§ 47. Mr. Nicholas BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many proposals to close railway lines have been submitted to him since 1979 by British Rail; how many have been accepted; and how many stations and lines have been opened or reopened in the same period.
§ Mr. PortilloSince 1979 British Rail has submitted 42 proposals to close railways lines. A total of 31 of these proposals have been accepted; one proposal has been withdrawn by British Rail; one proposal was unopposed and so did not require ministerial consent; nine proposals are still under consideration (apart from the Settle to Carlisle proposal, none of these concerns a major route or service).
A total of 132 stations and 14 lines have been opened or reopened in the same period.