Call to axe railway lines

Mr Sherwood, president of Sea Containers, the parent company of GNER, made the call while speaking at a rail industry forum in London.

He said poorly-used lines could bring the industry to its knees because of the cost of supporting them, adding the time had come to re-examine loss-making services.

He said: "We need to get the Government focused on trimming off the unnecessary bits that very few people use.

"The railways could probably be profitable if you could get rid of a lot of services."

He said: "We have got to get commuters and long-distance travellers to their destinations and on time, but to hell with freight and regional railways which are running around virtually empty."

The level of Government subsidy for the rail network has risen steadily since privatisation and now stands at more than £4 billion a year.

GNER runs the East Coast mainline service, travellers between the North East and London pay about £8 extra on a return ticket to subsidise loss-making lines.

About 400 stations in the UK network are used by fewer than 25 people per day.

Clive Gossop, the regional director of the Rail Passengers Committee, said the comments were ill-informed.

He said: "It is the regional services that Arriva operate that feed into the James Sherwood's trains.

"One example of this is the Harrogate line. If you did away with the Harrogate line what would it cost to make the A59 have the capacity for the extra traffic?

"GNER really struggles to provide sufficient car parking spaces. By shutting down, what he deems unprofitable, it would increase demand on parking spaces. It would also put more pressure on the roads.

"It is the regional services that get people to the bigger stations."

A spokesman for GNER said: "GNER is not advocating the closure of regional railways, given that 30 per cent of our revenue comes from connecting traffic."

Updated: 10:53 Tuesday, May 04, 2004