New Rail Debts Bring U.T.A. £61,330 Loss A NET loss of
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£6l.330 was incurred in the year ended September 30 last by the Ulster Transport Authority. This was brought about, according to the Authority's annual report, because they were compelled to take over the Northern Ireland portion of the Great Northern Railway Board's undertaking, with a heavy load of debt and interest charges. In the previous year U.T.A. made a net surplus of £93,772. They now have an accumulated deficiency of £2.46m.
The trading loss on the railways rose by £121,366 to £215,229. The road passenger services recorded a trading profit of £235,519 (£10,507 less than in the previous year) and the road freight services a trading balance of £40;516, which was £31,189 less than in the year 1956-57.
U.T.A. draw attention to strong competition from private cars and motorcycles, television and privately owned goods vehicles. Since 1956, the number of lorries and vans in Ulster has increased by 6+ per cent. Reference is also made to " the expanding activities of illegal operators."
The buses travelled 28m. miles (a reduction of 1 per cent.) and carried 84.5m. passengers, a decline of 4 per cent. The policy of converting single-deckers into double-deckers has continued and is
being extended. Seventy-eight single-deck 34-seaters were converted into 60-seat double-deckers.
Mileage coveled by the Authority's lorries rose by 6+ per cent. to 12m. Tonnage of merchandise carried increased by 11 per cent. to 1.3m., but the number of livestock hauled decreased by 2! per cent. to 932,814. On road and rail combined, freight traffic dropped by 3 per cent. and livestock business by 21 per cent.
There was again a substantial increase in the number of trailers and containers handled by U.T.A. at .Larne and Belfast in connection with the ferry service to Great Britain. Trailer traffic rose by 18+ per ccnt, and container traffic by 15 per cent. The growing use of pallets on the ferry has demanded the introduction of another 8-ton and 50 more 10-ton semi-trailers.
U.T.A. say that unless they are relieved of financial burdens in connection with the G.N.R. they cannot fulfil the duty laid upon them by the Transport Act (N.1.), 1958.
Steps which will lat necessary to ensure maximum economy " may not be altogether popular with the public and possibly quite the reverse so far as the staff are concerned. If the duty which the Authority has now to carry out is to be accomplished at all, there is no doubt that many unpalatable decisions will have to be taken, and the public, as well as the staff of the Authority will have, to face them."