Re: Dr Beeching

["Clive D.W. Feather" <clive@on-the-train.demon.co.uk>]

In article <915706252.6496.0.nnrp-04.c2de42f8@news.demon.co.uk>, E.D.
Wivens <news@largeprefer.co.uk> writes
>The first task he undertook was a survey of the British railways
>network designed to find out which parts were profitable and where the
>losses were being made.
>
>His report "The Reshaping of British Railways" was published in 1963
>and gave an accurate description of the state of the network for the
>first time.
>
>It had been suspected a lot of the rail network was under used and
>therefore uneconomic. The report revealed that only half the routes
>covered the cost of operating them, and that half the stations
>produced about 95% of all the revenue.

However ...

Consider a station such as Sunshine-on-Sea at the end of a branch line.
The town is a major holiday resort and the branch is operated at
capacity on summer Saturdays. Beeching accounting:

200,000 return tickets London to S-o-S credited to London stations
3 annual S-o-S seasons credited to Sunshine-on-Sea
10 locos used for banking summer Saturday workings have their entire
  maintenance costs allocated to the branch
8 miles of branch line designated as "needs reballasting and relaying
  next year"

Result: the branch makes a thumping great loss and is closed. 200,000
holidaymakers drive in future.

I exaggerate a bit, but it appears that in many cases:
- fares were credited to the purchase station only
- asset renewal dates were often moved to just after the scheduled
  closure date, so if the line stayed open it would make a big loss
- no allowance made for costs that would remain even if the line
  closed (e.g. upkeep of overbridges)
- no attempt was made to bring down running costs (e.g. by using single
  car DMUs instead of loco+3 on quiet services, or running branches as
  one-engine-in-steam outside good traffic hours, saving a signalman).

-- 
Clive D.W. Feather    | Director of            | Work: <clive@demon.net>
Tel: +44 181 371 1138 |   Software Development | Home: <clive@davros.org>
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