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Railways' Road Services —

16th February 1962
Page 66
Page 66, 16th February 1962 — Railways' Road Services —
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Government Stand Firm

FROM OUR PARLIAMENTARY CORRESPONDENT

CONSERVAT1VE and Labour attempts to allow the railways to expand their road services faded away in Commons Committee debates in the face of firm resistance by Mr. John Hay, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport.

A Conservative amendment to the Transport Bill moved—and later withdrawn—by Wing Commander R. G. Grant-Ferris (Nantwich) would have permitted the Railways Board to carry by road • goods brought to ports by coastal shipping. The Labour amendment allowed the hoard to carry goads' and passengers by road, without the conditions imposed by the Bill. This, too, was not pressed to a vote by its mover, Mr. Tom Steele (Dunbarton West). Other similar amendments were also opposed.

Mr. Hay's opposition to both amendments was based on the fact that the Government are trying to tic the road haulage powers of fife Railways Board principally to cases where the goods would go by rail on part of the journey.

If the Conservative amendment were accepted, he said, there might come a situation in which goods which had never touched the railways could, nevertheless, be carried anywhere in the United Kingdom by long-distance road haulage services run by the railways.

Dealing with Mr. Steele's amendment, Mr. Hay said that the clearly defined task for the Railways Board was to run railways, and, if this were accepted, quite obviously one did not wIsh to give them powers to engage in road haulage at large. Of course, there would be occasions when it would be convenient for the board to carry goods by road, and the Bill set out the circumstances in which this could be done.

"Although we do not wish to damage the railway collection and delivery ser vice, and under normal circumstances would hope those services would be carried on where the goods were to be carried by rail, we must bear in mind that throughout the country there is a highly developed road haulage industry. There is no evidence, so far as I am aware, except perhaps in remote parts of the country, where road haulage either by B.R.S. or private road haulage would not be available to carry goods.

"Therefore the problem that_faces us is so to circumscribe the powers of the Railways Board as, to ensure it does not get outside its set task, and on the other hand not to circumscribe it so, greatly that it cannot in the course of time develop and maintain sensible ancillary services to its primary job of providing transport by rail," he said.

Dealing with the railways' powers to run bus services, Mr. Hay pointcd, out that the Board would be bound to go to the Traffic Commissioners for the necessary road service licences if it wished to operate a stage service.

Another reason why he could not accept an amendment was that if they were to remove the power to provide bus services where a railway line had been closed, there was little doubt that circumstances could arise in which the cost to the railways of using outside bus services already, being provided by operators in the district might well be too high.

The third reason was that the Rill placed on the Railways Board a duty to give the public advance notice of the discontinuance of railway services, together with particulars of any alternative road services which Would be available, and of any proposals the Board might have for providing. or augmenting the services.


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