SOUTH CANTERBURY TRAINS.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16853, 5 June 1920, Page 9

SOUTH CANTERBURY TRAINS.

TO THE KDITOK OY 1 'TTIE PRESS.'' Sir, —In the interest of those who ar© compelled -to use what aro known as ''mixed" trains between stations at which. no express stops, I think it necessary to draw public attention to the farce that has been going on in the running of these time-tabled trains for so mo months past on the SouthContor- : bury section. A morning train from 1 Timaru leaves daily on time at 7.15, but i'rom various causes steadily loses time, and arrives at Ashburton invariably late. The morning train Ashbarton to Timaru has nil equal record, and whilst due in Timnru at 10.5 a.m., is often, am hour later, rendering it -unreliable for use from a business point of view. A midday Timaru-Asliburton mixed train is time-tabled to leave at 11.55. It seldom away on time, and is anything from ono to two hours late in reaching Ashburton. As the locomotivo of this train lias to take the scheduled 3.50 p.m. goods and passenger train from Ashbnrton to Timaru, this latter train lias not run to time on a single occasion in the past throe months: its arrival, 7.5 p.m., has been stretched anywhere from 7.50 p.m. to an cxtremo l(h3o p.m. This for n time-tabled service—the only opportunity for passengers at small stations between Ashburton and Timaru from midday—is a publip disgrace. This condition of affairs has obtained in a marked degree this past six months. Whv it should bo so miirketl now is difficult to fathom, as in former years, in addition to heavy handling of live stock, large consignments of grain have been handled and the timetable observed. This season the grain carriage has been negligible. If passengers aro no consideration in the running of these trains, then these trains should be promptly removed from the time-table, and the public of these parts will .take other means of travelling, and save themselves perishing and uncertain delays at flag stations, or as officered stations whtere the staff is sometimes on duty fourteen hotrrs pec dav.—Yours, etc., DAILY MAIL. Timaru, May 31st.