RECENTLY, I have been accused in the columns of your worthy journal of the most reprehensible attitude to the proposed Tavistock-Plymouth rail link. It has even been suggested that I advocate ?concreting over the Bere Peninsula?. Time, if you will, to get the record straight. I am a third generation railwayman (retired); my family has notched up over 130 years in the industry. Not surprisingly I deplore the vandalism of ?Tricky Dicky? Marples, his henchman ?Butcher? Beeching and the compliant Parliament that gave them authority to abolish the freight and the parcels and luggage services by passenger train, and the reduction of track to a few major trunk and high density commuter routes. No government or parliament has had the ability, or perhaps the will, to reinstate those fundamental features of a competent rail service. In an ideal world they would again be available and Tavistock would have its branch line to Launceston and main line to London. But, sadly, the modest proposal now under consideration for Tavistock is not likely to have the support of national or local (so called) government when the operating costs are fully and accurately assessed. The nation will continue to suffer the pollution of cars and lorries (the road haulage industry is now advocating an increase in maximum lorry load from 40 tonnes to a combined lorry and trailer load of over 70 tonnes) and Tavistock will continue to be without the highly desirable rail service to and from Plymouth. It will, I fear, remain ?pie in the sky?. G Kirkpatrick Parkwood Road Tavistock
