NIGHT TRAINS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6049, 10 December 1897, Page 3

NIGHT TRAINS.

The Otago Daily Times urges the railway authorities to give the public a night express service between Christchurch and Dunedin. It need not be pointed out that such a service would present great advantages. The idea of losing a whole day on the railway journey and then arriving at nine o'clock at night is not a pleasant one, and but ill accords with the celerity demanded by modern civilisation and business. A Dunedin or Christchurch business man cannot at present do the return trip under three days, whereas if there were a night service it could be done with the loss of one business day. Needless to say, many would patronise such a train who now do their business by letter. The acceleration of letters by post would be a great boon to business men and others. If the train left each end, say, at 9 p.m., letters would reach their destination at seven o'clock next morning, in time for distribution during early business hours. That in itself would be an enormous advantage. It may be urged, says the Times, that it would not be profitable to run a night train to and from Christchurch. As it has never been tried, all predictions about the success or otherwise of it are mere guesses. All the arguments are in its favour. Some very timid persons have urged that travelling at night would be unsafe because lines are unfeuced and cattle wander on tho track. Well, a great part of the travelling is done at night as it is. In winter it is dark at five o'clock, and the end of the journey is at nine, so that four hours of the whole journey of ten are passed in darkness.