"I have seldom heard a train go by and not wished I was on it," begins Paul Theroux's 1975 classic The Great Railway Bazaar. "Railways are irresistible bazaars," he claims, "snaking along perfectly level, no matter what the landscapes, improving your mood with speed."
Those words are worth remembering as Britain this month marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of The Reshaping of British Railways. Written by BR chairman Richard Beeching, the report resulted in a radical alteration to the British rail map. Thousands of miles of track were cut from the nation's network and thousands of stations closed. Worse, the report was intended to presage even further reductions in rail lines. Indeed, if Beeching had had his way, by the end of the last century only a few inter-city lines would have remained. Thankfully the worst of this desecration was avoided and rail remains a workable form of transport in this country, albeit somewhat truncated thanks to Beeching.
Of course, our rail system – although viable today – has not always been managed effectively. There have been an unacceptable number of grievous errors by its controllers in the past decade, including the recent debacle over the franchising of the west coast rail line. Nevertheless, the actual network remains relatively healthy. And for that we should be grateful.
As Theroux states, railways are irresistible as a means of moving from one place to another. No other form of land transport gives you an opportunity to enjoy the vistas around you and the time and space to experience them. You can even have a leisurely drink while you soak up the atmosphere, though this is perhaps not a likely scenario on a crammed commuter train in rush-hour London. Nevertheless, the fact we still have a decent-sized rail network, with scenic gems in Scotland, Wales and Cornwall, is something to celebrate. Had Beeching prevailed completely, things could have been very different.