§ Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will now announce his decision on the proposal by the London Transport Executive to withdraw services from the Epping to Ongar section of the Central line.
§ Mr. FowlerI have decided to refuse consent to a complete withdrawal of services from the line. However, I consider that continued operation of the very lightly used station at Blake Hall can no longer be justified and I have therefore agreed to its closure.
In reaching my decision I have taken account of the report by the London Transport Users Consultative Committee on the hardship that closure of the line would cause and the many representations I have received from Members of Parliament, local councils and users of the line and their representatives. I also took into account the losses being incurred by the LTE in operating the line. I believe that these could be substantially reduced if the service were to be restricted to peak hours only. Further savings should also be possible in manning and maintenance, allowing the costs and revenues of the line to be brought into better balance.
I would of course be prepared to consider a new application for closure if major capital works on the line became necessary, or if a significant deficit arose as a result of events that cannot be controlled by the LTE.
The London Transport Executive has today been informed of my decision by letter.