THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2209, 5 June 1908, Page 1

THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH

THE NEW EXPRESS TIME-TABLE DAY Oil NIGHT SERVICE. Tiio lion. TV. Hall-Jones, Alinislor lor Railways, and his officers aro devoting some time to tho question of the best time-table to adopt for tho express railway service between Auckland and Invercargill, on the completion of the North island Mam Trunk line in December. The first point they aro considering is whether the express service in tho south should start from Invercargill or Dunedin. If it starts from Invercargill there must he an all-night .service over the Main Trunk lino, but if Dunedin is the southern start-ing-point, a daylight service can ho arranged for over the greater part of tho Main Tran k'lino. Tho Wellington “Post” gives tho broad alternatives as follows: (1) A fast sorvico giving a through connection between Invercargill and Auckland and involving the running of all-night trains at a great extra cost. (2) A fast. thr'.iu'ih service between .Dunedin- u.nd Auckland, enabling the train journey to be undertaken.during daylight, at a minimum cost. Tho “Rost” says tho advantages of the first proposal would bo tlio additional dispatch given to mails and any passenger traffic offering botwcou tho extreme ends of the Dominion. It is considered very doubtful whether the number of net-sons who would undertake tho continuous journey of forty-eight hours would bo sufficient to justify the additional expense that would be involved in running such a service, as a special night staff would he required. Tho advantages of tho second proposal would be a less costly service, and tho fact that the bulk of tho train travelling could ho done in daylight., while reasonable despatch would at the same time bo given to mails between the most important cities of tho Dominion. DUNEDIN, WELLINGTON, AND AUCKLAND TIMETABLE, in regard to details, the “Post” says that a timetable giving a through connection, between Dunedin and Auckland lias been worked out. Under it, the trains would leave Dunedin at 7 a.m., and reach Lyttelton at 4 p.m., which would allow the steamer to leave for Wellington at 5 p.m., arriving at tho latter port at 4 or 5 a.in. The train would leave Wellington for Auckland at G a.in. The journey over the Main Trunk line will occupy 18J , hours, the northern city being reached at midnight. By running -this time-table, tho train would pass Taumaramii, on tho Main Trunk, at 5 p.m,, seven hours from Auckland. All tho heavy country between Marton- and Taumaranui would bo traversed in daylight, and passengers would enjoy vews of magnificent forest and mountain scenery on the way. Leaving Auckland for Dunedin by the Main Trunk line at 6 a.m., so as to give daylight running, would mean reaching Wellington at midnight. The ferry steamer could take her departure at 1 a.m., reaching Lyttelton at noon, the southern express starting half ail hour later for Dunedin, which citv would be reached about 8.30 p.m. SOUTHLAND, TARANAKI, AND HAWKE’S BAY PASSENGERS Passengers from Southland who desire to travel to Auckland-would require to spend tho night in Dunedin. Passengers from Napier and New Plymouth who wish to go to Auckland by tlio Main Trunk line would also require to leave their homes the day before, in-order..t-o-tiiako-ihe-necessary?-‘ connections with the north bound express from AVcllington to Auckland. Coming south, they would requiro to remain the night at Marton and Palmerston North respectively, going on by the express next day. THE MAILS. Two very important questions that will have to be taken info consideration in connection with tho through train service will he the despatch given to the mails, and the desirability of bringing the most northern and southern parts of the Dominion into closer contact by rail. In 1898 tho late Mr. E. G. Wright interested liimsclf very much in tho through train and steamer sorvicc, and in that year tho matter was fully gone into by a Parliamentry Committee. That committee was appointed to inquire into and report as to the best means of securing a quick ami regular steam service between Wellington and Lyttelton. Tlio conclusions arrived at by the Comniitteo were:—(l) That tho important traffic between the two islands by way of AVcllington and Lyttelton was such as to demand a more punctual steam, service' than was then provided. (2) That the time occupied on tho journey between Dunedin and Auckland by rail and steamer should not exceed •51 hours, instead of, as was then the case, three or four days. (3) That tlie Government invito tenders for suitable ferry steamers estimated to cost £60,000 or £70,000 each. THE FERRY STEAMERS. The enterprise displayed by the Union Steamship Company in placing a vessel like the Maori in tho ferry service between AA’ellington and Lyttelton does away with the necessity tliere might have been ten years ago for the purchase of steamers by the Government, and tlio completion in the near future of the Main Trunk line will make it possible to connect the extreme ends of the Dominion by fast trains, which will reduce tlie duration of the journey to reasonable limits. INVERCARGILL-AUCKLAND TIME-TABLE. The present express train between Christchurch and -Invercargill takes about fifteen hours to do the journey. Adopting that rate of speed as a basis, it is possible for a train to start from Invercargill ia-t 7 a.m., and reach Lyttelton at 9 p.m. the same day. Assuming that the steamer leaves Lyttelton for Wellington at 10 p.m.,' ami does the journey in twelve hours, it should reach AVelliiigton at 10 a.m., and allowing an hour for passengers to change from ship to train, the north-bound express coukl leave AVollington for Auckland at 11 a.m. Passengers from Napier could connect at Palmerston North, and passengers from AA r anganui and Taranaki at Marton, and the train could reach Auckland, allowing eighteen and a half or nineteen hours, between 6 and 7 a.m. next day, making the journey forty-seven hours from Invercargill to Auckland. €5 SOTUH-BOUND EXPRESS. As to tho south-bound express, a train leaving Auckland at 10 p.m. would arrive" at AVcllington at 6 p.m. tlio following day. Assuming that tlie steamer left at 7.30, giving time for the Napier ami AVairarapa pas songers to arrive, she would reach Lyttelton about 6.40 next morning,

and passengers' could entrain in time to connect with tlio 8 a.m. express at Christchurch, and get through to Invercargill about 10.30 p.m. Tho ladbption of 'this t,ime-(tahl;e would necessitate the. greater portion of tho journey between Auckland and AVcllington being'made at nighttime, and the consequent running of sleeping-cariTh’ges. SLEEPING-CARS. The Government is having a number of slcoping-enrriugbs construe Led, Imt with the experience of other .countries in regard to sleeping-cars before it, the fixing of the time-table assumes greater importance, and it is doubtful whether they will ho used, at any rate during next summer. Sleeping-cars, as a rule, are a very unprofitable investment to those railways that have adopted them, owing to tlio limited ■accommodation, winch they give in proportion to their size and great weight. Another question that will require : careful consideration v.'i!! .be whether without population the" through passenger traffic, will be of sufficient volume to pay for the running of fast through trains -to give daily connection between the giyrth Jj#&ss}iitJ> portions of the Dominion, ov wlfether the service should bo worked with a view to making a W'ellingtxm-Auckland connection, and leaving the inter-is-land traffic to bo dealt with as at present. It is understood that tho Govern-, inert intends to make, for some time, at any rate, the Main Trunk service between AVcljington and Auckland the chief consideration, and it can do this with a daily service from Dunedin STEAMER ARRANGEMENTS TO AVELLINGTON.

The. Government, the “Post” adds, has not lost sight of the importance of running the express alongside the ferry steamers, and the Harbor Board and Union Company may be confidently expected to assist in making suitable arrangements m this respect. In view of the enterprise that lias been displayed by the Union Steamship Company in the past, that company will, no doubt, do its part in providing a thoroughly satisfactory lorry service between Wellington and Lyttelton.