On This Day, 2 August 1918

Birmingham Mail

Friday 2 August 1918

BIRMINGHAM TO THE SEA.

ANIMATED SCENES AT THE RAILWAY STATIONS.

All roads led to the railway stations to-day, and thousands of Birmingham people left the city for the seaside. The animated scenes in the streets and at the stations were, indeed, reminiscent of pre-war days, and there is little doubt that the railway traffic will constitute a record of travel since 1914. To-day’s experience, and the bookings of the last few days generally, show that Blackpool and North Wales continue hold first place in the favour of Birmingham holiday-makers, and the London and North-Western Company’s trams for these parts, several of which left during the day, were all crowded.  In the early morning in particular there was a great rush for these trains, and in their eagerness to avoid being left behind many passengers made the mistake of overcrowding carriages in the centre of the train, leaving those at the front and rear with few occupants.

The traffic for these resorts was so heavy that duplicate trains had be run. There was also great strain upon the London trains, and one leaving New Street between eleven o’clock and mid-day carried not only holiday-makers but large numbers of soldiers returning from leave to their regiments. On the Midland lines, the heaviest traffic was to West of England resorts, but there was no exceptional overcrowding, and while the company reported full trains to all parts, passengers travelled fairly comfortably.

As at New Street, so at Snow Hill. Streams passengers made their way to the Great Western Station, hundreds of passengers travelling to Aberystwyth and Yarmouth, to which popular places duplicate trains were run. Great as was the rush, however, at all the stations, it is expected that it will be much greater to-morrow, as most of the local factories close down to-night for the holiday until Monday, the 12th. The injunction of the companies to travel in mid-week has evidently, judging from the experience of the past few days, been regarded, and many workers have sent their families to the sea in advance, intending to follow to-morrow. That fact will no doubt ease the situation from the point of view of the railway companies in dealing with tomorrow’s traffic.