9 March 1951: High fares, dirty and overcrowded trains as well as poor catering services are some of the complaints from railway passengers

High fares, overcrowded trains, dirty carriages, and indifferent restaurant car service are some of the complaints from railway users referred to by the Central Transport Consultative Committee in its report to the Minister of Transport for the year ended December 31, published yesterday.

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Representations were made to the committee that if ordinary and excursion fares were reduced greater revenue would result, that a sliding scale for long-distance journeys would encourage more travel, and that monthly tickets should be available for more than a month to discourage travel by coach.

It was also held that monthly return fares were too expensive to attract week-end travel, that special week-end return tickets, available for three days at the single fare, would increase revenue without additional overheads and that overnight excursion tickets at excursion fare, plus one-third, would encourage many business travellers to use the railways.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A guard at Euston Station, London, 1966. Photograph: Keystone/Getty Images

STANDING IN CORRIDORS

Overcrowding, especially on long-distance and boat-trains, compelled passengers to stand in corridors for many hours while on certain Sunday long-distance journeys there was no restaurant or buffet car, and station refreshment rooms were not open. Food, equipment, accommodation, and treatment of customers by refreshment-room staffs were often bad.

The report states that every suggestion was brought to the notice of the Commission or the Executive concerned, who were trying to improve the service. “Many of the suggestions put forward with the object of increasing revenue would, we were advised, result in loss of existing revenue; others cannot be adopted at present owing to financial restrictions and shortage of labour and materials,” says the report.

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On the Commission’s application to the Minister to increase freight charges the committee stated: “We feel that, in view of the importance of railways in the economic structure, special consideration should be given to providing capital and other resources to enable the Commission to carry out schemes of modernisation.”