International Railroad Discussion > The undoing of Dr. Beeching?

I remember well living in the UK when Dr. Beeching wielded his infamous axe, pruning British Railways back into a hoped for profitability.

Today we read of a plan to re-open a few of the closed lines:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8100961.stm

Unfortunately, many of the right of ways were sold off to ease the lack of money and perhaps demonstrate that the cuts were a good thing. As a result, the railway map of disused lines is anything but continuous, so it will be interesting to see if anything really happens in the future to restore services, as the report proposes.

Some of this would be relatively easy to reactivate. For instance the Wisbech to March line in Cambridgeshire is still intact, it served a canning factory until 2001 and was left in situ after the plant closed. But at March the junction faces the wrong direction so trains to Peterborough, the logical destination, would have to reverse. Not a big deal with diesel MUs. Hythe in Southampton is also still rail connected on account of the freight only line from Totton to the oil refinery at Fawley. And there is a precedent in the area, passenger service to Chandlers Ford between Eastleigh and Romsey to the north of Southampton was reinstated a few years back after a couple of decades of freight only use.

But Brixham. I think that cows may fly before trains return. Firstly it was a branch off a branch, secondly the line through Churston, the junction, is actually a tourist line - the national network terminus is at Paignton, beyond to Churston and Kingswear is the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway. And if homes have to be purchased to facilitate reinstatement then the resultant legal battles are likely to absorb most of the next decade.

So some of these proposals have definite merit, and are readily achievable in the short term if the will is there, others are really kite flying.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/09 12:07 by 86235.

Yes, cows may fly! But the Daily Telegraph carries a reasoned commentary by a train enthusiast:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/5544414/Warning-theres-trouble-ahead-for-Britains-railways.html

His comments remind me of the early days of Eurostar, when in France they had high speed track but used an old station (Gare du Nord) while in the UK they had a fine new station at Waterloo (now boarded up!) but no high speed track. Not much has changed, apparently.