Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-27
LONDON SUBURBAN TRAFFIC
Over 5OO,000,O00 Passengers Carried Annu-
ally by the Railroads.
sIore Than Three Hundred Thousand
Accommodated Every Day at
Single station.


Prom the Boston IfaIs'ElPJ
London. with it's population of 100000 or
Gro0."Oo. furnishes the opportunity for the
movement of an immense passenger traf-
hc; consequently it's not surprising that
that great metropolis can boast of single
omnibus line carrying @0.00,O0O people
year. at an average rate of about cents
each. What is more remarkable is the fact
that each one of this multitude is invarl-
ably urnyidad with a seat. To convey them
some 2n0 buses and 5000 horses are re-
ouireG The company Itself is a remark
ably prosperous one and pays big DIVIDENDS.
While our own steam roads enjoy a Boston
traffic Of less than 100000 passengers per
year. f. is safe to say that the London rail-
roads handle upward of 50o,0o0,oo0 per year
If W. are to believe the London Engineer
one Of the most conservative OF weekIies,
the Waterloo station Of the London ana
Southwestern railway surpasses ali other
stations in magnitude of traffic.
Were not the reputation of the Engineer
so trustworthy its estimates of this trafilc
would seem incredible. 1t states that the
Waterloo station has to deal with sS trains
per day. and estimates that each OF theSe
represents 100 passengers and elghty PACK
ages which gives 32D,H0 passengers ana
"a go packages TO be moved in twenty
hours the working day, an average OF lo',W
passengers and 800 packages. But as tile
traffic is unequally distributed, from TO
trains, or siXty-siX per hour.
Traffic mt Waterloo Station.
There are ten platforms and sixteen tracks
at the Waterloo station to handle this i'm
mense business, consequently 1t is not sur
prisina that the Times and other London
journals contain numerous complaints OF
serious delays in the train movements Inc
average Southwestern train is given twelve
coaches. many Of them equal in length to
two ordinary ones. This gives 1900 coaches
for an ordinary days Work, Dut Wheh tHe
specials are required there are as many
as $50 trains run, requiring 1,26O coaches
in and out of the station in twenty hours.
Twenty thousand people make huge
crowd, vet it is claimed that sixteen times
as many enter Waterloo each day. Add 10
this the great piles of baggage and the sta
ton must be very active locality
A notable feature Of the London steam
raj roads is what are designated as
''WOrkingmen'S trains These 2-cent rare
trains were decreed few years ago by
parliament to enable wOrkingmen TO get
away from the squaiid quarters OF the city.
The Great Eastern, for instance was com
PEELED to run a train out and in for twenty
miles. on which the fare for part or the
whole distance is a penny or only cents
a cheap rate. but not the lowest IN the
world. Although the railway managers
bitterly complained of and denounced this
act of parliament, compelling them 10 run
2-ceut fare local trains, the result has been
that parliament actually required OF them
they have themselves voluntarily added
hundreds 70 the number. and the larger
roads are carrying from 3,nn,oOO TO 3."p,-
Otr upon these trains each year As evil
GsrC- Of the prOfitableneSS of the unit
2-ceHt fare, though the railways are not
compelled by the parliamentary act to re-
turn the Wurkiugmen until after o'clock
the actual fact is that most of them allow
q return trip any time after the noon
hour.
Vast Improvement Made.
Some OF the London railroads sell a sea-
son ticket for 50 a year good for distance
out Of four miles, which the holder can use
as often as he pIeases. One OF the rail-
roads, the Great Eastern, referred TO above
has recently expended in charging and i'm
proving its Liverpool street station. which
accommodates a daily average of 10000
passengers, Slh.pD,Ub for the purpose of
better accommodating its suburban traffic.
Other roads are eXpending millions upon
millions TO increase their accommodations
TO this class Of business. One corporation
is promoting the construction Of trolley
line largely upon its own locations for the
purpose of relieving its main line of its
suburban traffic, which is so rapidly in
creaSing. At the recent seTni-annual meet
ing of stockholders of the London railways
more than one chairman in speaking Of this
suburban business claimed that 1t was Of
very profitable character and warranted
the large expenditures ii required.
All this is in marked contrast to the To-
cal railroad policy developed at a recent
hearing before our own railroad commits
sion, where in behalf of one of our Boston
railroads figures were submitted that ap-
parently showed that the suburban traffic
within the tffteen-m mile limit of the hub cost
upward of 500 600 last year more than was
received FOR II, with no allowance for the
large capital employed in its manipulation.
And while the representatives of some of
the other roads submitted no figures they
ala not hesitate to claim that higher rates
upon suburban traffic should be obtained.