Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

The Daily News FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16. THE RAILWAY TIMETABLE.

A matter that deeply concerns the whole of Taranaki, from Paten to New 'Plymouth, and also the travelling convenience (tf the .New Zealand public gonerally, is to be considered sit a public meeting in New Plymouth this evening, when it is proposed to decide on the course of action to be adopted with refemur H» the alterations f> the railway timetable said to be rendered nocessarv in consequence of the eai'ly commeucemcni of the Main Trunk running. The matter i-> one that should not be decided without, mature consideration. The proposal of the Kailway Department. and one that mint lake precedence over all others, is that through and uninterrupted communication s inlli be established between the Blnl)' and Auckland via the Main .Trunk line. To enable tins to be done, the boat at Lyttelton will have to awa t the arrival of the express train from Invercargill. instead of, as at present, connecting wilh the earlier expros mini Duuedin. It is understood Wi\{ the Inveivargill-Chvist-■cbnrt-h express is to be accelerated by no le.«.s than iwo and a-lialf hour-, oil tlie i journey.

i The speeding-up of the Invercargill | express, however, is not sullicient to al- | low of the medium-paced boats leaving I ' Lyttelton and arriving in Wellington in I time to connect with the Wellington-' New Plymouth mail train. It is understood, however, that the speedy turbine steamer Maori, which leaves Lyttelton every Tuesday, Thursday, and h>a«urdny, will be able to cover the distance in sutliciently quick time to catch the New Plymouth train, with mails ; and passengers, on Wednesdays and Fridays, the Monday connection, of course, being assured. The question now arises whether it is better, in the interests of this district and the daily steamer service with Onehunga, that the through connection from the South should be sacrificed three times a week

in order to ensure the maintenance ol the present timetable. In. framing i's timetable, the Railway Department has proposed tluit the New Plymouth train leave Wellington an hour and a-lialf later than under th" present arrangement, correspondingly arming hen- an hour and a-lialf later, or, to be precise, at '.U') p.m. The authorities contend that under their proposal the daily connection with the South would be maintained, but are met with this objection, that sullicient time would not thereby be allowed to permit of the boat from here to Onehunga making the return journey, in all weathers, iu time to connect with the morning mail train from here to Wellington. Another objection has been put that the boat would, under the proposed arrangement, arrive at Onehunga too late to allow of connection being made with tho Waikato train —a most important consideration. It is possible, of course, that the Railway Department will have anticipated the latter objection and have re-arranged the Auckland district timetable in conformity with the proposed alteration? in our service, in which case nothing car be said.

The position, therefore, resolves itself into a choice of the following: Whether Taranaki, in order that the present train service s haU be maintained, is prepared to have only a tri-weekly through l connection with the South Jshuul, or, iu order that the through connection with the South be maintained, will accept the Department.'* proposal of delaying the arrival of the mail train here. It is obvious that not only the immediate interests of New Plymouth have to he considered, but also tlu;si- oi the provincial towns alVeelrd. and tinconvenience of the travelling public, if we plump for the present service, missing the Lyttclton-Wellington boat oil 1 three days weekly, we should consider to what extent we are inconveniencing the travelling public from the ,South ! whose destination is between Wangunui aud here, or Auckland per boat from Xew Plymouth. Jnstead of getting through in the one day. as at present, they would, on the three days in question. be two days making the journey from "Wellington. Further, assuming Xew Plymouth is prepared to accept. oi the daily, a tri-weekly mail fioni the South, with the consequent occa>ional delay, by a-day or half a day. of the oversi-a mail arriving via the Uhiir. are the inland towns. lnglewo;iL Stratford. FJlham, Ilawera. and Patea, prepared to make the saerilice? Again, is there sullicicnt community of interest 'between Taranaki and places south of 'Wellington to justify delaying the train by an hour and a-half? If it could In; delinitelv answered that the choice was one between an assured daily connection with Unehunga and u like service with the South Island, we believe the answer would he to preserve the .service with the North at any reasonable curtailment of the South hervice. Or. on the other hand, if there were reasonable grounds for believing that within a short time the trallie would warrant the Union Company adding another fast.boat to the Lyttelto iWellington ferry service, and thus ensure a daily connection with the Wel-lington-New Plymouth train, we believe there would be a unanimous wish that the tri-weekly connection, which would then be only a. temporary one, and involving no alteration in the existing time table, should be the one asked for. If. on the other hand, no such hope existed within a reasonable period, the question arises, would it be a wise move to insist, on (he maintenance of the present train arrangements? Then the",'is the question of "speeding-up" the | 'present service to make up the hour and j ii-half or as much of that time as is 'possible. Should not tin* Department do (o this s erviee what it is doing in ; Tcspect of theSoulh Island service? Sight should not be lost of the obvious fact that whatever new arrangements fire now made will be of a permanent nature. Kail way timetables are no t subject to many alterations in the course of a few years, and for that reason thorough consideration should he given the question from the various points of view we have outlined before a deliberate opinion, is expressed to the Railway Department.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TDN19081016.2.5

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 251, 16 October 1908, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,006

The Daily News FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16. THE RAILWAY TIMETABLE. Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 251, 16 October 1908, Page 2

The Daily News FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16. THE RAILWAY TIMETABLE. Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 251, 16 October 1908, Page 2

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert