W
Wafflycathcsdir
Guest
From the Sunday Mirror at <http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/page.cfm?objectid=13044392&method=full
&siteid=106694&headline=BEECHING%20II>
"BEECHING II Jun 8 2003
Darling plans huge cuts in rail services
By Chris Mclaughlin, Political Editor
ALASTAIR Darling has ordered a "summer summit" to pave the way for the biggest reductions in rail
services since the infamous Beeching cuts of the 1960s.
The Transport Secretary is poised to close dozens of branch lines to fund a new rail "super-highway"
connecting major cities.
The plan is to be discussed this week, prior to a crisis conference in July when Mr Darling will ask
experts to prepare a radical overhaul of the system.
Among those who will be called to the summer summit are the train operators, passenger groups,
freight managers, town planners, academics, the Strategic Rail Authority and motoring organisations.
The blueprint for the new network is based on Whitehall figures which reveal that it will be
impossible to find enough money to maintain the present network.
Cross-country links between towns and cities in East Anglia, Devon and Cornwall, Cumbria, Wales and
Scotland could be under threat. Even major links between regional big cities could have fewer
connections.
It would be the biggest cut in rail services since the programme drawn up by Dr Richard Beeching's
1963 report called the Re-Shaping of British Railways, which called for the closure of 2,000
stations and 5,000 miles of track. Some lines were reprieved but by 1969 the total length of the
rail network had been cut by more than 4,500 miles.
Mr Darling's latest survey says the only way to make rail work is to admit that the car is the
preferred method of travel for most people. He believes a new network of express trains - mainly for
business use - should be introduced to bypass existing routes.
The Government has accepted it is impossible to find enough money to keep the antiquated system
operating safely and efficiently. Instead, cash will be pumped into express strategic routes in a
similar way to the high-speed services in France, Spain and Germany.
New lines will be aimed at attracting international and big business travellers who can afford the
luxury of more expensive rail travel while avoiding the inconvenience of airlines.
Passengers and unions fear the new 10-year plan is part of a long-term "thinning out" of what is
left of the rail network.
Private companies who want to surrender their franchises will be allowed to do so, or will have
their franchises to run regional lines withdrawn because they fail to meet performance targets. Out
of 25 train operators, 22 per cent reported worsening performance, say latest figures.
The reduction in rail services would be a massive U-turn by a Government which once pledged to boost
passenger numbers by 50 per cent by the end of the century.
Mr Darling recently announced that the bulk of a £5.5billion package of transport improvements will
benefit car drivers.
The longer-term plan coincides with the misery promised by rail cuts in the new summer timetable.
Richard Hope, consultant editor of the Railway Gazette, said: "It is tragic if these lines have to
be cut back because the structure and over-regulation that the railways are suffering from is
driving up costs enormously. We are looking at a situation where the cost of rewiring the signals is
now five times higher than when British Rail was doing it."
A spokesman for Mr Darling said: "Spending on the rail network is set to double by 2004. There is a
lot of money there, it is essential to spend it in the best possible way."
Train travellers vowed last night to fight any plans to cut services.
Rail Passengers Council spokeswoman Caroline Jones said: "Putting money into major strategic routes
is good, but it must not be at the expense of other lines, particularly in rural areas."
LINES LIKELY TO FACE THE AXESCOTLAND
Inverness to Kyle
Inverness to Wick
Helensburgh to Fort William
Helensburgh to Mallaig
Aberdeen to Inverness
WALES
Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth
Shrewsbury to Pwllheli
Heart of Wales line between Swansea and Shrewsbury
Whitland to Pembroke
NORTH OF ENGLAND
Carlise to Carnforth via Whitehaven
Middlesbrough to Whitby
Settle to Carlisle
EAST ANGLIA
Norwich to Cromer
Norwich to Great Yarmouth
Norwich to Lowestoft
Ipswich to Lowestoft
SOUTH OF ENGLAND
Ryde to Shanklin (Isle of Wight)
DEVON AND CORNWALL
Exeter to Branstaple
Exeter to Exmouth
Newton Abbot to Torquay
Liskeard to Looe
Par to Newquay
Truro to Falmouth
St Erth to St Ives"
Far be it from me to question the intelligence of a government minister but with our roads nearing
gridlock, won't the above just mean more car journeys and we reach gridlock even quicker???
Shouldn't he be supporting and encouraging the move away from overdependence on the car???
Sorry, I realise I just put the word "intelligence" in relation to a government minister. How
silly of me.
Cheers, helen s
~~~~~~~~~~
Clean up the waste & get rid of the trapped wind to send a reply
Any speeliong mistake$ aR the resiult of my cats sitting on the keyboaRRRDdd
~~~~~~~~~~
&siteid=106694&headline=BEECHING%20II>
"BEECHING II Jun 8 2003
Darling plans huge cuts in rail services
By Chris Mclaughlin, Political Editor
ALASTAIR Darling has ordered a "summer summit" to pave the way for the biggest reductions in rail
services since the infamous Beeching cuts of the 1960s.
The Transport Secretary is poised to close dozens of branch lines to fund a new rail "super-highway"
connecting major cities.
The plan is to be discussed this week, prior to a crisis conference in July when Mr Darling will ask
experts to prepare a radical overhaul of the system.
Among those who will be called to the summer summit are the train operators, passenger groups,
freight managers, town planners, academics, the Strategic Rail Authority and motoring organisations.
The blueprint for the new network is based on Whitehall figures which reveal that it will be
impossible to find enough money to maintain the present network.
Cross-country links between towns and cities in East Anglia, Devon and Cornwall, Cumbria, Wales and
Scotland could be under threat. Even major links between regional big cities could have fewer
connections.
It would be the biggest cut in rail services since the programme drawn up by Dr Richard Beeching's
1963 report called the Re-Shaping of British Railways, which called for the closure of 2,000
stations and 5,000 miles of track. Some lines were reprieved but by 1969 the total length of the
rail network had been cut by more than 4,500 miles.
Mr Darling's latest survey says the only way to make rail work is to admit that the car is the
preferred method of travel for most people. He believes a new network of express trains - mainly for
business use - should be introduced to bypass existing routes.
The Government has accepted it is impossible to find enough money to keep the antiquated system
operating safely and efficiently. Instead, cash will be pumped into express strategic routes in a
similar way to the high-speed services in France, Spain and Germany.
New lines will be aimed at attracting international and big business travellers who can afford the
luxury of more expensive rail travel while avoiding the inconvenience of airlines.
Passengers and unions fear the new 10-year plan is part of a long-term "thinning out" of what is
left of the rail network.
Private companies who want to surrender their franchises will be allowed to do so, or will have
their franchises to run regional lines withdrawn because they fail to meet performance targets. Out
of 25 train operators, 22 per cent reported worsening performance, say latest figures.
The reduction in rail services would be a massive U-turn by a Government which once pledged to boost
passenger numbers by 50 per cent by the end of the century.
Mr Darling recently announced that the bulk of a £5.5billion package of transport improvements will
benefit car drivers.
The longer-term plan coincides with the misery promised by rail cuts in the new summer timetable.
Richard Hope, consultant editor of the Railway Gazette, said: "It is tragic if these lines have to
be cut back because the structure and over-regulation that the railways are suffering from is
driving up costs enormously. We are looking at a situation where the cost of rewiring the signals is
now five times higher than when British Rail was doing it."
A spokesman for Mr Darling said: "Spending on the rail network is set to double by 2004. There is a
lot of money there, it is essential to spend it in the best possible way."
Train travellers vowed last night to fight any plans to cut services.
Rail Passengers Council spokeswoman Caroline Jones said: "Putting money into major strategic routes
is good, but it must not be at the expense of other lines, particularly in rural areas."
LINES LIKELY TO FACE THE AXESCOTLAND
Inverness to Kyle
Inverness to Wick
Helensburgh to Fort William
Helensburgh to Mallaig
Aberdeen to Inverness
WALES
Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth
Shrewsbury to Pwllheli
Heart of Wales line between Swansea and Shrewsbury
Whitland to Pembroke
NORTH OF ENGLAND
Carlise to Carnforth via Whitehaven
Middlesbrough to Whitby
Settle to Carlisle
EAST ANGLIA
Norwich to Cromer
Norwich to Great Yarmouth
Norwich to Lowestoft
Ipswich to Lowestoft
SOUTH OF ENGLAND
Ryde to Shanklin (Isle of Wight)
DEVON AND CORNWALL
Exeter to Branstaple
Exeter to Exmouth
Newton Abbot to Torquay
Liskeard to Looe
Par to Newquay
Truro to Falmouth
St Erth to St Ives"
Far be it from me to question the intelligence of a government minister but with our roads nearing
gridlock, won't the above just mean more car journeys and we reach gridlock even quicker???
Shouldn't he be supporting and encouraging the move away from overdependence on the car???
Sorry, I realise I just put the word "intelligence" in relation to a government minister. How
silly of me.
Cheers, helen s
~~~~~~~~~~
Clean up the waste & get rid of the trapped wind to send a reply
Any speeliong mistake$ aR the resiult of my cats sitting on the keyboaRRRDdd
~~~~~~~~~~
