WILD TRAIN SCENES.

West Coast Times, 11 April 1912, Page 4

WILD TRAIN SCENES.

THE HOLIDAY RUSH. HOW DEPARTMENT MET IT. ■ AUCKLAND, April 7. During the pre-Easter rush to and from Auckland'.the traffic on the railways was very heavy, and again proved greater than was apparently anticipated by the Railway Department. Numerous are the complaints of overcrowding by unfortunate apassongors, who were compelled to stand in the carriages during the greater part of the long journeys. From what can be gathered, it seems to bo painfully evident that facilities in the way of rolling stock are woefully lacking. For instacne, on. the second Main Trunk Express that left Auckland on Thursday night the carriages provided for the second-class passengers were the ordinary vehicles with longitudinal wooden' seats, instead of the crosswise cushioned chair seats provided on the first express. This suggests that there is a lamentable shortage/, of carriages suitable for the Main Trunk express, ami an indescribable lack of foresight on the part of the Department. Even the extension of the inadequate special accomodation by the addition of the unsuitable 'corridor carriages failed to meet the demand for room, and many passengers have been compelled to stand owing to the rush for accommodation.

An instance of the inability of the Department to eopo with a little extraordinary traffic was the confusion that prevailed on the railway platform on Thursday morning prior to the departure of the 10 o’clock Rotorua express. The ticket office was besieged by anxious intending passengers for some time before the train started, but tlio procos-; of selling tickets proved extremely slow, and the tempers of those waiting were not improved by the delay. Many people who had been down fully an hour early wore only able, to get seats in the front carriage of the train almost at the last moment. The scone on the platform between nine and leu o’clock was one of absolute confusion. Porter? wore shouting out directions, while other porters were wheeling luggage to and fro, and passengers, dragging their portmanteaux through the crowd, were running hither and thither to Hud a. seat on the train., Just a iifldo prior to the departure "of the. train another carriage was added, ami was .'moodily filled. The train eventnally departed, with about 450 passengers, occupying fifteen carriages, and ail the heating accomodation being taken up.

The ordinary 9.10 p.m., express to Wellington on Thursday night was not overcrowded though it was fully occupied, evidently as many passengers as could do so waiting for the second express, probably in the fear of being jammed out of the first. When the second did go, tho outstanding feature of its loading was that tho second-class accommodation was overcrowded, though there was a number of empty seats in tho first-class compartments. There were many people who stood on the platforms when tho train left. P:c-

sumahly, they would have, the explore the train, and nestle in tho unexpected luxury of first-class upholstery. They wore lucky if they did, for the prospect of travelling all tho way to Wellington in one of the old-fashioned oars is ono of unadulterated misery. The station platform was, of course, crowded with passengers, and ' the limited mirnbor of people who had paid for the privilege of being jostled and bustled on tho gloomy platform. Due of the crying needs of the Auckland railway station, apart from the question of traffic, is an inadequate system of lighting. For some reason, some of tho existing lamps wore not lit.

The 4,15 p.m., train, which left the Auckland station for Waikato, had a full complement of passengers as it departed, there being two cattle trucks on the train for those passengers who were to be [licked up at the other stations along the route. Those who have not travelled by eat-tlo tnu ks can hardly imagine the cxqni ito misery of such an experience. By the time tho train reaehed its destination the people compelled thus to travel must have, been in a pitiable plight, owing to draughtineSs and general discomfort of tho trucks. The Waikato train which arrived here on Thursday afternoon also had cattle trucks, in which passengers were compelled to pass a dreary four hours.