THE EXPRESS TRAINS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 14040, 25 October 1909, Page 3

THE EXPRESS TRAINS.

And their, time-table. Mr Buxton asked the Minister of Railways, whether he will at an early date investigate the financial results of the through express service from Christchurch to Invercargill, for the purpose of scertaining whether tho present conditions as regards the running of this servico are giving the best results? A note was appended to the query — Hundreds of settlers between these points are very seriously inconvenienced under present conditions, the express trains only stopping at tho principal towns between the above points. On the 20th the Minister gave the following reply:—The express trains ii; the various parts of the Dominion are run for the special purpose of affording a quick means of communication between tho more distant parts of the Dominion and enabling passengers whose business compels them to make long journeys to do so with the loss of as little time as possible. It is quite impracticable to run a satisfactory express service if tho trains are to stop at frequent intervals. The South Island main lines are particularly well served, inasmuch as there are two express trains running thereon. The first express from Christchurch connects with the ferry boat, and affords tho North Island passengers facilities for completing their journey to stations in the South Island in the least possible time. Tliis is followed by a second express from Christchurch "to Dunediu, which stops at the more important intermediate stations. The first north-bound express from Invercargill has to reach Lyttelton in time to connect with the ferry boat, so as to enable passengers by tho latter to reach Wellington in time to connect with the express trains leaving the latter town for the various North Island centres. The opening :j1 the Main Trunk railway has materially altered tho conditions for passenger travel in the Dominion, and the question of time-table was fully gone into when the service was arranged, the object being to give reasonable facilities to tho greater number of people. Increasing tho stops would merely result in lengthening the journey time, to the detriment of long-distance passengers. The various localities along the main line ot the South Island are well served by the second express trains and the mixed trains wliicli supplement that service, and the time has arrived when it must he definitely understood that a satisfactory fast service can only be given by trains making stops at the more important centres only. Passengers from intermediate stations who desire to join the expresses must he prepared to travel by the mixed trains from their home-station to the nearest station at which the expresses stop, and if their final destination is a station served by the expresses they then may tranship from the mixed train into the express and go on by the latter to their destination. The tiine-tahlo problem it a most difficult one owing to the divergent interests of the various localities, and in fixing the train services as a whole the greatest consideration has been given to the matter with the intention of providing the best possible service, having regard to the requirements of the whole community.