Evening star., 1924-03-13
STREET RAILROADS
OUT TO CUT COSTS
Three-Car Train Plan in De-
: troit Being Closely Watch
ed All Over Country.
BY j. C. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, March 13-Street rail-
way men all over the United States
are watching with keen interest the
operation OF the new three-car street
railway train just put into operation in
Detroit. The street railway traffic is
increasing constantly in the majority
Of cities of the United States, and the
problems of economical operation and
speeding up of traffic are of the ut
most Importance, not only to the pub
lie utility companies, but to the gen.
eral business public.
All records for carrying passengers
were broken in 1923. with the total
reaching almost $4,000. 100000 fares.
The reports SO far indicate that this
will be exceeded this year, and many
of the companies are worrying over
equipment to handle the flood of pas
Sengers. This is complicated by the
necessity of relieving traffic conges-
tion due to motor vehicles.
Cut In Operating Costs.
The features of the new Detroit
system include operating savings as
well as a reduction in cost of original
equipment, according to its sponsors.
The three-car trains require four op-
orators as compared with six for
capacity. IHstead of six sets of Tour
wheel trucks, only four sets are used.
In other words, there are sixteen
wheels and eight motors, as compared
with twenty-four wheels and twelve
motors in the equipment of three
separate cars. In first costs there is
Il difference of about $4,000, as the
three-car trains cost approximately
S29,000. while three single cars cost
about $4,000 each.
More Bus Line Feeders.
Street railway companies in other
cities are spending millions both in
the purchase of new equipment and
the remodeling of old cars, which will
permit of a double-door sys sem of
entry and discharge of passengers.
The remodeled cars, however, are
cheaper in operation only in so far
:IS they shorten stops to take on and
discharge passengers and thus add
10 mileage covered during the
twenty-four hours. Additional mil
lions are Deing expended by traction
companies for equipment of sub
Sidiary or feeder bus lines, for the
trend in jitney and motor bus oper-
alton during the last year has been
toward the operation of these lines
in conjunction with electric railways
instead of in competition.
Development OF aeroplane trans
portation also is promised for the
coming year, although in this respect
the United States is undoubtedly far
behind European countries both in
the number of machines in opera
tion, the regular routes covered and
in reduction of fares. The Aero Ma
rine Airways Corporation for the
fourth consecutive season has flown
a section OF its fleets to Florida
where they will be engaged in voy-
as:es up and down the coast and to
Nassau and Cuba until well into the
spring.
New Transportation Plans.
This summer they will resume
schedules on the Great Lakes, Lake
Champlain, the St. Lawrence the
Hudson, Long Island sound and other
northern wat 'rways. Aerop ane in
terests are confident that they will
be able to arrange a more extensive
cooperation with land and water
transportation lines this summer and
that this will lead to a marked in
crease in the number of regular
routes covered and in the number of
machines in operation.
The increased demands for city and
suburban transportation undoubtedly
have had a distinct stimulus to power
development. In New York state
alone expenditures for new power
plants and equipment are aggreg =
rate is expected to continue through
out the year. Enlargements of steam
plants in New York and Brooklyn
alone now arranged for Will aggre-
gate 335, 900 horsepower.