Many railway lines were closed as a result of the Beeching Axe

The Beeching Axe was an informal name for the British government's attempt in the 1960s to control the spiralling cost of running the British railway system by closing what it considered to be "little-used" and unprofitable railway lines. from http://www. ... from http://www. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The United Kingdom consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and previously consisted of Great Britain and the whole of Ireland. ... Railroad or railway tracks are used on railways, which, together with railroad switches (points), guide trains without the need for steering. ...

Background

A timetable from 1963 showing the closure of a branch line and the suggested replacement bus service. This was the start of the Axe; the peak year followed in 1964.

The Beeching Axe was a reaction to the failed railway modernisation plan of the 1950s, which spent huge amounts of money on buying new equipment, such as new diesel and electric locomotives, without first examining the role of the railway and its requirements, recognising the implications of changing old-fashioned working practices, or tackling the problem of chronic overmanning. The result was to plunge the railway system deeply into debt. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1221x350, 99 KB) Summary Page from summer 1963 British Railways Eastern timetable illustrating Beeching Axe in progress. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1221x350, 99 KB) Summary Page from summer 1963 British Railways Eastern timetable illustrating Beeching Axe in progress. ... A timetable is an organized list or schedule, usually set out in tabular form, providing information about a series of arranged events: in particular, the time at which it is planned these events will take place. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... A branch line is a relatively minor railway line which branches off a more important through route. ... For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... // Events and No. ... Diesel or Diesel fuel is a specific fractional distillate of fuel oil (mostly petroleum) that is used as fuel in a diesel engine invented by German engineer Rudolf Diesel. ... A locomotive (from lat. ...

In tune with the mood of the early 1960s, Harold Macmillan's Conservative government with pro-road transport minister Ernest Marples believed that the future of transport lay with roads, and that railways were a relic of the Victorian past with little future. Many people believed that Marples' view was not totally unconnected to his previous role as a director of a major road-construction company. The Right Honourable Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC (10 February 1894–29 December 1986), nicknamed Supermac and Mac the Knife, was a British Conservative politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963. ... The Conservative Party is the largest political party on the right-of-centre in the United Kingdom. ... Ernest Marples MP (1907-1978) Baron Marples of Wallasey Born Alfred Ernest Marples in 1907 at Henshaw Street in Stretford, Manchester this local elementary schoolboy succeeded in becoming Postmaster General and Minister of Transport during his time as a member of the Conservative Government Cabinet. ... Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her Accession to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian era of Great Britain is considered the height of the British industrial revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ...

In 1961 the Conservative government appointed Dr. Richard Beeching (1913–1985) as the chairman of British Railways, with a brief to cut the spiralling losses. 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Richard Beeching Dr. Richard Beeching later Baron Beeching (21 April 1913 — 23 March 1985) was a British physicist and engineer, and former chairman of British Railways. ... 1913 (MCMXIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... This article is about the year. ... Logo of British Rail British Railways (BR), later rebranded as British Rail, ran the British railway system from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies in 1948 until its privatisation in stages between 1994 and 1997. ...

Dr. Beeching believed the railway system should be run like a business, not a public service, and that if parts of the railway system did not pay their way—like some rural branch lines— they should be eliminated. He reasoned that once these were closed, the remaining core of the system would be restored to profitability.

Beeching made a study of traffic on all the railway lines in the country and concluded that 80% of the traffic was carried on just 20% of the network, with much of the rest of the system carrying little traffic and operating at a loss. In his report "The Reshaping of British Railways" issued on March 27, 1963, he proposed a massive closure programme. The report proposed that 6,000 miles of Britain's then 18,000 miles of railway system be closed (mostly rural branch and cross country lines) and that many other rail lines should lose their passenger services and be kept open for freight only. In addition, many lesser-used stations would close on lines that were to be kept open. The report was accepted by the government. March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (87th in Leap years). ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ...

At the time, the report was called the "Beeching Bombshell" or the "Beeching Axe" by the press and was highly controversial. It sparked an outcry from many communities that would lose their rail services, many of which (especially in the case of rural communities) provided the sole means of public transport.

The government argued that many of the rail services could be provided more cheaply by buses, and in a policy known as "bustitution", promised that any abandoned rail services would have their place taken by a replacement bus service, although this policy proved unsuccessful. TheBus, established by Mayor Frank Fasi, is Honolulus only public transit system. ... Bustitution is sometimes used to name the practice of replacing train service, whether street railways (light rail or tram/streetcar systems) or full-size railway systems, with a bus service, either on a temporary or permanent basis. ...

A significant part of the Beeching Plan also proposed that British Rail electrify some major main lines and adopt containerised freight traffic instead of the outdated and uneconomic wagon-load traffic. In general, politicians jumped at the money-saving parts of the plan and were less enthusiastic about the parts which cost money. Some of those plans were adopted, however, such as the electrification of the West Coast Main Line. A politician is an individual involved in politics to the extent of holding or running for public office. ... The WCML running alogside the M1 motorway in Northamptonshire The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important intercity railway lines in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system. ...

At its peak in 1950, the mileage of the British railway system was around 21,000 miles. 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Contrary to popular belief, Beeching did not start the rail closures, as a number of rail closures had occurred during the 1950s. Between 1950 and 1963, approximately 3,000 miles of track had already been closed. After Beeching's report, the process was accelerated and dramatically expanded. // Events and No. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ...

Rail closures by year

The remains of Rugby Central Station on the former Great Central Railway, one of many closed under the Beeching Axe

• Pre-Beeching closures
  • 1950....150 miles closed
  • 1951....275 miles closed
  • 1952....300 miles closed
  • 1953....275 miles closed
  • 1954 to 1957....500 miles closed
  • 1958....150 miles closed
  • 1959....350 miles closed
  • 1960....175 miles closed
  • 1961....150 miles closed
  • 1962....780 miles closed
• Post Beeching closures
  • 1963....324 miles closed
  • 1964....1,058 miles closed
  • 1965....600 miles closed
  • 1966....750 miles closed
  • 1967....300 miles closed
  • 1968....400 miles closed
  • 1969....250 miles closed
  • 1970....275 miles closed
  • 1971....23 miles closed
  • 1972....50 miles closed
  • 1973....35 miles closed
  • 1974....0 miles closed

Not all of the railway lines listed for closure were closed; some were kept open for a variety of reasons, including political manoeuvering. For example, the railway lines through the Scottish Highlands, although not cost-efficient by Beeching's definition, were kept open due in part to pressure from the powerful Highland lobby. Other lines may have been kept open because they passed through marginal constituencies. In addition, some lines listed for closure were kept open because the local roads were incapable of absorbing the traffic that would be transferred from the railway if it closed. As a result, there are still a fair number of rural railway lines still in existence on the British Railway system, although far fewer than there were before Beeching. Download high resolution version (1000x750, 304 KB)The remains of Rugby Central Station - The former Great Central Railway station serving Rugby, which closed in 1969. ... Download high resolution version (1000x750, 304 KB)The remains of Rugby Central Station - The former Great Central Railway station serving Rugby, which closed in 1969. ... A local train from Birmingham to Northampton at Rugby railway station. ... The Great Central Railway (GCR) was the latter day name of a railway company of the United Kingdom which earlier was known as the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR). ... The Scottish Highlands are the mountainous regions of Scotland north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault. ...

Overall, 2,128 stations were closed on lines that were kept open. As well as minor railway lines, a few major inter-city railway lines were closed as well, most notably the Great Central Railway which linked London to the north of England. The Great Central Railway (GCR) was the latter day name of a railway company of the United Kingdom which earlier was known as the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR). ... For other uses, see London (disambiguation). ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK...

Beeching II

In 1964, Dr. Beeching issued a second, less-well-known, report "The Development of the Major Railway Trunk Routes", widely known as "Beeching II", which went even further than the first report. The report singled out lines that were believed to be worthy of continued large-scale investment, and, although it did not explicitly say so, implied that any lines not singled out for investment would eventually be closed. For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ...

Essentially, it proposed that all railway lines other than major inter-city routes and important commuter lines around big cities had little future and should eventually close. If the report had been implemented, the railway system would have been cut to just 7,000 miles, leaving Britain with little more than a skeletal railway system with large parts of the country entirely devoid of railways.

The report was rejected by the government and Dr. Beeching resigned in 1965. Although politicians were ultimately responsible for the rail closures, Dr. Beeching's name has become synonymous with them ever since. 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ...

Changing attitudes and policies

In 1964, a new Labour government was elected with prime minister Harold Wilson. During the election campaign, Labour promised to halt the rail closures if elected. Once elected, however, they quickly backtracked on this promise, and the closures continued, at a faster rate than under the previous administration, until the end of the decade. The Labour Party is a centre-left or social democratic political party in Britain (see British politics), and one of the United Kingdoms three main political parties. ... In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ... The Right Honourable James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, PC (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was one of the longest serving Labour Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom. ...

In 1965, Barbara Castle was appointed transport minister, and she began to look at the country's transport problems as a whole. Mrs. Castle decided that at least 11,000 route miles of "basic railway" would be needed for the foreseeable future and that the railway system should be stabilised at around this size. Barbara Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn (October 6, 1910 – May 3, 2002), British left-wing politician, was born Barbara Anne Betts in Bradford, Yorkshire, and adopted her familys politics, joining the Labour Party. ...

Towards the end of the 1960s, it became increasingly clear that the rail closures were not producing the promised savings or bringing the rail system out of deficit and were unlikely ever to do so. Barbara Castle stipulated that some rail services that could not pay their way but had a valuable social role should be subsidised. However, by the time the legislation allowing this was introduced in 1968, many such services and railway lines that would have qualified for subsidies had already been closed or removed, lessening the impact of the legislation. A number of branch lines were nevertheless saved by this legislation.

Overview

The closures failed in their central purpose of restoring the railways to profitability, with the promised savings failing to materialise. By abolishing a third of the rail network, Beeching only managed to achieve a saving of just £7m. Overall losses were in excess of £100m. The losses were mainly because the branch lines acted as feeders to the main lines, and this feeder traffic was lost when the branches closed—in turn meaning less traffic for and worsening the finances of the main lines. The assumption at the time was that car owners would drive to the nearest railhead (which was usually the junction where the closed branch line would otherwise have taken them) and journey onwards by train, but in practice having once left home in their cars, they used them for the whole journey. A small variety of cars, the most popular kind of automobile. ...

The "bustitution" policy of replacing rail services with buses also failed. Most of the replacement bus services were far slower and less convenient than the train services they replaced, and they proved unpopular with the public. Most of the replacement bus services only lasted a few years before being scrapped due to lack of usage, effectively leaving large parts of the country without any effective public transport.

The closures were brought to a halt in the early 1970s when it became apparent that they were not useful, that the benefit of the small amount of money saved by closing railways was outweighed by the pollution and congestion caused by increasing reliance on cars which followed, and by the general public's hatred of the cuts. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Water pollution Environmental pollution is the release of environmental contaminants, generally resulting from human activity. ... Traffic jams are common in heavily populated areas. ...

The last major railway closure to occur was of an 80-mile-long main line between Carlisle and Edinburgh called the Waverley Route, which closed in 1969; plans have since been made to re-open this line. Today, Britain's railways, like nearly every other railway system in the world, still run at a deficit. This article is about the English city. ... Edinburgh (pronounced ), Dùn Èideann () in Scottish Gaelic, is the second-largest city in Scotland and its capital city. ... The Waverley Line is an abandoned railway line in Scotland that ran south from Edinburgh, through Midlothian and the Scottish Borders to Carlisle. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday For other uses, see Number 1969. ...

In the early 1980s, under the government of Margaret Thatcher, the possibility of more Beeching-style cuts was raised again briefly. In 1983, Sir David Serpell, a civil servant who had worked with Dr. Beeching, compiled what became known as "The Serpell Report" which called for more rail closures. The report was met with fierce resistance from many quarters, so it was quickly abandoned. The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925) is a British politician and a former barrister and chemist. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Many commentators now agree that the Beeching plan went much too far. Although supporters of Beeching claim that some of the closures were justifiable, with hindsight many of Beeching's cuts have been viewed as foolish and short-sighted, and many are now being bitterly regretted. Supporters of the Beeching cuts claim that they were a necessary emergency response to save the railway network from financial disaster, and that if they had not occurred, a far larger programme of cuts would have been later necessary.

One of the major criticisms made of the Beeching report was that it failed to take into account future trends such as population growth and greater demand for travel. The population of many of the towns which had their railways closed in the 1960s has grown significantly since, leaving the towns more in need of public transport. However, the trackbeds of many closed railways have been built over and they would be prohibitively expensive to re-open. Population growth is changing of the amount of population over time. ...

In total, in 1955 the British railway system had 20,000 miles of track and 6,000 stations. By 1975, the system had shrunk to 12,000 miles of track and 2,000 stations, roughly the same size it is today (2003). 1955 (MCMLV in Roman) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Re-openings

Since the Beeching era, a modest number of the closures have been reversed. Notable amongst these is the Robin Hood Line in Nottinghamshire between Nottingham and Worksop via Mansfield which re-opened in the early 1990s. Previously Mansfield had been the largest town in Britain to have no rail link. The Robin Hood Line is a railway line running from Nottingham city centre to Worksop, Nottinghamshire. ... Nottinghamshire (abbreviated Notts) is an English county in the East Midlands, which borders South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire. ... Nottingham is a city and county town of Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands of England. ... Map sources for Worksop at grid reference SK585792 Worksop is a town in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England on the River Ryton at the northern edge of Sherwood Forest. ... Location within the British Isles Mansfield is a town in Nottinghamshire. ... The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive. ...

Also, in the West Midlands, a new Birmingham Snow Hill station was opened in 1987 to replace the earlier Snow Hill station which had been closed and demolished in the early 1970s. The tunnel underneath Birmingham city centre which served the station was also re-opened along with the line towards Kidderminster and Worcester. The former line from Snow Hill to Wolverhampton has been re-opened as the Midland Metro tram system. The direct line from Coventry to Nuneaton was re-opened to passengers in 1988. The County of West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England, the United Kingdom, formed in 1974. ... The station entrance Birmingham Snow Hill station is a railway station located in the centre of Birmingham, England. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The city from above Centenary Square. ... Map sources for Kidderminster at grid reference SO825765 Kidderminster is a town in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. ... The city of Worcester (pronounced Wuh-ster) is the county town of Worcestershire in England; the river Severn runs through the middle, with the citys large Worcester Cathedral overlooking the river. ... Wolverhampton is an industrial, commercial and university city and metropolitan borough in the English West Midlands, traditionally part of the county of Staffordshire. ... A Midland Metro tram The Midland Metro is a light-rail tram system in the West Midlands of England. ... A modern tram in the Töölö district of Helsinki, Finland Map showing the tramway system in Oslo, Norway Volkswagen Cargo-Tram in Dresden. ... The Coventry to Nuneaton Line is a short branch line linking Coventry and Nuneaton in the West Midlands of England. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Beeching saw South Wales as a declining industrial region. As a result, it lost the majority of its network. Since 1983 it has experienced a major rail revival, with 32 new stations, and three lines reopened within 20 miles of each other: Abercynon–Aberdare, Barry–Bridgend, and Bridgend–Maesteg. In 2006 the Ebbw Valley Line is set to re-open after about 40 years. Approximate extent of South Wales South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the East and South, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the North and West. ... Abercynon is a small village in the Cynon Valley, Wales. ... This article is about the Welsh town. ... Barry (Welsh: Y Barri) is a town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. ... Bridgend (Welsh: Pen-y-bont) is a town in the traditional county of Glamorgan and the main town in the county borough of Bridgend. ... Maesteg is a town in the county borough of Bridgend, traditional county of Glamorgan, south Wales, lying in the Llynfi Valley. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

In Scotland, a 35-mile stretch of the former Waverley Route between Edinburgh and Galashiels may well be re-opened by 2008 if funding is approved. The closure of the line in 1969 left the Scottish Borders area without any rail links. The Edinburgh-Bathgate reopening in 1985 was the first success of a new policy introduced by the Thatcher government, of experimental reopenings that would only become permanent if well-used. It was and did. Plans are now in hand to reopen the section between Bathgate and Airdrie. [1]. More recently, a 4-mile section of the Argyle Line was re-opened in December 2005, serving stations at Chatelherault, Merryton and Larkhall for the first time since 1968. Royal motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... The Waverley Line is an abandoned railway line in Scotland that ran south from Edinburgh, through Midlothian and the Scottish Borders to Carlisle. ... Edinburgh (pronounced ), Dùn Èideann () in Scottish Gaelic, is the second-largest city in Scotland and its capital city. ... Galashiels is a burgh in the Scottish Borders, on the Gala Water river. ... 2008 (MMVIII) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday For other uses, see Number 1969. ... Scottish Borders (Crìochan na h-Alba in Gaelic) is one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland. ... Bathgate is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the M8 motorway five miles west of Livingston. ... This article is about the year. ... The Argyle Line is a suburban railway located in West Central Scotland. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Chatelherault Country Park is a Park in Hamilton, Scotland. ... Larkhall is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland and is around 18 miles SE of Glasgow. ...

In addition to this quite a number of closed stations have re-opened, and passenger services restored on lines where they had been removed. Several lines have also reopened as heritage railways; see List of British heritage and private railways. A scene on a heritage railway. ... This list of British heritage and private railways is intended as a list of railways (railroads) in Britain. ...

It would generally be impossible for most of the stations closed by the Beeching Axe to be reopened; many embankments have been filled in and built on (for example around Cowley) and some station buildings have been sold and are now private homes. Cowley is the name of a number of places: Cowley, London Cowley, Oxford Cowley, Wyoming, USA Cowley County, Kansas, USA Cowley is the name of some people: Cowley, Patrick This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

References

• Forgotten Railways: by H.P. White (1986). ISBN 0946537135
• The Great Railway Conspiracy: by David Henshaw (1994). ISBN 0948135484

External links

• Website about Beeching cuts in more detail
• Railway maps before and after cuts
• Extensive before and after photo collection of closed stations, with commentaries
• download the Beeching Report Part 1
• download the Beeching Report Part 2 (maps)