Beeching fallout

RECENT correspondence in these pages about the Beeching rail cuts are missing the point entirely.

We had to save money and change the service, but if we had not closed down stations and ripped up railway lines in the way we did, we would not now today depend so much on the car, petrol, oil and imports. Our whole balance of trade position would be different. A modern electric metro service, like the one in Newcastle, is what we all need. We wouldn’t own nor need so many cars. Britain’s entire balance of trade position would be different if we had good public transport. The Beeching changes were bad because they closed down so many options for our future.

Nigel Boddy

Fife Road

Darlington