Anniversary of the Beeching Report: it’s time to expand the rail network
27 March 2023
On the 60th anniversary of the Beeching Report (27 March 2023), which led to the closure of almost 2,500 stations and up to a third of Britain’s railway lines, Silviya Barrett of Campaign for Better Transport said:
“Sixty years after the Beeching report, road traffic is blighting communities and transport emits more greenhouse gases than any other sector. We need to reverse the cuts and expand the rail network, to make transport fit for the next 60 years.”
Silviya added:
“We’ve seen how rail reopening projects like the Dartmoor Line have been a great success, attracting many more passengers than forecast. A handful of other projects have seen good progress, but too many are stuck in the sidings. Funding is sorely needed to reopen more lines and reconnect more communities.”
ENDS
For further information please contact the press office on 07984 773 468 (calls only no texts) or communications@bettertransport.org.uk
Notes to Editors
Many rail routes and stations were removed from Britain’s network in the 1960s under the Beeching cuts. This saw the British Railways Board, led by Dr Richard Beeching and informed by the 27 March 1963 report, The Reshaping of British Railways, close almost 2,500 stations and up to one third of Britain’s railway lines. This was intended to save money delivering rail services as the use of private cars increased – as a result, only half of the stations that existed in the 1960s are still in service today.
In 2019, we published The case for expanding the rail network, identifying 224 priority projects for reopening. Of those, 11 lines and 7 stations have so far been delivered or significantly progressed and another 31 lines are currently under consideration.
The Department for Transport has supported rail reopenings through the Restoring Your Railway Fund, which we campaigned for. So far, 8 schemes have completed or are currently being delivered and another 13 have already progressed past business case stage.
In 2021 regular passenger services returned to the Dartmoor Line after almost 50 years. In the same week as it celebrated its one-year anniversary, the reopened Dartmoor Line saw its 250,000th journey, more than double the demand originally forecast.
Campaign for Better Transport operates in England and Wales. Campaign for Better Transport’s vision is for all communities to have access to high quality, sustainable transport that meets their needs, improves quality of life and protects the environment. Campaign for Better Transport Charitable Trust is a registered charity (1101929).
