WE do not share your correspondent's pessimism that politicians in Government will forever resist public demand for popular rail revival schemes - especially with oil prices going through the roof (Letters, May 19).
Environment department figures indicate that even moderately-loaded diesel trains are on average six times more fuel efficient than the number of cars the passengers would probably otherwise use to make the same journey.
In fact York to Beverley rail passenger figures greatly exceeded those examples.
Similar rail proposals are already supported and well advanced in Scotland.
At Market Weighton's Giant Bradley Day (May 30), in just four hours, four of our representatives collected 1,001 signatures towards a proposed 10,000-signature petition calling for more detailed engineering studies to be conducted into the York to Beverley rail route.
As to costs, on figures available to us, these proposals are usually cheaper than or, at worst comparable with, road schemes.
Your correspondent suggests encouraging people to work from home. This is the real pipe dream.
Office of National Statistics Figures show that 600,000 people nationally live more than 37 miles from work and this trend is strengthening.
People like to live in nice places and to work in thriving commercial centres for higher salaries.
Philip Taylor,
Vice chairman, Minsters' Rail Campaign,
Strother Close,
Pocklington.
Updated: 10:16 Thursday, June 10, 2004
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