HL Deb 07 March 1968 vol 289 cc1416-7
THE EARL OF KINNOULL

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many private sidings connected to the Railway Board's lines have been closed since 1962 and whether, in view of the increasing congestion on streets, they will encourage the Board to keep private sidings traffic on rail throughout the journey.]

THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF PUBLIC BUILDING AND WORKS (LORD WINTERBOTTOM)

My Lords, the British Railways Board inform me that figures of private railway sidings closed between 1962 and 1967 are not available. I understand, however, that there were 5,894 private sidings in use in 1960 and that at the end of 1967 some 3,690 remained. Her Majesty's Government wish to make the maximum use of our railways as well as our roads by promoting the transfer of all suitable traffic from congested roads on to the railways. At the same time, the Railways Board are keen to encourage the use of private sidings to the greatest possible extent. On a tonnage basis, such sidings produce about 90 per cent. of the freight traffic carried by the railways. But there are inevitably some of them which become uneconomic from the railways' point of view as local circumstances change, and the Railways Board must have freedom to withdraw these facilities where the traffic is insufficient to justify their retention.

THE EARL OF KINNOULL

My Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for his long and informative Answer, may I ask him whether he would not agree that it is perhaps a little disappointing to say, on the one hand, that the Government are encouraging private sidings and, on the other, that British Railways have closed down over 3,000 in the last six years? Is the noble Lord aware that in France alone since the war over 3,000 sidings have been opened, and that in consequence three-quarters of their rail freight traffic never reaches the streets?

LORD WINTERBOTTOM

My Lords, I am confident that the British Railways Board take all these facts into acount when formulating policy, but where a private siding is causing the railways significant loss we must permit the Board to use commercial criteria in deciding whether to keep it open or not.

VISCOUNT ADDISON

My Lords, in view of the Minister's reply, will he encourage the Railways Board to replace some of the railway lines which they have pulled up, so that the goods now carried by road may revert to the railways?

LORD WINTERBOTTOM

That, I am afraid, my Lords, is another question.

THE EARL OF KINNOULL

My Lords, would the noble Lord agree that the financial criteria which the Railways Board sometimes use in these cases are often disputed?

LORD WINTERBOTTOM

My Lords, I am afraid that many decisions are disputed.