Old news from Armidale and New England

Wednesday 27 September 1933, The Sydney Morning Herald

OFFICIAL INQUIRY.

The Railway Commissioner (Mr. Hartigan) said yesterday that there never had been any intention to deprive Tenterfield or other districts north of Glen Innes of a daily mall train.

He added that he had directed official inquiries to be made into the proposal to discontinue the Brisbane express, via Wallangarra.

The Commissioner said that he had read with interest the protests contained in the special article in that morning’s “Herald” against a suggestion that the Brisbane express via Wallangarra might be discontinued.

“Pending the inquiries which are being conducted at my direction,” said Mr. Hartigan, “I do not wish to traverse the statements that have been made by representatives of the far northern towns and districts which are most concerned in the matter. When it was announced that these inquiries were being made, it was admitted that some grounds for protest might be found.

“It is only natural that people who have had the convenience of a long established railway service should be concerned at any suggestion that such a service is to be curtailed, modified, or eliminated. I should like to point out most distinctly, however, that there is no intention to deprive these towns and districts of an adequate railway service, or to do anything that would bring about the isolation suggested in the article.

“The simple facts,” Mr. Hartigan continued, “are that two fully-equipped trains leave Sydney every day, except Saturday, for the far northern towns. Before the direct, standard gauge route via the North Coast was opened up to Brisbane, the Brisbane express via Wallangarra, which leaves Sydney at 2 p.m., was not only an essential service, but was well patronised throughout the year. At 8.30 nightly, except Saturday, another fast fully equipped mall train leaves Sydney with Glen Innes (423 miles distant) as its terminus. Whether the Brisbane express is cut out or not will depend entirely upon the result of the analysis of the traffic it has carried over a period providing a fair trial of the requirements, but I want to make it clear that there has never been any intention to deprive Tenterfield or other districts north of Glen Innes of a daily mall train.

“The inquiries now going on are being made for the purpose of testing whether there is any sufficient reason for the running of two mail trains between Sydney and the Queensland border on six days a week. Whatever the result of this inquiry may be, it can be taken for granted that the interests of all concerned will be closely and fairly considered.”