RAILWAY CONCESSIONS.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2357, 13 January 1915, Page 3

RAILWAY CONCESSIONS.

Sir, —About-a couple of months ago, as the result of deputations to the Minister of Railways, a • supposed concession, viz., ■ that of the "Auckland expresses stopping at Levin when required, was granted, but travellers on those trains nave good reason to know that this is a concession in appearanoe only, _as anyone wishing to alight or entrain at this station has to pay the full fare from Wellington to Palmerston, or vice versa. It is no great hardship for a train leaving Wellington to first stop at Levin —they can take in water—and the present arrangement is undoubtedly an imposition on those having business relations with this important township. If tho Government are going to give us a "square deal," I hope they will do the thing properly, and not perpetuate tho bluff or their predecessors, for the country has long been tired of it. Trusting that this anomaly will be speedily removed.—l am, etc., ' CONSTANT TRAVELLER. [The case for the Railway Department was stated to a Dominion reporter who made inquiries yesterday:— This case of Levin raises the whole question of stops for long-distance express trains', not only on tnis line.but also on other lines. On the one hand we have to give first consideration to passengers_ travelling long distances on these trains, and in order to do this we endeavour to run as fast trains as possible. But fast trains cannot be run if stops at wayside stations are too frequent,_ and if the concession asked for at Levin is granted ; we must then grant at least a dozen , similar applications from places very .much worse served than Levin. For , these Main Trunk trains the regulations 1 firescribe that a passenger from Wei- ; ington or Palmerston, or any person ■ joining the train at any intermediate, station, must pay the full fare between j Palmerston and Wellington, the object 1 being to discourage local short-distance ( passengers 'i rom crowding these trains to -the discomfort of long-distance travellers in whose interest these trains are run. This regulation the Department is not disposed to alter. • Levin is 'amply served with trains already. It may be readied 'from Wellington by; the ' 8;20 a.m. New Plymouth express, the 9.8 a.m. Napier express, the 9.2-8 a.m. 5 mixed train, and the 4.13 p.m. mixed fl train—four trains a day, two oT them ( expresses. From Levin to Wellington j there are slow trains from Palmerston r at 7.18 a.m., 12.13 p.m., and 6.42 p.m., „ and express trains at 3.6 p.m. and 4.36 j. p.m. This is considered ample for the j business of tho town of Levin. If anybody has urgent business, and he finds c that none of these trains suit him, he may travel on the Main Trunk ex- q presses, but he should not object to pay j. the full fare to Palmerston for tho g privilege. It should be understood that the regulation applies to Paekakariki as B well as to Levin, and engine require- K ments compel the Main Trunk expresses t to stop at Paekakariki always."] f