Evening star., 1942-05-03
Rails 10 Cut or Drop
Luxury Equipment
Eastman Asserts
O. D. T. Plans Restriction
In Passenger TroveI,
End Of Duplicate Lines
DS the Associated Press.

- the Associated Press.
Reduction or elimination of
luxury equipment" on railroads,
such as club, lounge, parlor and
sleeping cars is imminent"
Joseph B. Eastman, defense
transportation director said yes
terday.
Declaring that essential military
and civilian travel must not be i'm
peded, Mr.. Eastman said o. D. T.
was planning restrictions on passen-
ger travel, elimination of duplica-
ton services on competing rail-
roads, lengthening of limited sched-
ules to include more stops and d.
version to more important. runs Of
such branch-line equipment as can
be made available
The gasoline and rubber short
age, he explained, has caused a so
per cent increase in passenger travel
on buses and railroads since Pearl
Harbor.
Cut in Sleeping Cars.
II was made clear that there was
no intention Of eliminating sleeping
car service altogether, although it
might be reduced.
Mr.. Eastman said it might be
necessary to discontinue train serv-
Ice to some communities and SUBJ
stitute use of motor coaches.
The major problem of readjust-
ment confronting the railroads." he
explained, "is drastic redistribution
of passenger services through elimi-
nation of Implications in service on
competing lines, both rail and bus.
Equipment unsuitable for heavy,
high speed trains will have to be
used where possible in local shuttle
service to transport war workers to
and from industrial zones.
Since essential military and civil
ian travel must not be impeded, 1t
will be necessary to readjust sched-
ules. This will undoubtedly call for
fewer trains in some territories and
districts, and perhaps the complete
elimination Of trains used for pleas
ure and other non-essential travel.
Heightened faSt-run schedules with
more stops will make it possible to
take care OF points formerly served
BY motor bus or by local trains.
Rail and Bus CO. ordination.
Where train service is discon- |
tinued, the affected communities
must be served by bus. Thus the
general Encouragement of passenger
transportation, which must be un-
dertaken at once, necessarily in
wolves close coordination of railroad
and motor bus facilities in order to |
make the buses available for effec-
tive local service"
o. D. T. announced that Mr.. East
man, supplementing his statement,
would discuss the whole problem of
passenger service and prospective
readjustment in an address Tuesday
before the conference of States on
wartime problems of interstate bar
xiers.
After referring to the increase in
passenger travel on public carriers,
Mr.. Eastman noted that the vaca-
ton season was approaching and
that further restrictions on gaso-
line consumption were imminent in
some sections. Saying this could be
expected to increase traffic demands |
on public carriers, Mr.. Eastman
added:
In view of the extensive mill
tary movements and the increase
In war freight traffic. much of this
demand cannot be met by the pub
lie carriers"
Carriers in Accord.
Spokesman for the railroads said
the carriers were in accord with
anything that might be needed to
help solve the problem.
c. H. Buford, vice president of
the Association of American Rail
roads, said the carriers already had
started, on their own accord, to
convert equipment. AS an example,
he pointed out that some of the
older type of parlor cars had been
taken out Of service and refltted as
coaches. Elimination of some luxury
equipment by conversion of lounge
cars and other special equipment
also was under way. spokesmen said.
Mr.. Buford said that the diver
sion of branch line equipment to
trunk lines might be complicated
in some instances by State regu-
lations. He explained that frequently
branch line service was maintained
under the specific direction of State
commissions and that If any change
was made an understanding be-
tween Mr.. Eastman's Office and the
State agencies would be needed.