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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 9, Issue 4 (July 2, 1934.)

[section]

Salmon fisherman's rope bridge Carrick-a-Rede, Ireland.

Salmon fisherman's rope bridge Carrick-a-Rede, Ireland.

One of the most difficult problems facing railways all over the world to-day is that which concerns ways and means of meeting the ever-growing passenger business handled at city termini. In the past, city passenger stations were often planned and constructed with little thought of future expansion, so that the enlargement and remodelling of the average city terminus is both a costly and perplexing proposition.

In London the situation is especially harassing, and attention has recently been focussed on the possibilities associated with approach track widening as a means of facilitating terminal operations. It is recognised that terminal congestion may often be completely removed by the provision of better facilities on the approach tracks some miles outside the city, and noteworthy widenings accomplished beyond the big London stations have been the means of securing high operating efficiency at relatively modest cost.

Liverpool Street is a typical London terminus, handling by steam power an exceedingly dense suburban business as well as a heavy main-line traffic, train arrivals and departures totalling 1,230 daily. Here, track widenings outside the station have revolutionised conditions within the terminus and rendered unnecessary costly station alterations. Commencing on 1st January, the L. & N.E. Railway operated a four-track mainline from Liverpool Street as far as Shenfield, 20 1/2 miles from the metropolis. Hitherto the four-track mainline extended only 14 miles from Liverpool Street, and the provision of the two new tracks for a distance of 6 1/2 miles has come as an immense boon. The 20 1/2 mile stretch of four lines of way out of the terminus has enabled the management to entirely separate local from express services; while new power-operated signalling equipment has rendered practicable a three-minute headway, which will also meet any future requirements associated with possible electrification works.

Until the building of the new Waterloo terminus of the Southern Railway, Liverpool Street was the most commodious main-line terminal in London. Opened exactly sixty years ago, and at one time the London headquarters of the old Great Eastern Railway, Liverpool Street is to-day the largest of the three London termini owned by the L. & N.E. line. King's Cross and Marylebone are the other London stations on the system, both handling traffic to and from the north and midlands.

All the big London main-line stations are placed some distance from the actual centre of the city, being arranged in a circle with inter-connecting tube and bus services of a unique character. Liverpool Street lies on the eastern side of the city; on the north there are the King's Cross and Marylebone termini of the L. & N.E. line, and the Euston and St. Pancras stations of the L.M. & S. system; westwards lies the G.W. Company's Paddington terminal; while to the south are the Southern stations of Waterloo and Victoria. The London termini lay no claim to being the finest in the world, but, taken all in all, they probably represent the most striking and most efficient collection of passenger stations to be found in any one centre.

Main departure platform, King's Cross Station, London.

Main departure platform, King's Cross Station, London.