TRAINS ARE LOADED WITH PASSENGERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18643, 24 December 1928, Page 9

TRAINS ARE LOADED WITH PASSENGERS.

STATION IS CENTRE OF MUCH ACTIVITY. The railway station is one of the busiest j>arts of the city at present. Railway officers are working at high pressure, with hardly a minute to spare, and residents and visitors are crowding the platform and making innumerable inquiries as to the coming and going of trains.

On Saturday the express from the south brought 650 passengers, the first relief train from Dunedin 350, the express from Invercargill, which was two hours late, 650, and another relief train from Dunedin 400. The night express to Invercargill took 600, the relief train to Dunedin 650, and the mid-day express to Dunedin 400. Another relief, at 12.45 p.m., took 200. Two relief trains went to and from the West Coast. The first took 240 to the Coast, and the first from the Coast brought 200. The ordinary West Coast trains took 360 each way. On Sunday evening two trains from Lyttelton brought 900 passengers by the daylight ferry service. An Invercargill train, with sixteen carriages, took 600.

To-day the night express from Dunedin brought 400. By the first express 450 went south, and by the relief the same number. The ordinary West Coast express took 400, and the relief 300. The mid-day train to Dunedin to-day took 400, and the relief had seven cars, with about 300 passengers. The night express south to-day will have eleven cars, and will take about 400 passengers. On Wednesday special trains will run to the Glentunnel sports, Oxford, Stewart's Gully, where two gatherings will be held, Ashburton, Southbridge, Timaru, Rangiora, and several to Lyttelton.

For the convenience of motorists, a special will run from Otira to Springfield to-morrow for twenty-two motorcars that will be brought to Christchurch. This morning nineteen motorcars came from the West Coast by the ordinary goeds train. Two additional sleeping-cars for the night express recently completed, are in use. They are of the same type as the other sleeping-cars.