§ Mr. Bob Cryer (Bradford, South)I present a petition against the closure of the Settle-Carlisle railway on a date which is before the closure date when the TUCC can hear objections on the grounds of hardship. I hope and believe that this will be the first of many more petitions on this subject.
I and the petitioners believe that closure would be an act of organised vandalism. The signatures include people on a train hauled by the "Sir Nigel Gresley", which you will vividly recall, Mr. Deputy Speaker, was built in Doncaster and is a fine engine named after the chief mechanical engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway.
The petition is also signed by people on the train on the Worth valley railway, who know how to run railways and know that a private preservation scheme for the Settle-Carlisle line is, to say the least, unworkable and unlikely. It is also signed by ordinary people from all over the country who treasure the railway, people who live near the line who would face grave hardship if it was closed, and people who love the line and the access that it provides to the Yorkshire Dales.
The petition reads:
The humble petition of the supporters of the Settle-Carlisle railway sheweth that the outstandingly beautiful and historic Settle-Carlisle railway provides an essential transport system for people who live in the area, for people wishing to visit the area, for people travelling betvveen the midlands, Yorkshire and Scotland, for British Rail to use as a diversionary route, for British Rail to use as a potentially important freight route and for hundreds of thousands of people who wish to enjoy the scenery near the line, and the engineering heritage of the line itself. Wherefore, your petitioners pray that the Settle-Carlisle railway and the associated Blackburn-Hellifield railway will be retained as an integral part of the national railway network.
§ To lie upon the Table.