MANY SPECIAL TRAINS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 278, 24 November 1945, Page 4

MANY SPECIAL TRAINS

CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR BUSY PERIOD EXPECTED Extra express trains, totalling 88, will run between Wellington and Auckland during the Christinas and New Year period from Monday, December 17, to Saturday, January 12. During the holiday season under review there will be 43 specials from Wellington to Auckland and 45 from Auckland to Wellington. Beginning on December 17, express trains between Wellington, Wanganui and New Plymouth will run daily, instead of tri-weekly as at present. The coal-saving timetable, however, will be reverted to after January 12. Relief expresses will also run between Wellington and Wanganui during the busiest days, with specia] night trains on Christmas Eve.

In all, there will bo 43 extra express trains on the Wellington-Wan-ganui-New Plymouth route during the period under review, the object of the specials being to cope with the heavy holiday traffic expected. Advance bookings, which may be made one calendar month ahead of travel for the holiday period, opened at all stations this week. Bookings generally are fairly heavy and at the Wanganui city station there has been a steady flow of inquiries for reserved seats. At Auckland on Wednesday, when bookings opened, queues formed early in the morning. Railway officials in Wanganui emphasised yesterday that people wishing to save themselves discomfort and inconvenience when travelling during the holidays should reserve’ their seats as early as possible. Tho. e who leave it too' late will find that the principal lon/ distance trains are fully booked considerably ahead of the date of travel.

Early bookings also give the authorities a good guide as to the volume of passenger traffic that may be expected and enable them to plan accordingly. This Christmas, the first since the war ended, is likely 1o be the busiest on record and there will be a heavy demand on cars. Holiday train arrangements, drawn up weeks in advance, provide for extra passenger trains on all New Zealand main lines,*with the heaviest traffic on the Main Trunk. This year, Christmas Day falls on a Tuesday, with the result that people in many occupations will begin their holidays on the preceding Friday, December 21. On that day there will be six express trains each way between Wellington and Auckland, four more than are normally scheduled. Through expresses for Auckland will leave Wellington at 1.50 p.m., 3 p.m., 3.42 p.m., 7.15 p.m., 7.40 p.m., and 8.55 p.m. Trains for Wellington will leave Auckland at 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 3.30 p.m., 7.15 p.m., 7.35 p.m., and 8.5 p.m. During the holiday period the Limited expresses will run daily, except Saturdays, each way between Wellington and Auckland, instead of on Mondays and Fridays, as at present. A relief express will also leave Wellington at 3.42 p.m. daily, except Sundays, for Auckland. A relief express wil] run from Auckland to Wellington each day. Passengers travelling between Wellington, Wanganui and New Plymouth will have a daily express service. In addition, relief expresses will leave Wanganui for Wellington at 11.35 a.m. on December 20. 21, 22, 24, and 29,

and January 2,3, and 5. Relief expresses for Wanganui will leave Wellington at 10.28 a.m. on December 20, 21, 24, and 29, and January 2,3, and 5.

Op Saturday, December 22, the 10.28 a.m. train from Wellington will run to New Plymouth, and on the same day a special train will leave New Plymouth at 1.45 p.m. for Wanganui, observing the same schedule as the “Flyer.” The object of the specials between Wellington and Wanganui is to relieve congestion on the ordinary through expresses. On the days that these relief trains run, the through trains will take passengers, luggage and parcels from .* tations between Aramoho and New Plymouth only. For the benefit of people working on Christmas Eve, night trains have been arranged between Wellington, Wanganui and New Plymouth. One special will leave New Plymouth at 10.30 p.m. for Wellington, and another will leave Wellington at 11.20 p.m. for New Plymouth. Connecting trains will run be .ween Wanganui and Aramoho Junction

An Auckland message states that on the day bookings opened, the first intending holiday travellers took up their positions outride the reservations office at the Auckland station soon after midnight. Their eighthour vigil, however, was unnecessary, as seats were still obtainable late in the afternoon.

Officials reported a big demand for first-class reats, which were invariably booked out before secondclass. “People have the money and are going to travel in the greater comfort of a first-class carriage if they can,” said an Auckland official. It is thought that many people who wil] travel during the holidays have not yet realised that they may reserve a month ahead, accounting in some degree for the fact that principal long-distance trains are not yet fully booked. At the time of last year’s Christmas rush seats could be reserved two weeks in advance.