The Times: Labour considering cuts to Restoring Your Railway and dropping HS2 Euston

[Merle Haggard]

Labour did not promise to reverse Beeching in its 1964 manifesto:

I was misled at the time, then, by the reported words on a number of occasions of, amongst others, the Rt. Hon. Barbara Castle (at the time shadow transport minister), local prospective Labour candidates at public meetings and media interviews. Clearly not reflecting their own manifesto, which is what they subsequently rely on.

There was at least one promise - not in the manifesto - made very clearly in a radio news interview before the last election by a then shadow minister which has already been reversed in government - the news radio station did mention this u-turn but even with today's technology it's very difficult to retain a record of promises made verbally, for instance in radio interviews. Breaking verbal promises on the grounds 'it wasn't in our manifesto' (presumably the defence) doesn't encourage trust in politicians.

And they did promise to halt major rail closures in their manifesto (my first point), perhaps words carefully chosen so as to be open to interpretation.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Labour's 1964 manifesto said this about rail: (link)

Far from easing these problems, the Government's policy of breaking up road and rail freight co-ordination, of denationalising road haulage and finally of axing rail services under the Beeching Plan, have made things worse.

Labour will draw up a national plan for transport covering the national networks of road, rail and canal communications, properly co-ordinated with air, coastal shipping and port services. The new regional authorities will be asked to draw up transport plans for their own areas. While these are being prepared, major rail closures will be halted.

<snip about roads>

Labour believes that public transport, road and rail, must play the dominant part in the journey to work. Every effort will be made to improve and modernise these services. Urgent attention will be given to the proposals in the Buchanan Report and to the development of new roads capable of diverting through traffic from town centres.

Labour will ensure that public transport is able to provide a reasonable service for those who live in rural areas. The studies already mentioned will decide whether these should be provided by public road or rail services.

And in 1966 they said this: (link)

We are already reviewing the absurd closure programme of suburban and urban rail services. We shall maintain public transport services in our towns and cities and aim at higher levels of comfort and frequency. We shall also tackle the problems of central redevelopment and new forms of transport by financing feasibility studies by local authorities; e.g., a monorail for Manchester.

<snip>

Transport planning, both national and regional, is an essential part of community planning. The Tory attempt to solve our transport problems by increasing competition between road and rail, by the adoption of rigid commercial criteria for the railways and other public transport services, and by deliberate fragmentation of transport undertakings, is the most conspicuous and most costly of all their failures.

And they explicitly promised to:

1. Carry out an expanding road programme speeding up road construction and cutting costs by new methods of financing highway development.
2. Co-ordinate road and rail in order to use existing resources to best effect. As a first step, we shall create a National Freight Authority to co-ordinate the movement of freight by road and rail, and provide a first-rate publicly owned service.
3. Legislate to annul the evil effects of the 1962 Tory Transport Act.
4. Encourage the formation of regional and area transport authorities, to provide more effective public transport in both the conurbations and rural areas, by integrating road, rail and other forms of transport.

So there was no explicit promise to reverse Beeching, but there was criticism of rail closures and an unsaid implication that they would support rail.

The suggestion of a monorail for Manchester seems quite amusing with hindsight

 

[Topological]

Labour's 1964 manifesto said this about rail: (link)



And in 1966 they said this: (link)



And they explicitly promised to:



So there was no explicit promise to reverse Beeching, but there was criticism of rail closures and an unsaid implication that they would support rail.

The suggestion of a monorail for Manchester seems quite amusing with hindsight

"Restoring your Monorail" - consultations for Monorails to get votes and then not worry about delivering them.

How the tables turn?

 

[weeklycommuter]

The below letter has been sent by Hendy and at least says Portishead is still in play.

https://x.com/Sadik4Pharmacy/status/1818574652295225510

The West of England Combined Authority has a Labour Mayor and several Labour MPs but the LibDems and the Green Party are snapping at their heels with the Green Party taking Bristol Central constituency from Labour on 4 July so the Labour Government may decide they must give the go ahead to Portishead.

 

[geoffk]

The below letter has been sent by Hendy and at least says Portishead is still in play.

https://x.com/Sadik4Pharmacy/status/1818574652295225510

The below letter has been sent by Hendy and at least says Portishead is still in play.

https://x.com/Sadik4Pharmacy/status/1818574652295225510

The September (sic) "Today's Railways UK" (page 7), states that "North Somerset MP Sadik Al-Hassan said he had had it confirmed to him that the Bristol - Portishead reopening.......is safe, not least as Network Rail is about to submit what seems like the 493rd update of its business case". Make of that what you will!

 

[zwk500]

The September (sic) "Today's Railways UK" (page 7), states that "North Somerset MP Sadik Al-Hassan said he had had it confirmed to him that the Bristol - Portishead reopening.......is safe, not least as Network Rail is about to submit what seems like the 493rd update of its business case". Make of that what you will!

The letter on Twitter from Peter Hendy stated that the Portishead was being reviewed as part of the wider review by the Transport Secretary later in the year, IIRC, so is not exactly 'safe'.

 

[cinders&ashes]

But there’s no way £85 million would cover delivery of all of those - even accounting for money that can’t be saved because it’s already been spent.

£500m was the programme budget. £85m is the unspent remainder.

As I said, Okehampton is delivered and Northumberland line all but there too.

Both used existing lines (one heritage, one freight), as would Ivanhoe (freight )and part of Portishead (freight).
Station budgets vary but costs shown have been between £5m and £25m.
Most proposals only funded to initial £50k stage, but 23 reached SOBC which is several millions.
23 proposals reached SOBC stage and would've been funded for that rather than the entire delivery.
When it comes to delivery, even then the RYR fund plays a bit part, with funding from local governments playing a part and other central funding pots. RYR was always more about looking into which of these reopening campaigns had genuine merit versus those purely based on nostalgia.