“SLOW AS A FUNERAL”

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18335, 1 March 1934, Page 6

“SLOW AS A FUNERAL”

NAPIER EXPRESS TRAIN A GISBORNE REQUEST The Gisborne Chamber of Commerce desires the Wellington-N.qpier £xpress train to he speeded u’p in order to allow Gisborne people travelling from the south to reach Gisborne at a more convenient hour. At yesterday afternoon’s meeting, the chamber decided to write to the Minister of Railways and the Railways Board asking that the train be speeded up. Mr T. Corson stated that at present the train left Wellington at 9.20 a.m., made a fairly fast trip as far as Palmerston North, but thereafter made many stops and proceeded very slowly to the end of its journey. Gisborne people could not reach here by service car till 1 a.m. He suggested that the train should leave Wellington an hour earlier and be speeded up after leaving Palmerston North. He moved that the ehamber write to the Railways Board and the Minister of Railways asking that some consideration should be given to the Gisborne district.

The secretary, Mr W. Hamilton Irvine, seconded the motion, and said that the train was ‘“as slow as a funeral” on the last portion. Members agreed with the motion, which was carried, and said that even if an hour or an hour and a-half were saved, it would make a big difference, for arrival in Gisborne at 11 p.m. or midnight was far preferable to 1 a.m. or even after as at present.