§ 26. Mr. Murrayasked the Minister of Transport how many branch railway lines and railway stations in England and Wales have been closed to passenger traffic since the passing of the Transport Act, 1947; in how many cases the proposals for closure were considered by Transport Users Consultative Committees; and, of such cases, how many were approved by those committees.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydFrom 1st January, 1948, to 31st March, 1953, the British Transport Commission have approved proposals to withdraw passenger services on 97 branch lines, and to close to passenger traffic 216 railway stations on lines otherwise remaining open to traffic.
Since 1951 a general procedure has been in force under which the Railway Executive advise the appropriate transport consultative committee of any proposal to withdraw a branch line service and no passenger service has been withdrawn without the prior approval of the 104W committee concerned. When it is proposed to close a single station the local authorities are consulted and the consultative committees are only approached when either the local authorities or the Railway Executive consider this is desirable.