Will there be another Beeching?
06 August 2010
Nearly half a century ago Dr Beeching slashed Britain's railway system at a stroke in his infamous Beeching Report of 1963 which cut thousands of miles of track. Will it happen again in this new political era of cutbacks? Not in the same way, probably. But, travelling on Britain's branch lines once more this year for my new book On the Slow Train Again, it is apparent that many of the loveliest railways are facing the prospect of "death by a thousand cuts" as local councils and rail operators impose economies. Most of these lines are a reflection of Britain's great engineering heritage and provide vital community links through some of the most beautiful parts of the country. Here is a national treasure that deserves to be saved!
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