SOUTH ISLAND NIGHT TRAIN SERVICES

Southland Times, Issue 24887, 29 October 1942, Page 6

SOUTH ISLAND NIGHT TRAIN SERVICES

Importance Of Retention

An effort to ensure that night expresses will continue to run between Dunedin and Christchurch has recently been made by the president of the Dunedin Manufacturers’ Association, Mr J. C. H. Somerville, and the president of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, Mr C. E. Begg. In reply to their communications to the Minister of Railways, the Hon. R. Semple, the following reply has been received:— “I am pleased to inform you that in addition to the usual Sunday night trains, night expressses will continue running on trial, leaving Dunedin and Christchurch respectively on Wednesdays and Fridays. The retention of these services will depend on the patronage accorded them.” The secretary of the Dunedin Manufacturers’ Association, Mr F. L. Hitchens, stated that the night services were a great boon to the business community in that the journey was both fast and convenient. It was pointed out by Mr Hitchens that, should the Railways Department revert to its former timetable and eliminate the night expresses, business men would lose a day each way in travelling to and from their destinations. In the present circumstances, time was of the utmost value to business men, whose interests would suffer in the event of a restriction in the railway passenger transport services. It should be understood that the night service would be retained only as long as the patronage afforded justified its existence.