CHRISTMAS RAILWAY TRAFFIC

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 80, 28 December 1921, Page 4

CHRISTMAS RAILWAY TRAFFIC

POOR ON LOCAL SUBURBAN LINES EFFECT OF BAD WEATHER The holiday traffic on Wellington suburban Tail way lines has been rather small this Christinas, largely, no doubt, because the weather 1 on Christmas Day was showery, and on Boxing Day was bad. On Saturday afternoon Lambton Station was busy, but on Sunday, when tiro ordinary Sunday service was run, there was not even tho usual amount of traffic. Monday was a very quiet day at the same station, and on the whole Lambton seems to have seen much less Christmas business this year than it 'did last year. Saturday was a very busy day at Thorndon. In round figures, the number of outgoing passenger's on the various trains dispatched was 2250. The Wanganui “relief” took 300, the New ■Plymouth train 700. the Napier 600, the Auckland midday 300. and the Auckland two o’clock 350. All the suburban trains were well filled with week-enders, whose camping paraphernalia littered tho platforms at intervals throughout the day. On- Sundav the inward and the outward traffic at Thorndon were poor. Monday found the Thorndon stationmaster prepared to copo with a big suburban rush that never came. The bad' weather spoiled tho programme utterly. The special trains that were run for picknickers were very meagrely patrnisecl, and a 9.55 special bound for Plimnierton had to be cancelled, simply because the carriages were empty. Tho Saturday morning train from Auckland consisted of eighteen vehicles, and brought a large number of passengers to Wellington. Unfortunately, it was half,an hour late, and this led to tho delay which some holiday-makers wishing to take outward-bound trains experienced at tho gates of the station. There were further substantial influxes of visitors by tho (wo subsequent Auckland trains on tho same day, but the inward suburban traffic was small. Most of the Christmas traffic from Wellington up the Main Trunk line occurred before Saturday. For a few days thh station officials were very busy meeting its demands, and telegrams for reservations were coming in at the rate of five hundred a day from stations along the lino.

From inquiries made at some of the larger licensed hotels in the city, it appears that not enough visitors have come to Wellington to tax the available accommodation very severely. “We are well hooked up, but there is no real rush.” was what several of the licensees said to a Dominion representative.