WAIKATO RAILWAY SERVICE

Waikato Times, Volume 96, Issue 15037, 7 September 1922, Page 5

WAIKATO RAILWAY SERVICE

FAST TRAIN ASKED FOR i FROM HAMILTON TO AUCKLANDMINISTER'S ADVERSE REPLY. (By Telegraph.—Special to Times.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. Mr J. A. Young (Waikato) asked the Minister of Railways (Hon. D. H". Guthrie) whether he had taken into his consideration the propriety of runnlng a fast train daily to Auckland, starting from either Hamilton or Frankton Junction station, at, -say, 7.30 a.m. The opinion of business men and others at Hamilton, he - said, is that such a train, apart Trom being a great advantage to the community, would prove a profitable .inyestment to. the Railway Department; It -was reliably stated in the Waikato Times last week that 400 passengers travelled by _ the Main Trunk express on the previous Sunday night from Auckland, and over half of them terminated their journey at Frankton Junction. ~ Hon D. H Guthrie replied that the matter has been engaging attention, but the* circumstances are not favourable to such a project. At the present time the traffic is insufficient to paythe cost of running a train, and the requirements of the district beyond Hamilton and Frankton Junction in the matter of connections must be given consideration. No addition can be made to the services while the present financial stringency continues.