The blueprint, drawn up in 1963 by the chairman of the British Railways Board, Dr Richard Beeching, shut down almost a third of the railway system.

Five thousand miles of track and 2,000 stations were closed.

Cost cutting

The idea was to put the railways on a sound financial footing by abandoning hundreds of loss making branch lines and concentrating on more profitable InterCity routes instead.

But has the time come to look again at the lines which were closed by Beeching to see whether some could be reopened?

The Politics Show investigates this week.

Were mistakes made?

A new report, not yet officially published, says some of Dr Beeching's closures were big mistakes and routes in Yorkshire and Humberside should be reopened.

The re-opening of lines could drastically reduce journey times

The report was commissioned by the Countryside Agency and was carried out by transport research specialist Paul Salveson and environment planning expert Jo Barnes.

The report highlights the need for development in rail travel as the following extract reveals.

"With road congestion now a real cost to the economy in many areas, and the recognition that we can no longer 'build' our way out of congestion, rail can offer a way forward.

"The deaths and injuries resulting from road accidents can be reduced if journeys are transferred to rail, a much safer means of transport."

Recommendations

One of its most important recommendations is that the old Woodhead line across the Pennines should be brought back into use.

Lines which could reopen according to the Countryside Agency report include:

York to Beverley Malton to Pickering The Woodhead line between Sheffield and Manchester Leeds to Wetherby Leeds to Otley Harrogate to Ripon to Northallerton

This would cut the journey time between Sheffield and Manchester from 51 minutes to 35 minutes.

The report also suggests that the track between Harrogate, Ripon and Northallerton should be reopened. This would put the city of Ripon back on the railway map and would also make it easier for commuters to travel from Leeds to Middlesbrough and Newcastle.

Opposition

But the plans aren't popular with everyone. There are concerns that plans could damage the leisure and tourism industry by using old railway lines which have since been converted into cycle tracks and footpaths.

There's also opposition from people living in the many houses which have been built near the disused railways during the last 40 years.

They are concerned that they will suffer noise and disruption if the lines are brought back into use.

Have your say

Would the re-opening of branches help your journeys? Or maybe you live beside a disused railway that could be brought back in to use. How would the noise effect you?

Whatever your viewpoint, let us know by filling in the response form below.

The Politics Show

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