RAILWAY RECORDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23545, 4 January 1940, Page 10

RAILWAY RECORDS

TRAINS FULLY BOOKED HEAVY HOLIDAY TRAFFIC MANY THOUSAND PASSENGERS Eclipsing previous records for railway traffic during the holiday period, about 140 trains in the North Island area wore completely booked by intending passengers from December 21 to yesterday before the time of departure. With an average for each train of 430 passengers, more than 60,000 travellers reserved their seats in planning their holiday trips. Large, as this figure is, it represents only a comparatively small proportion of those who actually travelled, for many trains with heavy bookings are not included, and there were hundreds of trains running on which seats are not reserved. Main Trunk Traffic Of the 140 trains which were fully booked, over 100 ran between Auckland and Wellington, the Main Trunk lino thus being responsible for over 70 per cent of the total. The New Plymouth and Napier expresses made up the greater part of the remainder. Although the exact figures for a similar period last year were not available, it is considered that this season's returns are much in excess. The necessity for booking seats has been brought home to the public this Christmas more strongly than ever before. Although it ha.s become the general practice to reserve seats on Main Trunk expresses, some travellers omitted to do so. and found difficulty in arranging their itineraries in accordance, with previous plans. More particularly with trains to holiday resorts in the province, .such as Opua, Taurnnga and Rotorun, largo numbers of travellers neglected to reserve scats for their return home,'and it was difficult to estimate in advance the number of cars and the haulage power required for the different expresses. Platform and Luggage Tickets In accordance with the increased numbers of passengers, other branches of the railway have shown an upward tendency, new high figures being established in several cases. From December 24 to January 2, a total of (jS62 platform tickets was sold at the station to people 1 wishing to farewell friends travelling on the expresses io Wellington. The largest total for one day was 1337. The record day in the left luggage branch of the station was December 22. when 128(5 packets were checked and 939 left, by passengers. The figures for the heaviest day in the previous year, December 23. were 909 and 810 respectively. considerably below the now record. For the three weeks ended on December 30. checked packages totalled 7312 and left packages 5084. Since the returns were made out. packages handled during the past, four days have swelled the total by about 2400.