§ MR. WEIR (Ross and Cromarty)To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that persons travelling to London by the early morning trains on the Great Eastern and Metropolitan Railways suffer inconvenience in consequence of the overcrowding of carriages, more especially of the second and third class; and, seeing that railway companies are prohibited by law from carrying more than a fixed complement of passengers in each carriage, will he consider the expediency of suggesting to the railway companies indicated the desirability of placing additional trains on the early morning service from suburban stations where there is overcrowding.
(Answer.) I have been in communication with the railway companies named on the subject of the hon. Member's (Question. The Metropolitan Railway Company point out that no particular suburban stations are specified, and state that they are not aware that persons travelling in the morning are inconvenienced by overcrowding. They add that they run a very frequent service of trains, and that this service has been fully maintained, despite a considerable decrease lately in the number of passengers over their lines. The Great Eastern Railway Company inform me that they are endeavouring to meet such overcrowding as exists by widening their carriages, so as to increase the seating accommodation by some 21 per cent., and that they have under consideration the question of providing more powerful engines and longer trains, but this will involve structural alterations at the stations. Railway companies are not expressly prohibited by law from carrying more than a fixed complement of passengers in each carriage. I may point out that the number of trains that can safely be run in a given time is not capable of indefinite expansion.—(Board of Trade.)