MAIN TRUNK EXPRESSES

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 240, 9 January 1917, Page 4

MAIN TRUNK EXPRESSES

Pukekohe's Request Refused la reference to the renewed request recently made to the Minister of Railways by the Pukekohe Chamber of Commerce for Pukekohe to be made a stopping-place for the Main Trunk expresses, the following letter has been received by the hon secretary of the Chamber from Mr £. H. Hiley, General Manager of Railways, viz : " Sir,—With reference to your letter of the 18th November addressed to the Hon. Minister of Railways which has been referred to me to deal with urging that one of the through express trains running between Auckland and Wellington should stop regularly at Pukekohe, I have the honour to inform you that for some time past there has been an increasing demand for an accleration of speed of the express trains, and with a view of meeting this demand the Department has endeavoured by restricting the stops as far as possible to do something in the direction indicated When the through express trains were laid on it was recognised that the primary object should be to provide a reasonably fast through service for longdistance passengers, and settlers residing in the vicinity of wayside stations should be given facilities by means of local trains to journey to stations at which the express would stop in the ordinary way. From the outset the Department has on the other hand been assailed with request more or les9 insistent to have each village served by the express trains. As your Chamber is no doubt aware, high speeds and frequent stops are quite incompatable and under the existing timetable the express trains have as much as they can do to run to schedule time when fully loaded. The requirements of the Pukekohe business are reasonably met by the existing train services at the disposal of the residents in the district, in the circumstances I very much regret that the request cannot be complied with.—l have the honour to be, your obedient servant E. H. Hiley, General Manager."