RAILWAY TRAFFIC MAINTAINED

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 85, 4 January 1935, Page 10

RAILWAY TRAFFIC MAINTAINED

New Year Travellers WELLINGTON STATIONS’ BUSY DAYS Railway traffic to and from Wellington during the New Year holidays was similar to that at Christmastide—the best for many years. It will be some time yet before it will be possible to’ express the increase in terms ot cash, since returns have to -come in from every railway station throughout the Dominion. Officials report that conditions will not return to normal uutil the beginning of next week at the earliest, as thousands of people have yet to come back from their holidays. The majority of train travellers on Wednesday were people returning from their annual holidays in other centres, or at resorts within the province. Outward traffic, however, was exceptionally heavy, the race trains being well patronised. There were many passengers in the outgoing trains yesterday, while tile incoming ordinary train from Auckland was a very large one, there being 16 carriages. As a rule eight or nine carriages are sufficient for the people travelling by this train. Wairarapa Traffic Heavy.

Three trains from the Wairarapa yesterday brought over 1600 passengers; one held 400, another 300, and the third 300. All three were exceptionally long trains for this line. The train with 400 passengers made a great showing as it climbed the incline on the Wairarapa side. Its starting point was at Woodville aud it grew as it came down the line, until by the time it reached Cross Creek it comprised 13 cars, excluding the guard’s van. Four extra carriages were put on at Masterton, one at Featherston, aud another two at Cross Creek, so that instead of it being the ordinary daily train it was au extraordinary train. To pull the big load over the hill five engines, spaced between the carriages, and four brake wagons were necessary. It was probably one of the biggest trains from the Wairarapa for a lou£ time, and as the engines puffed their way up the steep grade, which was climbed without the slightest hitch, it made a wonderful picture. With so many passengers, it was not surprising that the. train was late-in arriving at Lambton Station, but there were no complaints, except that there were some who found it rather difficult to appreciate wiry ar.rangeinents could not haVe been mule lor disembarkation on the main platform instead of at the outer platform.