§ LORD KILMANYMy 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 whether they can give an assurance that the removal by British Railways of lengths of railway line at North Berwick station does not presage the closure of this line for passenger service between Edinburgh and North Berwick.]
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF PUBLIC BUILDING AND WORKS (LORD WINTERBOTTOM)My Lords, the removal of the surplus tracks is one of several economy measures designed to reduce the deficit in operating the passenger train service between Edinburgh and North Berwick. It does not anticipate the decision which my right honourable friend the Minister of Transport is now considering on the Board's right to publish a proposal to withdraw this passenger service. Still less does it prejudge a decision on the closure proposal itself.
§ LORD KILMANYMy Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for that reply, which to a limited extent is reassuring, may I ask him whether he will bear in mind that the population all along the East Lothian coast is rapidly increasing; that many of these people travel to Edinburgh to work day by day, and that it would be the worst possible contribution to meeting the transport and parking problems of Edinburgh to allow this line to be closed down?
§ LORD WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, I am certain that this is one of the many factors that will be taken into account 204 when the Transport Users' Consultative Committee and other interests are consulted on this matter.
LORD SALTOUNMy Lords, may I ask Her Majesty's Government how the removal of an existing line of track makes an economy in the running of a line? I could not follow the noble Lord's Answer in that particular.
§ LORD WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, it is really comparatively simple. Since the goods trains are no longer running it has been made possible for British Rail to run a large amount of traffic on a single track, thus saving maintenance on double tracks.
§ BARONESS HORSBRUGHMy Lords, will the noble Lord agree that, in stopping this particular passenger traffic between Edinburgh and North Berwick, all that is being done is to stop the traffic between Drem and North Berwick, quite a short distance, and that there are many passengers who travel by that route daily?
§ LORD WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, the noble Baroness is correct. It is the commuter traffic which is the problem, and this particular aspect of the problem will be considered carefully by my right honourable friend.