The Westfield Deviation Will Serve Auckland’s Eastern Suburbs

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 762, 7 September 1929, Page 26

The Westfield Deviation Will Serve Auckland’s Eastern Suburbs

Cheap Fares RAILWAY CO-OPERATION Better Than Trams

The opening o£ the new railway will j: provide rapid, efficient and cheap | means of transit to and from Auck- i land’s new suburbs. Residents will be j as close to the city, as far as transport [

facilities are concerned, as though they were dependent on tram services within the three-mile radius of the city. In the past favoured residential

areas within reach of the City have been neglected simply because of the inconvenience of reaching the City, but with the opening of the new railway to Tamaki, which will come into operation for passenger traffic about next February, prospective residents in that district will be placed in a position as good as any of the dwellers in the environs of the City. The excellent services planned will ensure that the 10 miles of suburban territory will be closely settled within a comparatively short time. The Railway Department has already drawn up an approximate timetable, giving a typical train service. A train leaving Auckland at

0.18 p.m., and arriving at Sylvia Park station, the final stop before Westfield at 6.43 p.m., thus covers the 10 miles and five stops in 25 minutes. The times, together with the distances from the new railway station, are shown as follow-:—■ Approx! Miles from

This means that Orakei will be reached four minutes after leaving Auckland, Purewa nine minutes, Glen Innes 14 minutes, Tamaki 17 minutes, Panmure 20 minutes and Sylvia Park 25 minutes. Considering the fact that it takes 25 minutes to reach the city from most of the tram termini the advantages of such a rapid service to the residents of the new

eastern suburbs, whether Orakei, Purewa, Tamaki or Panmure, must be fairly obvious. Provision, moreover, has been made \ry the Railway Department for the issue of workers’ weekly tickets at 2s 3d for any station up to Tamaki and 2s 6d for Panmure and Sylvia Park. The corresponding weekly 12-trip tickets will be 2s 3d to Orakei, 2s 9d to Purewa, 3s 9d to Glen Innes, 4s 3d to Tamaki, 4s 9d to Panmure and 6s to Sylvia Park. These concessions will make travel by rail to and from any of these garden suburbs as cheap as, if not cheaper than, travel by tram in the precincts of the city. Ordinary fares obtaining on the new railway route are proposed as follow: Single. Return. Station. First. Second. First. Second

Season tickets, it is proposed, shall be issued on the following scale: — First Class. Second Class One Three . One Three Year. Months. Year Months. Station £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. Orakei 5631 14 5413163 Purewa 7302505 9 51 14 5 Glen Innes 9 13 9 3 2 6 713 22 5 S Tamaki 10 IS 9 3 8 9 S 11 11 2 10 0 mure 12 393 15 09762 15 0' Sylvia Park 1359413 10 95326 Ordinary season tickets will also be issued as on other routes for periods of six months and one mouth on a similar scale. Twelve-trip tickets will be issued at the charge for six return fares (suburban), less 121 per cent., and 50-trip tickets may be obtained at the charge of 25 return fares (suburban), less 20 per cent. These tickets are unrestricted as to the period of availability and are transferable, although they are not j available for a break of journey. One ! or two children, provided they are over I

three years and not over 12 years of • age count as one adult. The proposed scale, especially the j exceptionally low cost of workers’ tickets, which must be used before S a.m., makes the cost of transport as | cheap as any in New Zealand. The Railway Department is thus making suburban travel on the new line financially within the means of j all classes of the community, and doing ; much to encourage the immediate set- j tlement of the new districts. Every inducement possible is being | offered Aucklanders to leave the : crowded and unhealthy confines of the j town and make their homes further out in the model suburbs. The possibilities along the new line j are wonderful. Most of the land faces i the sun, and much of it commands views of the harbour, .or the Tamaki estuary. It seems remarkable that this area has not been brought into use before, but that is only a proof j | that transport facilities decide the ; destiny of these zones, and transport ' facilities have been lacking so far.

In another sense Auckland will gain. It is not possible for travellers to Auckland to pass through environs of greater charm. From the new stretch of country the route drops down to the sea. It crosses Hobson Bay on the embankment, where a fine view of the harbour is presented. 2nd by the new line Auckland will show its finest side to visitors. By bringing out the population of the city to districts further afield, the new railway is going to stimulate the popularity of the still more rural areas eastward of the Tamaki River. Howick is already one of the most popular seaside resorts in Auckland and building still continues. More than ever now. however, this attrac* tive beach suburb, together with Buckland’s Beach, Mellon’s Bay, Cockle Bay, Shelly Bay, Beachlands, and Maraetai, must see the invasion of greater numbers of holiday-makers. They will, in fact, constitute, with St. Heliers and Kohimarama, the great playground for the inhabitants of the new railway-line suburbs.

Depart Auckland .. Time. .. 6.IS Auckland Orakei .. • 3 Purewa -. • .. 6.27 4 Glen Innes . .. 6.32 6 Tamaki .. 6.35 Panmure .. 6.3S X Sylvia Park .. 6.43 10

Orakei . . Gd 4cl lid 7d Purewa .. Sd 5d Is 2d fid Glen Innes Is Id 9d Is Sd Is 2d Tamaki .. Is 3d lOd 3s lid Is 3d Panmure .. Is 5d lid 2s 2d Is 5cl Sylvia Park Is Sd Is Id 2s 6d Is Sd