Study Of Railways Overseas Urged

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31118, 22 July 1966, Page 1

Study Of Railways Overseas Urged

The South Island Publicity Association will ask the Minister of Railways (Mr McAlpine) to send representatives overseas to study railway systems in Europe, the United States, and Japan.

It wants this study made as a prelude to modernising railway services in New Zealand.

The matter was raised yeserday during a discussion by the association’s executive council of reports from Mr R. Lascelles, of Christchurch, who is at present overseas. His reports implied that the standard of facilities on railways had a great bearing on the number of patrons they obtained. To promote the use of railways by tourists in New Zealand efforts would have to be made to improve seating arrangements, clean up railway stations, offer better refreshment amenities, smarten up railway staff uniforms.

and provide larger viewing windows, Mr Lascelles said. One delegate told the council that in England commuters were offered coffee and toast on trains on their way to work, and even on journeys of one hour and a half three-course meals were provided and eaten without undue rush.

Another delegate said indications throughout the United Kingdom were that people were preferring rail to air and road transport. He said the “Guardian” had experimented by sending three reporters to a common destination by road, rail and air. The reporter travelling by train was the first to arrive.