HC Deb 11 July 1973 vol 859 cc1513-5
15. Mr. Dempsey

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give a general direction to British Rail to install telecommunications in long-distance trains; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Speed

No, Sir.

Mr. Dempsey

As every signal box between Carlisle and Motherwell, near Glasgow, is now being closed, should there not be some means of telecommunication to cover emergencies on that long stretch of track, where we have had our share of serious train accidents? Will the Minister give further thought to the fact that trains will be travelling from Glasgow to London at an average speed, we understand, of 100 miles an hour and that, therefore, in the interests of the tourist trade, there should be some means of communicating the names of the places through which trains are passing? If the Minister has not assessed the situation, will he at least conduct an experiment on the line from Glasgow to London to assess the value of train telecommunications?

Mr. Speed

These are matters for the British Railways Board. Regarding tourism, the BRB does not think that the broadcasting of tourist information would be popular for passengers generally. I agree with the board. Tranquillity in our long-distance trains is a very rare thing that we should hold on to.

Concerning telecommunications and signalling, provisions are made, as at present on the electrified line to Crewe, Liverpool and Manchester, to deal with the safety aspects from that point of view.

Mr. Cockeram

Does not my hon. Friend accept that many passengers might like to use telephones on long-distance trains? Is the difficulty of getting two nationalised monopolies to be venturesome too big a problem?

Mr. Speed

On the first point, yes, Sir. In view of the interest in this matter, the BRB and the Post Office have set up a joint working party to look at this situation.

Mr. Lipton

Will the Minister bear in mind that some of us want to be somewhere where we cannot be telephoned? Will he do something to diminish the ubiquity of telephones?

Mr. Speed

I have considerable sympathy with that point of view. There are still the canals.

Mr. Ian Lloyd

Will my hon. Friend encourage British Rail and the Post Office to be at least enterprising to the extent that they resolve the futile disagreement which has prevented the Post Office from installing telephones on the platforms of practically every railway station in this country?

Mr. Speed

That is another question. But I shall certainly look into the specific details if my hon. Friend will let me have them.

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