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Railways at the watershed Transport MY own feeling is that it
Page 38
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is now clear that substantial sections of the nation are not ready to face up to the consequences of the streamlining of the railways to the full extent required by present legislation to enable the railways to eliminate their deficit. Whilst we can never reach the stage of saying 'this is the end of closures', because of the rapidly changing industrial scene and technological advance, I consider it feasible to establish a watershed and show a network of routes, services and facilities that substantially should remain for the foreseeable future."
This was a main contention of Mr. Stanley Raymond, chairman of the British Railways Board, when addressing the Institute of Transport in London on Monday.
• Studies were in development in many main urban areas to determine the sensible link between public and private transport and how the public transport facilities should be provided and remunerated.
It was now generally accepted throughout the world that suburban commuter operations could not be performed profitably on a commercial basis nor was there any form of transport yet devised to replace the function of the suburban railway services. Recent experience in New York had underlined this and many people had an eye opener when they learnt the extent to which the New York subway was subsidized by State authorities.
Speed was a matter about which the railways were frequently criticized, Mr. Raymond continued. Because it was allied to smoothness and comfort of ride he regarded it of prime importance. Recent work in their laboratories on vehicle riding was in the nature of a scientific breakthrough and future generations of rolling stock gave promise of smooth rides at all speeds that were economically justified.
This was one of the reasons, but not the only one, why Mr. Raymond did not see in the immediate future an advantage in this densely populated country for such vehicles as the hovercraft, although there might be specialist applications.
Commenting on the Channel Tunnel, Mr. Raymond said that if we did not start digging in the next 12 months we should abandon the project and get on with the development of alternative cross-Channel links. Quite frankly, the railways hesitated about the hovercraft because of the Channel Tunnel, but they could not wait indefinitely.