Sir – I was surprised to read the letter from Paul Withrington (November 11) a resident I understand of Northampton, attacking the widely-supported Chiltern Railways proposal to link the city and London.
The scheme will remove traffic from the roads, and hopefully eliminate 12 of the coaches an hour that so disfigure our beautiful High Street, in addition it should relieve pressure on the park-and-ride at Thornhill, as commuters switch to Water Eaton to catch the comfortable and punctual trains Chiltern operate.
Chiltern Railways has built a reputation on charging reasonable fares and carrying more and more passengers, the numbers are up 400 per cent in 15 years and I have no doubt this fantastic record will repeated on the new route.
This business model offers a great deal for the taxpayer and the traveller.
The number of passenger deaths in the last year was zero, making rail safer than any other mode of transport, the mode’s use of scare fossil fuels is over ten times better than the motor car, in addition when electrified, trains can run on renewable energy sources, making them future proof.
When it comes to funding, this scheme is being funded by Chiltern, who will re-coup the cost through passenger fares; in addition the company receives no “subsidy” as claimed, but actually pay a premium to the taxpayer. Unfortunately, Travelwatch seems 30 years out of date with road construction costs, the latest estimate on the dual carriageway Kingkerswell Bypass in Devon is £732 per inch, yes per inch, and a recent motorway in Glasgow cost over £1,000 per inch. The residents of Oxfordshire are getting a fantastic deal, and I would suggest Transport Watch is jealous of such a sensible low-cost solution to the county’s mounting traffic problems.
Richard Stow, Oxford
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