TRANSPORT OF PUBLIC

Taranaki Daily News, 27 December 1929, Page 14

TRANSPORT OF PUBLIC

LARGE CROWDS ABROAD RAILWAY, TRAMWAY AND MOTOR HEAVIER TRAFFIC THAN IN 1928. Heavier traffic generally than last year on the railways, and thevarious motor-bus routes, is reported by the New Plymouth authorities for the Christmas season. Not only this, but it is once more shown that the inward holiday rush to the town is considerably greater than the outward, a fact that speaks for New Plymouth’s popularity as a holiday rendezvous. Extra expresses coped with" the inward railway traffic to New Plymouth on Saturday and Tuesday, the' Department having learnt a lesson from last year, when the greatly enlarged single train ran hours behind the time-table? This year all ordinary and special expresses ran very much nearer scheduled time. r * • T

The - Christmas Eve expresses arriving in New Plymouth had nine and seven cars respectively ,and carried 225 and--130 passengers. The train that left the same morning for Wellington had ten carriages, was - nearly full, and had-300 reservations from different'stationg. Both the inward and outward, midday expresses from and to Wanganui were well filled. A special train left New Plymouth at 8 o’clock on Christmas Eve, with 63 passengers, and had'2oo aboard' when it reached Aramoho.

Ten cars containing IGO passengers comprised the outbound express on Christmas Day, while the inward train had 200 passengers, in an equal number of cars. Containing ten cars and 300 passengers, yesterday morning’s south express had an additional car added at Wanganui and was practically reserved throughout. One hundred and fifty passengers arrived by last night’s train, the ten carriages being occupied almost all the way/. With a. special train of ten cars and the ordinary morning train enlarged to nine cars, patrons of the Taranaki Jockey Club from the south were well catered for. The first train, the usual one, brought 214 passengers as against 250 last year, . while the special had 350 aboard compared with 30G last year. Thirty-four racehorses arrived on Christmas Day, while a further six came yesterday morning.

HEAVY TRAFFIC LASTING LONGER?

Heavy railway passenger; traffic.', experienced fori many days prior to Christmas, and it is expected that itwill keep up throughout the period that excursion fares are available. This year the period has been extended from January 5 to January 11, while it also, began on December 13 instead of December 14.; Consequently while the excursion reservations at the present, though heavy, are perhaps not so numerous as last year, it must be remembered that they are distributed over a longer period this year, and it is more than probable that this season’s figures will ultimately be greater. A special relief express will be run. from New. Plymouth at- 8.48 ,a.m. • on January 2; while another will arrive from the ‘south on January 4. The ordinary outward express on January 2 , will take Wellington and South Island passengers only. . .... Revenue mounting to £1260 from the sale of about 1300 tickets was received at the New Plymouth railway station between December .16 and 24. Last year in six days prior to'and including Christmas Eve an equal number of tickets was - issued in a shorter time, but the revenue received, £B5O, works out at about the - same when compared. ■ proportionately . with the nine mentioned this, year, This year’s heaviest day.for the booking , office Was Christmas Eve, as it was. last . year, but on this occasion ~ £287 was\ taken, showing’ ah increase of £37. Further revenue has been obtained by the issue- of platform tickets on-the arrival . of expresses/. , "i

-ROAD TRANSPORT IN DEMAND.

Motor transport companies report heavy Christmas traffic that is far ahead s df last'year. Many special, buses and , , cars have been utilised to cope -with the crowds, one company reporting that , > as many as four of its cars made’, the through trip from Auckland on Christmas' Eve. It is' interesting'to note; ' however, that though there was. the at- • traction of the . races at. New Plymouth . yesterday, few country people travelled, , ? as they were taking the opportunity of . the first spell of fine weather for some time to get in their hay. ■ The' fact that the Ngapuhi was bar- ( . bound at Manukau -proved fortunate for another company, which dispatched a- crowded 30-seater bus to New Ply - . mouth, bn Christmas Eve, the large party arriving at their destination'at 2 o’clock . on Christmas morning. It is further reported that' at the Wanganui office of a -. company plying between New Plymouth , and Wellington two drivers were engaged all day at nothing else.' than sticking labels. on luggage. J Service car drivers practically all complain of the tendency many touring campers have of . ‘‘hugging” the road and ..refusing tb give affair share to passing cars. . ~ THE TRAMWAYS’ EXPERIENCE. '.

A decrease of 3158 passengers and , K £l5 I7s. Id, in revenue on Christmas Eve as compared with last year was shown by the New Plymouth trai-iwayri, and seems to be the only appreciable drop in traffic in any of the transport services connected with New Plymouth. . The Christmas Day traffic this year increased by 261 passengers, and - the re- ' . venue by £l-14s 4d. '.ln spite of the .; large number of people using the tram- , ways and the many people in the streets, no accidents occurred. The detailed returns are:—

Passengers . Revenue 1927. 11 Christmas Eve . 16,286 £132 16 Christmas Day . ' 3,186 £. 39 19 3 Totals . . . . 19,472 £172' 16 2 . < 1928. Christmas Eve . 15,180 £136 8 10 Christmas Day . 2,492 £ 30 19 4 Totals .... 17,672 £167 8 2 - ■ - 1929. ; ' • Christinas Eve . 12,052 £120 11 9 Christmas Day . 2,753. £ 32 13 8 Totals V. 14,805 £153 ■ 6 5