1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220 
How the Railways are Developing Road-passenger Services
Page 144
Page 145
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
WHAT a relief it must be to op
erators, municipal authorities and manufacturers — even t o the Government itself —that the railway companies did not attempt to make use of their newly acquired road powers by way of entering upon a wholesale campaign of competition with existing road-passenger services. Assurances that had been made before the appearance of our
Special Passengervehicle Issue a year ago, and which were received with varying degrees of confidence by the many thousands of people concerned, have, in the course of 12 months' development of, the powers put into the hands of the railway companies, been justified, and justified to the full. The importance of this fact cannot be overstressed. What would have happened had the railways taken the other course? There would have developed very rapidly a period of overproduction on the part of chassis manufacturers and bodybuilders ; there would have been temporary inflation of prices, not only of the vehicles and their components, but of all accessories
would have been terrible disaster to all the smaller concerns of coach and motorbus proprietors. E-ven the old-establishe0 • houses would havo suffered, many being driven into liquidation.
As it is a goodly proportion of the older operating concerns has been absorbed in the groups, the development of which has been the natural. outcome of the railway companies' policy. Say what we will, think what we will, about nationalization and tendencies in its direction, amalgamation was the only logical outcome of the granting of the road powers. The important requirement was to make the period of transition as free from calamitous results to all interests as possible, and it was to this end that the railway companies directed their pclicy.
What, then, have they done? They have acquired big interests in the largest operating companies and groups of companies, even in municipal bus systems. That was, of course, the first step—to see that the finance, the share stock, was in the; right hands. The man in the street might think that the acquisition of financial interests is the limit ito,the steps which the railway
companies have, so far, taken, and a business man might suggest that tlA railway companies' purpose is adequately served by purely financial moves. This is not the case. The practical changes Must follow slowly, but their character is indicated by some steps that have already been taken. These, although modest enough in themselves, provide, so to speak, the keynotes of what is to follow.
The .Great Western Railway has closed a branch line between Moretonin-Marsh and Shipston-on-Stour, and continues giving, service to the public between these centres by motor vehicle. This seems unimportant enough, but it, suggests the line of development. The abolition of slow trains on branch lines such as this one, their place being taken by bus and by country lorry services; means that fast freight trains and passenger trains will be able to run direct to-and from the branch termini. The benefit of such an arrangement to the travelling public will obviously be tremendous.
Inter-available Tickets.
The London and North Eastern Railway has instituted a system of interavailability of return tickets with the Eastern Counties Road Car Co., Ltd., on the journey between London, Col-, chester and Ipswich. It needs hut a moment to realize how valuable to the public the generous development of the inter-availability of tickets will be.
The summer-day tours of the Great Western Railway are augmented by the services of the huge operating concerns in which it now has an interest—and, again, it is the public that benefits. The co-ordination of road and rail timetables is a more intricate business, but it is being worked upon now and gradually the results will be felt throughout the country.
The maintenance depots for the fleet of over 800 coaches of the G.W.R., which is now serviced fromthe depots of the 'road companies, can, with no difficulty, be diverted to caring for the growing needs of the increasing fleet of goods motors. Thus economy will be effected here.
The development by the railways of long-distance coach services is not yet particularly noticeable, but, as Mr. J. H. Follows, vice-president of the L.M.S. Railway Co., told us some months ago, the railways are watching closely the tendency of the public choice between rail and road travel when making journeys from one end of England to another and eventually the railways will cater for all the public requirements. The Swindon-Banbury
and Oxford-Cheltenham cross-country coach services, inaugurated IV : the G.W.R., are but examples of an obvious line of development.
Where the railway companies have land adjacent to their stations it is probable that bus stations will he erected, thus making the break of journey as free from discomforts as possible. An important railway official has indicated that the adoption of air services is but one step farther on.
Order on the Roads.
Another general manager has said that, as unreasonable competition is reduced, railway receipts must surely rise. Presumably fares and rates must rise also, but the new licensing provisions shortly to ,be placed before Parliament will keep a check on any unfairness. Mention of legislation reminds us that Mr. S. E. Garcke has expressed the opinion that, by the time the new licensing proposals have taken concrete form on the statute book, the need for legislation will probably have been removed and order on the roads will have been established as a result of the co-operation of the big interests, which has been rendered possible by the granting of the road powers-.