Rail fares will not fall to match air discounts

Press, 24 June 1983, Page 4

Rail fares will not fall to match air discounts

PA Auckland The Railways Corporation would not reduce its fares to match the discounted Air New Zealand fares, said a corporation spokesman yesterday. The spokesman said the corporation did not regard the Air New Zealand move as competition. “It is really not a question of competition," he said. “You are looking at different audiences.” People who travelled on the Northerner did so, largely, because they preferred rail. He was commenting on a

d call by the general secren tary of the National Union s of Railwaymen, Mr Don r Goodfellow, for the corporaa tion to “get its act together” ;- after the announcement by Air New Zealand of its e cheap night fares between d Auckland, Wellington, and e Christchurch. Mr Goodfellow said the i- new air fares would hit the e railways drastically unless it the corporation moved quickly. n The new air “Thrifty >, Fare” between Auckland «- and Christchurch of 879 will be |8 cheaper than the a combined train and ferry

fare offered by the Railways. The Auckland-Wellington “Thrifty Fare” of 859 will be only marginally dearer than the two rail fares available. The Railways night-time Northerner fare (nonsleeper) is 849.70 and the Silver Fern day fare is 855.80. The airline’s chief executive, Mr Norman Geary, also announced that from July 18, there would be increased flights on the Auckland-Wellington-Christ-church routes, amounting to about 15,000 seats a month.