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7th July 1950, Page 38
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Ashley Taylor A.I.R.T.E.

LURKING in so many of us to-day is a kind of Communist-consciousness which, perhaps, necessitates the explanation that the Red Hand, to which reference is made in the title, has nothing whatever to do with the political convictions of those responsible for providing Northern Ireland with both travel and haulage facilities ? Like the rose of England, it is the traditional emblem of Ulster. The " hand " will soon be seen on all the vehicles and premises of the Ulster Transport Authority, which came into being as a result of the Transport Act (Northern Ireland), 1948, and commenced operations in the autumn of that year.

. This is not the first organization of an official character which has taken over this responsibility in the area for, in 1935, the numerous road services were merged into the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board. However, although road franchise was acquired at great cost of _compensation, the operations of this body failed to produce the desired effect.

Convenient for Control From a transport point of view, Ulster is a convenient size for administration and control. Its area is approximately 5,200 sq. miles, and most of the centres of population arc within a twoor three-hour journey of each other—a motor trip of little over 100 miles. The population is 1,348,000, of which some 900,000 are situated in Londonderry and the country in general, with the remainder in Belfast. The chief city of Northern Ireland, however, lies outside the U.TA. scheme, for under the Act, the exclusive right of the Belfast Corporation to carry passengers by buses and trolleybuses within the city transport area is continued and the U.T.A. is not permitted to carry a passenger whose journey is entirely within that district, except by the consent of the Corporation. In a later article, I hope to return to the particular problems of the city and the methods used in the corporation undertaking.'

Londonderry Londonderry city services are operated by the Authority buses and staff but, following a king-standing arrangement, the profits on working inside that city have to be divided equally between the corporation and the U.T.A., a formula for arriving at the figures being laid down. in the Act.

Passenger services run by the U.T..A.',are carried out ott by a fleet of 1,000 buses, of which 110 are double deckers. They are chiefly of Leyland manufacture and the small percentage of other types in service is fast becoming obsolete. The goods fleet, of a similar total, consists mainly of A.E.C., Bedford, Commer, International, Leyland and Scammell machines. On the passenger side, a route mileage of 2,380 is covered, with a total annual vehicle mileage of 34,000,000, whilst on the goods side the fleet runs something like 14,000,000 miles a year.

Before proceeding to examine the events which led to the establishment of the U.TA. and the manner in which it is now working, it is perhaps desirable, for the sake, of clarity, to take a brief look at the current State of affairs as it concerns the ordinary public within the province. The object of the Transport Act (Northern Ireland), 1948, is to ensure "the provision of an efficient, economical, convenient and properly integrated system of public inland transport for passengers and goods in Northern Ireland by rail and road." To this end, an ' . amalgamation of the N.1.R.T.B. and the Belfast and Co. Down Railways was arranged, the L.M.S. Northern Counties Committee being quickly acquired to complete the set-up.

To Avoid Duplication

In view of the avowed intentions of the Act, particularly in relation to economy, it is clear that services must be arranged to avoid duplication, quite apart from any question of making the internal working of the U.T.A. thoroughly efficient. In one section of the Act it is clear that services on some of the railway systems in Ulster may be discontinued and road services substituted. Such changes have, in fact, already taken place in Co. Down, and investigations have been made in those districts through which the L.M.S. (N.C.C.) system runs in order to decide what further rail' routes might „ be eliminated At the time of writing various changes are to be made as quickly as possible. The Magherafelt-toDraperstown line, the Upperlands-to-Macfin. Limavadyto-Dungiven, Ballymoney-to-Ballyeastle. and Kingsbog Junction-to-Ballyclare lines being proposed for closing to all traffic. The Cookstown Junction-to-Cookstown and Magherafelt-to-Upperlands lines, together with that from Limavady Junction to Limavady, would be

retained for goods traffic only. Whilst the Authority feels that these branch-line alterations are unfortunate, there appears to be tio alternative if the basic idea of the Act is to be implemented, and it is considered that the traffic carried on the sections mentioned can with • equal efficiency and greater economy, be dealt with by" an expansion of the existing road services

By direct approach to the county, urban and rural councils concerned, and mutual discussion, endeavours are being made, in instances such as those mentioned, to bring about the altefations by friendly agreement, rather than by having recourse to appearance before a statutory tribunal, possibly a lengthy and expensive procedure. Actually, in various instances, experiments are being conducted thoroughly to revise rail and road passenger services to give, where possible, the opportunity of Unproved facilities which can be utilized jointly.

Looking Back 30 Years If we turn back the pages of history a matter of 30 years, we find in Northern Ireland much the same transport' scene as elsewhere in the British Isles, with the public depending on rail facilities operated by a number of different companies. At that period, the bus and the lorry commenced to be a serious embarrassment to the railways. This quickly. became apparent. and in 1928 an Act was passed which limited competition, its provisions being largely those on which the 1930 Act of Great Britain was based. Both buses and

goods vehicles, effectively covered Ulster. But, after 1928, the railways' troubles ,seemed to continue unabated.

A few years later conditions werethe subject of a .report by, Sir Felix Pole, and in consequence the .Northern Ireland Road Transport Board, already mentioned, was established in 1935. Like the U.T.A., it was charged with the task of providing economical, efficient and convenient service to the public and was intended to co-ordinate road with rail. The ,job of -making the various bedfellows lie peaceably together proved to be one of Herculean dimensions, and at the commencement of the war the organization was far from having assumed its desired form. By that time the revenue deficiency was over half-a-million pounds, a sum which struck the public consciousness much more vividly than it would in this post-war. world.

But what had the Board done? They had acquired over 60 passengei undertakings with an average of

10 vehicles apiece. Thus, at the start they had the questionable blessing of possessing no fewer than 27 different rnakes.of vehicle. By rearrangement of routes and facilities, the number of machines in service was reduced whilst many new vehicles were acquired, a primary object being to achieve a fleet of greater homogeneity.

The Board did not commence work on the freight side until the end of 1936, at that time encountering some of the difficulties which have since been experi enced by the R.H.E. in Britain. In particular, there was a marked tendency for operators to abstain from any extensive maintenance during the period immediately before acquisition, so that, apart from the mixed nature of their fleets, the engineers frequently found themselves faced with formidable overhauls before Vehicles could.safely be continued in .service.

Tourist Traffic Grows

On the excursions and tours side, business continued good. The advent of the motor coach had meant an important growth in the revenue of the Ulster tourist industry, for many enterprising hotel proprietors attracted substantial cross-channel traffic by the provision of inclusive facilities, with as much as 500 miles' travel through the beauty spots of Ulster, in addition to the hotel accommodation. In pre-war days hotel accommodation with full board and something like 500 miles of coach travel during the week could be obtained for less than £5. Incidentally, similar facilities are available to-day, naturally at double the price.

Five hotels are now owned by the U.T.A. and special tourist facilities are offered at the Laharna, at Larne. A week's stay here, with plenty of coach travel, costs 30 guineas.

To revert, however, to the 1939-45 period, soaring traffic, restricted operation and war-time conditions generally improved the revenue position and, whilst there were serious increases in costs, the situation was in many respects difficult to clarify. With the end of the war, things quickly became plain to all, and in 1946 the Government of Northern Ireland issued a White Paper on the public transport position. This move preceded the passing of the Transport Act, which actually became law on August 10, 1948.

Virtual Monopoiy

As from October 1 of that year, the N.I.R.T.B. and the Belfast and Co. Down Railway Co. were vested in the U.T.A., and in the spring of 1949 the railway system of the N.C.C., a property of the British Transport Commission, was taken over at an agreed price of £2,668,000. As in the previous Act, the carriage of passengers or goods by road for hire or reward was virtually prohibited to anyone but the Authority and, further, steps were taken to close up loopholes and to prevent certain practices which had grown up of buying and selling goods carried so as to avoid the effect of the regulations Specific exceptions continued under the new Act allow private enterprise to carry on with the carriage of milk in bulk, household removals by recognized removal n6 men with headquarters in Northern Ireland, the transport of agricultural products by farmers for their neighbours living within a mile radius, and certain other work of this type.

Local work in the cities of Belfast and Londonderry has always been permissible, but it is understood that new licensing arrangements are likely to be introduced in the course of the next 18 months. At present there are approximately 16,000 goods vehicles operated by traders, farmers and manufacturers in Northern Ireland. In addition-to the Belfast Corporation passenger system, it is also permissible under the Act for the Lough Swilly Railway to operate between Londonderry and the border of Co. Donegal without need for consent from the U.T.A.

Co-ordination Despite Opposition , The 1948 Act made the sensible Provision that it did not impose upon the U.T.A. any obligation to provide any particular form of transport service at special places' and, despite opposition from certain quarters, the Authority has proceeded, so far as possible, co-ordinate road and tail. At Bangor, Co. Down, an area in which many rail services have already been withdrawn, a new joint terminal is under constrtiction. Incorporating the old railway station, it will also provide comfortable station accommodation for road passengers. Naturally, the question of fares has given the public food for thought in areas where changeovers have taken place or are contemplated. The difficulty faced by the U.T.A. is that certain of the road fares are higher than the corresponding railway fares, whilst others are lower. Without entirely upsetting the. fares structure, noway could be discovered of avoiding the higher rates being applied in certain instances, and fares on the substituted road services have been kept in line with road rates generally.

Road-rail co-ordination has manifested itself in another way, namely, the linking of operational and constructional facilities. Practically all the administration is conducted from headquarters at 21, Linenhall Street, Belfast, a linen warehouse which was acquired in 1948, and, following conversion from its original purpose, was first occupied in August of the following year. The Board, which has a full-time chairman and nine part-time members, works through four chief executives. Chief comptroller is Mr. J. A. Clarke, who is responsible for financial, legal and secretarial matters, acquisition and custody of stores, hotels, catering and restaurant cars, and general personnel policy.

Tripartite Control The chief traffic manager is Mr. J. W. Hutton, who holds responsibility for rail and road operations, all commercial matters connected with transport revenue, as well as carrying out the commercial and traffichandling functions for the Railway Executive, LarneStranraer and Heysham-Belfast steamer services. Mr. J. Courtney, Chief engineer, has charge of maintenance and construction of road vehicles, engines, carriages and rail wagons, as well as the maintenance and construction of premises and works, and the maintenance of permanent way, bridges and communications. Chief officer (special duties) is the title of Mr. A. Morrison, whose principal task is to carry out the immense amount of work relating to proceedings before the Transport Tribunal in connection with suSpension of services, other changes and facilities, rates, fares and similar alterations which may affect the travelling public.

Certain duties are decentralized and the area of the Authority is divided into eight districts—Belfast, Ballymena, Coleraine, Enniskillen, Londonderry, Newtownards, Newry and Portadown. In each of these sections a district traffic manager is responsible for commercial and operating matters, whilst a district mechanical engineer handles all road vehicles, as well as certain rail stock.

Endeavours are being made to establish combined accommodation for road and rail in every town, so that, with traffic entering and leaving from the same depot, the fullest practicable advantages of amalgamation can be secured." On the mechanical engineering side, the linking of the two forms of transport has already made substantial progress, combined workshops having been set up at Duncrue Street, Belfast, on a site owned by the former L.M.S. N.C.C. A variety of engineering work is to be carried out, including locomotive overhauls and the construction of bus bodies. Passenget and goods-vehicle 'bodies, together with railway coaches, are also being built at Dunrnurry, where a former aircraft factory was acquired after the war.

In so large an undertaking it is always difficult to give exact current figures regarding the rolling-stock position, but the annual report as at September 30, 1949, showed 897 Tsingle-decker buses and coaches in operation with a total seating capacity of 31,601, and 111 double-deckers with a total seating capacity of 5,795.

1,350 Goods Vehicles and Trailers

On the goods 'side, there were 1,002 general and articulated units, with 332 trailers and 1/ miscellaneous vehicles, in addition to 19 horse-drawn vehicles, The total rail seating capacity at the same date was 22,957. During the year in question the passenger road services had a route mileage of 2,517 in daily use and covered 30,793,229 miles in the course of the year. Private hire, tours and miscellaneous running brought the total road passenger mileage up to 35,075,535, whilst the total for freight services was 14,03,199.

In that period 94,623,839 passengers were carried by road with an 'average receipt per passenger journey of 7,34d., as compared with 9,092,564 rail passenger journeys with average receipts of 13.93d. There was a loss on railway operations of £254,454 in the year and on goods transport by road £93,128 was lost, against which the buses made a profit of £359,231. With the progressive merging of the organization, howeVer, it Would seem that in futUre, yearsthere may be some difficulty in apportioning :charges and receipts.

As those with _experience in Ulster during the war know well, the passenger services had an enormous task to cope with the demands, not only of war-time factories, but also of the large numbers of .Servicemen stationed in the area. They became well organized to deal with the traffic. and what now remains to he done is largely a matter of detail rather than major change. Makeshift bus-stop signs are to be superseded, limitedstop services are being developed and, as elsewhere, the problems of peak-hour traffic are being studied.

In the present stage of the development of public administration in Great Britain, the progress of the U.T.A. is certain to be watched with interest, for, whilst the organization suffers from certain disadvantages as a result of its previous history, there is no doubt that size and situation offer corresponding benefits.

U.T.A. and Belfast' A governing factor in the economic and political life or Northern Ireland is the presence of that great industrial city of Belfast. Something like one-third of the population of the province is concentrated there. Since the Northern Ireland Transport Act provides for the continuance of the Corporation's right to operate the city's internal services, the U.T.A. is precluded on the fares side from making up on urban swings what might be lost on rural roundabouts. The closest co-operation, however, exists between the two systems and the fullest cross-use is made of the vehicles. Hiring agreements enable the Authority to use the Corporation's machines, for instance, at the week-ends, whilst the reverse arrangement obtains so that U.T.A. vehicles can be employed to meet special city requirements.

.British readers who from time to time observe references to the " Ulster "Transport Authority in journals from the Republic of Ireland are often puzzled as to whether the quotation Marks are merely an idiosyncrasy of the printer or whether some special significance is to be sought. Actually, Northern Ireland which, of course, has a Parliament of its own with limited powers, consists of the six counties of Antrim, Arinagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londoodcrry. and Tyrone, commonly known by the name of Ulster. Under the pr.ovisions of a treaty of 1922, these six counties took advantage of the chance to remain apart from the then-new Irish Free State. Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan, all part of the old province of Ulster, elected to join the I.F.S. and are now part of the Republic of Ireland—hence those rather puzzling quotation marks


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