§ Mr. Hewlettasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he is aware that duplicate trains were run by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company to cope with the rush of Easter visitors from Manchester to Blackpool; that 12 special trains officially described as a readjusted service were used to bring such visitors back to Manchester on Easter Monday; and, as such action is contrary to the instructions of his Department that there should be no extra travel transport at holiday time, what steps it is proposed to take to prevent a repetition at future holiday periods?
§ Mr. Noel-BakerI am glad to assure my hon. Friend that he is mistaken in thinking that the instructions given by my Ministry to the railways about trains at Easter were not observed. The railways were told that between 22nd April and 27th April the number of long distance passenger trains run on any day should not exceed the maximum number run on any weekday or Sunday, as the case might be, in March, 1942; and that no more local trains should be run on Easter Monday than on an ordinary Monday in March, 1942. On Easter Monday the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company ran 11 unscheduled local trains from Blackpool. But in the division of that Company's system which includes Blackpool, the total number of trains run was more than 100 less than the number which my Noble Friend's instruction would have allowed.