CANBER - Campaign Against New Beeching Report

Is there a need any longer for campaign groups such as "Save the Train" and CANBER? At least one very knowledgable writer has suggested that they are no longer necessary. That in the current political climate, and with a lot more empowerment brought to the population as a whole by the electronic media, it would be a fool's errand to propose a closure because of the Tsunami it would raise.

Well - there's closure, and there's effective closure. Just last month, an hourly service on one line was replaced by a daily service in one direction only, and a two or three times daily round trip on another line was replace by a weekly round trip by bus.

Our knowledgable writer is right to some extent - it would be a fool's errand it to propose a formal closure. So other ways and means have been found to remove the service that people might want to use to get from (a) at one end of a line to (b) at the other - or to leave or join a train at (c).

There probably are some extreme cases. That is why I say might, but in my view lines should not be closed in all but name without the honest presentation of a closure procedure. And this procedure should be given due publicity, review, and full consideration with the travelling public being very high up the priority scale.

The practises in current use are an abuse of what the law intended, which is that that closures should be fully examined. And it's because of these abusive practises that many services have already been rendered unusable, that others could follow, that groups like Save the Train and CANBER are more necessary than ever.

* The Practises

If you have ever been involved with a rail service that's not fit for purpose, you'll find that many of these will ring true. And while they continue to occur, there IS a need for camapign / watchdog groups.

1. Don't display the timetables
2. Run only in Marginal Times
3. Saturday or Sunday (or Tuesday!) service Only
4. The one way train - no way back
5. Failing connections - scheduled to miss by five minutes
6. Parliamentary service
7. Replacement by bus due to health and safety
8. Oops - no way to get on the platform
9. It's not advertised
10. "Didn't you see the consultation paper behind the filing cabinet?"
11. "Support wasn't unaninymous"
12. Price 'em off
13. Don't put it on the National Rail site.
14. "Dont talk about it - you might make it happen" says the civil servant
15. Don't distribute the right timetable
16. Bustitute frequently
17. Make 'em change buses
18. Leave 'em standing at unmanned stations without phone or information
19. "Not my responsibility" - smoke and mirrors.
20. Don't provide any means of selling tickets and counting passengers
21. Run to a destination that offers little traffic

Link - short example of each

* Some of the Lines

These examples are predominantly in the South and West; simply examples from my area of knowledge.

Ealing to Olympia
Didcot West curve
The Rhubarb Loop
The TransWilts
Newport avoiding line
Newhaven Marine branch
Coombe Junction to Coombe Halt
Beckenham Junction to New Beckenham
Watford Junction to Croxley Green
Paddington to High Wycombe

* Some of the Stations

Again, relating to my own area of knowledge and not intended to imply that this is an issue for any particular part of the country.

Pilning
Melksham
Coombe Junction Halt
Oxfordshire Halts
Dilton Marsh Halt
Watford Stadium
Watford West
Croxley Green

I can provide examples of each and every one of the practices that I have listed ... and from the recent past, too. It has been said that before Dr Beeching closed certain lines, he "softened" them up by reducing them to a less that practical service for a while - softening them up. Deja vu?