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The Emperor's clothes

6th February 1976
Page 58
Page 58, 6th February 1976 — The Emperor's clothes
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

YET ANOTHER Parliamentary debate on transport has produced little result. Mr Kenneth Marks, fairly new to his job of Under-Secretary, must have been relieved that there was not a great deal to answer in his summing-up. This did not mean there was no interest in the subject. At an early stage the 'Deputy Speaker, in an oblique plea for brevity, referred to his long list of MPs wishing to speak.

They were even less than usually inclined to take any notice of each other apart from the standard courtesies. Each speech was self-contained, with little relation to what had gone before. There were as many solutions to the transport problems as there were contributions to the debate.

One can understand the dilemma. If the railways were an ordinary commercial undertaking, their losses would years ago have forced them into liquidation or into a drastic reduction of service. Ultimately, the rate at which the losses are increasing may make such a step necessary.

Until it happens, there are political and other considerations which stifle discussion. The emperor is still supposed to be fully clothed. There is also a certain mystique. Abolition of the railways is regarded in much the same way as the extinction of a species. Every country has railways, and the country where they began should be the last rather than the first to get rid of them.

Evidence that this is possible, even desirable, is building up for the most part behind the scenes. There is supposed to be a plan for reducing permanent way mileage by over a half. This rumour has been denied. There has certainly been an inquiry into the effect of replacing certain lines by roads. According to the Government, the report on this point is to have further consideration.

Mr Marks did make plain that the Government is sticking to its policy of encouraging the transfer of freight from road to rail whenever possible—in his own words "whenever this makes sense in social, economic and environmental terms." The scope for transfer is limited, he admitted. The fact that it is still the official line indicates that no deep consideration is being given to phasing out the railways or drastically reducing their scope.

Road lobby

Until this is done, the antiroad lobby has a clear field. It can win serious and even sympathetic attention for what might seem extravagant ideas if they were not advanced against the background of a railway service which, in spite of the evidence, is the staple form of transport and must be kept in being.

It can be argued, for instance, that road transport competes unfairly because it receives all kinds of public services, including the use of the roads themselves, free of charge, whereas the railways have to pay for everything. Whatever special taxation road users pay counts for nothing, it is said. We all have to pay taxes. It is right that the Government should restore the balance by a direct contribution to meet railway deficits.

An alternative and equally familiar approach equates the railways with the approved environment, especially where goods have to be carried. If they could be confined to tracks insulated from the general public, everybody would benefit.

There is a deceptive echo here from what the advocates of railway conversion have been saying for some time. It strikes at the heart of the legend that the railways have to be preserved in the face of all commercial considerations and of losses, however great they may be.

Whatever the fate of the permanent way, it is recognised that road transport could •cope with any traffic now carried by rail. The retention of uneconomic services in the present situation is seen more and more as a luxury that can no longer be afforded.

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