Threat to rural rail links 'is a threat to walkers'
[23 November 2004]
Rural railway lines, often heavily used by walkers, are under
threat after yesterday’s decision by Transport Secretary,
Alistair Darling, to launch a review of rural rail services in
an attempt to make those that are currently least-used pay their
way.
Closure of some lines will undoubtedly have an impact on walkers
seeking to reach some of our most beautiful countryside, most
dramatically in the Peak District where the Manchester to Buxton
line is threatened, and in the Lake District where the
Manchester and Oxenholme to Windermere line is under threat.
However, amid fears of Beeching-style swinging cuts to
approximately 56 rural lines, or around 10% of the rail network,
the Government have offered some hope of salvation. A strategy
aimed at doubling the revenue generated by rural railways and
reducing the costs of running them within five years is to be
promoted.
However, Mr. Darling made it clear that should this fail the
government would be left with little choice but to close lines
for good, stating, “I’m not interested in the sentiment of
running the railways. We’ve got to be hard headed about this.”
“There comes a point where, if a line is not working, it is not
carrying people and its costs are not coming down, then of
course you’ve got to look at that. We can’t be in the business
of carting fresh air around the country”, he continued.
The threat of closures could prompt a significant backlash from
rural communities, where these lines are seen as lifelines for
those who use them. Their closure will almost certainly mean
penalising those who cannot afford to run a car, and will lead
to more car trips being made.
Pilot projects will run on an initial seven lines: the St.
Albans Abbey line from Watford Junction to St. Albans; the St.
Ives Bay line from St. Erth to St. Ives and the Looe Valley line
from Liskeard to Looe in Cornwall; the Tamar Valley line from
Plymouth to Gunnislake; the Grantham to Skegness line; the
Penistone line from Sheffield to Huddersfield; and the Esk
Valley line from Middlesbrough to Whitby.