Accrington on Rails - The Tramways: A Complete History - Robert Kenyon

Year

Number of passengers 2,477,800

Miles operated 280,137

Income

Earnings per car/mile 15 · 4 pence

190 2 190 3 190 4 190 5

£17,95 9 £17,94 0 £18,14 2 £19,05 3

15 · 0 pence

2,391,680

286,020

16 · 35 pence

2,435,500

266,173

2,583, 080 15 · 94 pence The proportion of car miles for 1905 is Church & Clayton–le-Moors Section = 119,432, and the Accrington to Rawtenstall section = 167,292 miles, for a TOTAL = 286,724 miles. The mileage over the system actually owned by the Corporation reduces the Rawtenstall section figure to 55,764 miles, giving a total over Corporation owned lines to 175,196 miles. The estimate of revenue available will be more accurately obtained if the total mileage run by electric traction can be ascertained, and in addition the working expenditure per car mile. The difference between these two figures multiplied by the mileage worked, will give the probable revenue. An alternative method would be to calculate the gross earnings and deduct from them an arbitrary percentage for working expenses, which could vary between 60% and 70%. MILEAGE The total car mileage in 1905 was 286,724 upon 7 miles + 748 yards. The Borough Engineer has pointed out that the length of the tramway on the Corporation’s system will be 7 miles + 1,294 yards, which is almost the same as is currently being operated by the Accrington Steam Tramway Company. Assuming that the service over the whole system will increase by one-third, the total mileage should increase to say 400,000 miles. EARNINGS PER CAR MILE It should be noted that the earnings per car mile are ‘very much’ above the average of tramways in general, as shown in this list - Town Pence per car/mile Accringto n 15·94 Blackbur n 12·72 Burnley 11·61 These results are due to more frequent services operated in the towns named. The infrequency of the present Tramway Company’s services, which involves delays and waiting times, is the cause of this high rate of earnings per car mile. The frequencies currently being operated are - Church and Clayton-le-Moors section every 15 minutes, Accrington and Rawtenstall section every 20 minutes. After the Tramway has been electrified it is assumed the frequencies, whether worked by the Corporation (or private company), will increase. Just what the revenue will be under these new conditions can only be a matter of speculation. The experience from other towns should however give some indications of this figure. For the purposes of this estimate I have assumed a figure of 11½ pence per car mile. The ‘working’ expenses of three neighbouring towns have been used for this exercise as Burnley 8·16 pence and Blackburn 7·67 pence per car mile. For the purpose of this estimate I have assumed that total working expenses would be 7 pence per mile, and the earnings would be 11½ pence per mile, which would produce a positive margin of 4½ pence per mile. If this was multiplied by a mileage worked by 400,000 it would be equal to a profit of £7,500 per year. To add to this would be the revenue from advertising from which the Tramway Company generated £406 during 1905, let us say £400. This would give a grand total of £7,900. It is my opinion that a figure of £8,000 would be a ‘conservative’ estimate of the 286,724

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