RAILWAY MANAGEMENT.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SPECTATOR.
Brighton, 1511 August 1845.
Sin—The notice taken in your City article in the Spectator of the 9th instant, to the effect that the Directors of the Grand Junction Railway were the first to introduce the system of cheap fares, appearing to me to require a leelle qualifica- tion, I beg to observe, that before that company evinced so much consideration, their management was generally considered to be most unaccommodating, and to be carried on in the true spirit of monopoly. Previously to their becoming as liberal as you give them credit for, they had raised their fares on three occasions, when I believe the rate of dividend was higher than that of any other railway; and their arrangements were such that no traveller, be his circumstances what they might, reaching Birmingham from London by a second-class train, could get on to Liverpool in time to catch the mail- packet for Dublin, otherwise than by paying first-class fare. They had, moreover, a very limited number of trams between Liverpool and Birmingham, those two great marts of business; and 1 have myself, having arrived from Dublin by the last packet at St. George's Pier a few minutes after ten o'clock in the fore- noon, been detained until four in the afternoon before a train offered for carrying me forward on my journey. Contrast this with the arrangements of tbe London and Birmingham, the Great Western, or indeed of any other railway in the kingdom, and I think you will find that I am fully borne out in what 1 have stated of the general conduct of the Grand Junction Company.. It was more- over, I believe, in consequence of the first disagreement between this company and that of the London and Birmingham that a reduction from their enormously high fares, and such a degree of consideration for the public convenience as putting 012 second-class carriages to most of their trains, were brought about. Trusting to your well-known sense of fairness to give publicity to this state- ment, I remain, Sir, your most obedient servant,
AN OCCASIONAL TRAVELLER BETWEEN DUBLDZ AND LONDON.
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