RAILWAY TRAFFIC.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1941, 26 December 1913, Page 8

RAILWAY TRAFFIC.

OUTWARD BOOKING HEAVY. The money receipts at the Thorndon Station on Wednesday exceeded thoso for any other Christmas Eve by about £500. Some, idea of . the amount of traffic may "be gathered from the fact that hi two days £27 was received in payment of left luggage charges, and £52 for excess charges. The handling of tho luggage this year seems to havo been very satisfactory. Pconlc havo been usiiiE the check system much'moro freely than usual, and very few packages have gone astray. There havo been many fewer complaints than in Tush seasons of previous years. Tho parcels'office has also got over tho wrork very much more speedily, and so far as can bo learned few parcels havo gono nmis3. Tho exact figures for tho outward booking of passengers travelling on .Wednesday aro not available, but they may bo arrived at approximately bv tho following record of the size " and number of the trains-dispatched, all the trains bcins filled, and the canacity of every coach boinw 40:—New Plymouth main train, 10 cars; Napier, 10; Wangamn "relief," 8: Auckland. Limited at 11.50 a.m., 11; Auckland exoressat 12.35 p.m., 14; Palmorston, at 4.15 ' p.m., 12; Auckland, at 9.10 n.m., 14; Wanganui, at 11.20 p.m., 10. "This last train to Waiigaimti proved a ' very popular train, for whereas in past years it has always been ' thrf.custom to reduco the train at Paekakariki and Palmerston. this year all the coaches had to be taken through to Wanganui. The suburban, traffic"*' on Tuesday and Wednesday was heavy, but very few neoplo travelled on" the trams yesterday. <■ ' ■ Tho .' -. outward- ~ traffic on Tunsday"was almost as heavy as on Wednesday, augmented as it was bv the Tainui passengers. <f , ; whom 126 booked to Auckland, and by , tho special constables returning home, j Yesterday a train left for Auckland with ( the Royal Comic Opora Company, who \ arrived by the Maungar.ui, on "board. \ They occupied three cars, two vans were. | lr.adod with their, impedimenta, and ; other passengers' filled tho remaining \ nine cars of the train. _ Tho inward traffic was Tomparativelv \ light, the heaviest day of the season . being Tuesday. Tim_ need for better station aceom- ! modatio.-i was further demonstrated in j the crush on Wednesday mcniinc: and ] night. The congestion was simply < shameful, and j-coplo had to bo kept j out, on the street because there was no room for them in the ticket'enclosure, ' while their trains left Without them, j Everybody was lory angry with tho rail- \ wayauthorities, bnt'in cold blond it is not. just to blame tho;officials,-who wero finite obviously verv milch distressed to' / bo compelled to.treat tho public with J apparent-lack of consideration. The Fact , is that it is impossible for anv staff to • cope with a rush of traffic on Thorndon ' station as it is now arranged. The new * Cenornl Manager of Railways (Mr. F;. i F. Hilfly) was on the platform while tho , night trains wore being dispatched, and '' he had amplo oonortunitios' for seeing £ tho congestion, which was worse at night than during, tho morning.