercer will bo made up on the Westfield deviation, which does not involve the grades on the Paniell route. The first Rotorua express to observe the new time-table will leave the new station at 10 10 a.m. on Monday. The saving of time on the Westfield deviation will enable the Tancatua express to bo despatched from the new station eight minutes later than at present, the time of departure being 9.8 a.m. The Auckland-bound train will leave Taneatua at the same tiufe as at present, but will arrive at the new station at 6.23 p.m., instead of 6.30 p.m. Alterations have also been made m tho time-table for the daylight limited express between Auckland and Wellington, which will resume running on December 19. The train will leave Auckland at 8 a.m. instead of 7.55 a.m., as was tho case last summer, and the train from Wellington will arrive at 11 p-m. instead of 11.6 p.m. According to present arrangements, tho daylight limited service will cease after January 12, but if traffic is satisfactory it may bo continued for several weeks after that date. The night train from Frankton, which takes up the daylight limited's running from the Waikato to Auckland during the winter, will leave Frankton at the same time as at present, it will arrive at Auckland at 11 o'clock instead of 11.6 p.m. Computation of Fares.

'• It was announced earlier this month that tho fact that the new station is 32 chains further south than tho old building would result in a reduction of passenger fares between Auckland and many southern stations. According to railway computation, five chains over the mile must be counted as an extra mile, and the case of Cambridge has been quoted as typical of stations which will benefit by "the lower fares. Cambridge is 100 miles 35 chains from the old Auckland station and the fares have been reckoned in the past on the basis of 101 miles. However, it will be only 100 miles 3 chains distant from the new station, with the result that the 100 miles rate will apply, with a reduction in the firstclass single fare from 15s 8d to 15s 6d. New Plymouth, Napier and Dannevirke are other stations which will officially be brought a mile nearer Auckland, but inthe case of Wellington, which is 425 miles 40 chains away from the new station, and Rotdrua. 170 miles 64 chains, there will bo no alteration.

The saving in fares to the passenger will be slight but to the Railway Department the lower charges will mean a large reduction in revenue. But against these reductions will come the higher rates recently announced by the Minister of Railways, the Hon. W. A. "V eitcli. These will" apply all over the Dominion and the changes will involve an increase of a halfpenny in the shilling or part of a shilling on ordinary fares and a rise of a penny in the shilling in the caso of excursion fares. Hie alterations will come into forco to-morrow.