NEW RAILWAY TIMETABLE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9619, 12 October 1909, Page 5

NEW RAILWAY TIMETABLE.

RUMOURED IMPORTANT CHANGES.

It has been decided that the new railway train time-table service is not to come into operation until December Ist.

The Rimutaka, with its notorious incline and evil smelling tunnels, is responsible for the fact that the Wel-lington-Napier express service is to be diverted from the Wairarapa, and from December Ist will go through the Manawatu Gorge. The trains will pass at Ashhurst. The service from Napier will be considerably accelerated by the change, the train leaving the northern town about 7.30 a.m., and arriving in Wellington at 4.30 pm. TheAuck' land-Wellington express is to arrive in Wellington at 3.30 p.m., one hour earlier than at present. The Welling-ton-Napier train wiil leave Wellington about 7.30 a.m., a;id will arrive in Napier at 6 p.m. Dining cars will be included m the service. Tha 4.45 a.m. slow passenger-goods train (Wellington-Waipukurau) will disappear; also the 6.30 a.m. train iMasterton-Waipukurau). To replace them a train will be run leaving Cross Creek at 7 a.m., connecting at Woodville with the Wellington Napier express, and at Paimerston North with the Wellinton-Auckland express. The 5.10 p.m. Paimerston North-Masterton train will run on to Cross Creek, arriving there at 11 p.m. The extension of this service is the result of continued agitation on the part of members of Parliament and local bodies representing the Wairarapa and Manawatu disticts. It means that a passenger may come right through from Auckland to Feafcherston in the one 24 hours, while residents from the Lower Valley will be able to accomplish a daily return journey to Paimerston North. i

The further importance of Pal • merston North as a central sub terminus is evidenced by the installation of a daily service, the train leaving Palmerston North for Napier at 7 a.m. A train will continue to leave Wellington for the Wairarapa at 8.20 a.m., but will not arrive in Napier until 10 p.m. The evening train from the Wairarapa will not arrive in Wellington until 8.30. Tne second daily services between Auckland and Wellington will also not come into operation until December Ist, Although they may be a considerable convenience Ur travellers, the railway authorities are not of the opinion that they will be wholly payable concerns, on account of the fact that the present service is sufficient to absorb the required passenger traffic.

There will be-no material change in the running of the service through j to New Plymouth, except that pas- j aengers Will be enabled to proceed < in one day from Napier to the Taranaki town—a journey which at present occupies one day, eight hours and twenty minutes. The forthcoming changes indicate the swing of railway traffic to the Manawatu, this being owing mainly to its central position. Outside of the live sheep traffic, 65 per cent, of the Wellington-Napier-New Ply-mouth-Auckland traffic comes from the area clear 61 the WellingtonEketahuna section. It will, of course, be seen that the tfimutaka Ranges are a serious bar to the comr. -tjial progress of both Wellington and j the Wairarapa.—"Dominion."

Referring to the time table pub- ] lished, the Wellington "Post" says: —Yesterday morning the Hon. J. A. Millar, Minister of Railways, said that the alleged facts had evidently been given out by "some irresponsible officer of the Railway Department, entirely without authority." "I may say that, as a matter of fact," he concluded, "the re-adjustment and refraining of this particular time table is still under my consideration, and nothing of a definite character has been decided upon regarding it, beyond the fact that some changes will most likely take place."