LATE TRAINS

Waikato Independent, Volume XXX, Issue 2313, 20 March 1930, Page 5

LATE TRAINS

MUCH INCONVENIENCE CAUSED.

MANY COMPLAINTS,

The Cambridge-Frankton train service is not used nowadays to any very great extent for passenger traffic. However, those who do use the trains have been much annoyed of late by the late arrival and departure of same at Cambridge. This unpunctuality —an oldstanding complaint, and one reason why the trains have lost popularity —has been specially noticeable during the past few weeks, and in several instan-ces-has caused much inconvenience and annoyance. Quite a number of children travel by the eai'ly morning train from Cambridge to Hamilton, to attend the High School, Technical School, etc. and on several days have arrived very late for their lessons—sometimes fully an hour late, we are informed. The return Frankton-Cambridgc train, due to arrive here at 5.5 p.m. has also been delayed very frequently, and sometimes wanders in at any old time between 5 p.m. and 6.30 p.m. Under these circumstances is it any wonder that the trains are patronised so poorly? Explanation. On enquiry from the local stationmaster as to th§ reason for the delays, we were informed that the most serious trouble —the late despatch of the 7.55 a.m. train from Cambridge—was due to this train being late in arrival here. This train is really part of a goods train that arrives at Frankton early in the morning from Auckland, and is then despatched to Cambridge. Of late, owing to exceptionally heavy goods traffic, the train has been de layed in reaching Frankton and consequently does not reach Cambridge in time to be despatched on the return journey at the scheduled time. On one or two occasions it was impossible to leave Cambridge till about an hour late.

The late arrival of the afternoon train is due, we are informed, to unavoidable delays caused by shunting, etc., and also to heavy traffic. Mr Munn informs us that the goods traffic on the local branch line has been very heavy of late, partly due to a carriage of fertilisers, etc., and the returns for the last few weeks have been most satisfactory. The delay was regretted, but was unavoidable.