SUNDAY TRAIN SERVICE

Wairarapa Daily Times, 11 January 1932, Page 4

SUNDAY TRAIN SERVICE

MA2TERTON TO WELLINGTON _ It is pleasing to know that the Railway Department has decided to commence running Sunday trains in both directions between Masterton and A eilington. Such trains have been run with success all the year round on the Manawatu side between Wellington and Palmerston North, and the latest decision of the Railway management puts the Wairarapa on an equal ity with the Manawatu in respect of facilities for travel on Sundays. The continuation of these services will, of course, be dependent upon public patronage, for they must be self-sup-porting. On this point the national aspect is important, for support ot the railways is coming more and more to be recognised as having a direct bearing upon taxation —the more the railways are used the less will be the taxation bill which the taxpayers have to meet.

A very convenient service has been arranged, which allows Masterton people to leave by a train„at 8.45 in the morning, reaching Wellington at 12.38 p.m. The return service leaves Wellington at 5.20 p.m. and arrives at Masterton at 8.53 p.m. It will thus.be seen that Masterton visitors to the capital city will have almost five hours there before returning. If their destinations are other places in the Hutt Valley their stay at the terminus will be correspondingly longer.

Wellington visitors to Masterton will leave Wellington at 9 in the morning and arrive at Masterton shortly after noon, departing by the 5.12 p.m. train. The same extremely low fares that are at present in operation on week days will apply to this Sunday travel, and it is worthy of note that these fares, on an average, aro actually less than half the cost of transport by service cars, the return rail fare from Masterton to Wellington being only 7s first class and 5s second class. Another feature about the introduction of these Sunday trains is that they will facilitate week-end travel at low fares for the large numbers who previously could not take advantage of these special fares, as their only opportunities of taking the longer journeys were confined to Saturday afternoons and Sundays, when there were not suitable train services. Now these Sunday trains may be utilised for tickets issued for week-day trains, as ordinary and suburban tickets are available for these trains as well as the Sunday tickets, and the Sunday tickets may be used for the return journey on week-day trains. The present service has been definitely arranged to run on four consecutive Sundays, commencihg next Sunday, January 17, and will thereafter be continued should the support given justify their running.