THE NEW RAILWAY STATION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue 67, 22 April 1881, Page 2

THE NEW RAILWAY STATION.

» Mesar3 Park, Reed & Co., the sub-con-tractors for the new Foxton railway station, are rapiily pushing on with their work, A brief descriotion will doubtless be of interest to our readers. The station is placed on the ne«vly-reclaimed land at the end of Clyde-3treet, which will be the principal way to it from the main street. The platform is an enormous length, about 250 feet, and there are seven or eight different liaes of rails for shunting purposes and leading from the main line to the different sheds and buildings. The station its If is placed against the bank dropping from the Esplanade to the river. The en^g| tire length of the station is 80 feet. Qfj» this, 49 feet is 15 feet wide, ami th* re-< raaiuing, 31 feet is 10 feet wide. The new station will be different to the present one, ia that it will have no open space for loungers. The whole of the front is closed in. At the north end is placed the ladies' waiting room, 11 feet x 14 feet 2 inches, with lavatory aud other conveniences connected. Adjoining this is the principal waiting room, 19 feet x 14 feet 2 inches, with seats all round. In one corner is a sliding window to connect with the ticket office, which is the next room, 12 feet x 14 feet 2 inches. A door opens from the waiting room to the ticket office. The ticket office ends the wide portion of the building. The remainder comprises the luggage room. 20 feet x 9 feet 2 inches, and lamp room, 10 feet by 9 feet 2 inches. The chief and most apparent defect of the new station is the absurdly small spa'je allotted to the stationmaster and clerks. A small room, 12 feet xl 4 feet 2 inches; is certainly not large enough for the accommodation of two clerks and a stationiMaster. Then, again, a desk should bo provided, across which the public could communicate with the officials. At all Telegraph and Post Offices a proper counter is provided to separate the public from the officials. Why should n^t the same method obtain in connection with the railway offices ? It is absurd that when persons go to a railway statiou to transact business they should be permitted to walk right into the office, where the books and documents are lying all about. Yet no other method of communicating with the officials is at present possibl , and the same annoyance will be caused when the new station is opened, unless all communication with the outside world is carried on through the ticket window. We write in the interests of the railway officials and the department generally, as of course it does not matter a straw to the public where they do their business, so long as they are attended to promptly and efficiently. All Government departments should carry on their work in absolute privacy, which is impossible where the public a r e constantly entering the effice. Another objection we have to the new station is that the platform is too narrow, being only 8£ feet from the frout of the station to the edge of the platform. If the large waiting room were open like the present statiou this would not matter, but as the whole of the front of the station is closed in, it appears to us that at least another three feet in width of . platform should have been allowed. For ordinary traffic no doubt 8J feet is ample, but when there happens to be a crowd on an excursion day rushing for seats, we fear accidents will be liable to occur.