CHEAP RAILWAY FARES

Taranaki Daily News, 31 August 1927, Page 2

CHEAP RAILWAY FARES

WAR ON MOTOR-COACHES. STRDU NG CUTS IN ENGLAND. Emulating the example of the Southern Railway, the London and NorthEastern Railway last month joined in the war on motor-coaches by announcing striking cuts in its fares. The Great Western, too, has been busy. Recently, they say, the issue of cheap day tickets on that line was greatly extended. Further extensions are contemplated. The announcement of the London and North-Eastern Company was that during the remainder of July and throughout August 410 long-distance non-stop excursions at exceptionally clleap fares would be run between King’s Cross, Liverpool Street, Marylebone, Skegness, C’leethorpes, Hustanton, Doncaster, Hull, Leeds, Wakefield, Bradford, Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Cambridge, ~ Scarborough, Bridlington and Harrogate. The fares ranged from 5s to 10s 6d. Ordinary return tickets from King's Cross to Scarborough, 230 miles, cost £2 17s 4d, so the cheap fares work out at nearly four miles for a penny. Practically every day new experiments and cheap fares are tried in one locality. or another on the London and North-Eastern system. Where supported by the public they are retained. “During the last three years,” said an official of the company io an interviewer, “we have made many concessions to popularise our services and meet motor competition. We were the first railway company to reintroduce the cheap half-day excursions from the towns and cities to the seaside, and that facility has been extended enormously. It now covers practically every long distance journey between the larger stations. Since the’ spring of 1925 ap proximately one million passengers have been carried on such excursions.’’ As an example of the value given the folIjwing are quoted: —A Leeds to London (186 miles non-stop) restaurant ear half-day excursion was recently run for 9s 6d return, with meals at 2s 6<l a time. This is believed to be the fastest and longest half-day trip in 'the world. Tiie journey Io King's Cros, I«« coyeij'l in three fofors ant. lliin--1 uies.a 'ii.Wii -jfo.irm.y ’ tlkets, the uili-

c said, were being greatly extended. These tickets were issued around all large towns for a radius of 25 miles after 10 a.m. on week days and all Liy on- Sunday; From ikHW to 7000 of f . e<w?icap fares wove introduced in the area south ut ) :k. . 1.’,-1