Evening Telegraph, c2002

ET readers give their verdict on the Government's £30bn ten-year plan to improve railways, including improvements to Kettering, Wellingborough and Northampton stations and recognition of the bid to build a rail link to Corby.

Railways should be renationalised

WE have had an MP state our railways are the worst in the world, he is not the only one to say that.

In the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s we had the best railway system in the world.

In those days you could get to nearly all seaside resorts and Northamptonshire had more than 80 railway stations. All received goods, coal and passengers.

Now we have only four. Who is to blame? Yes, Beeching. His axe fell and decimated the system for good, causing the chaos we have today on our roads.

Why are the railways in chaos? Simple, lack of investment and lack of safety for at least ten years.

The answer is simple, renationalise the railways.

Lay track where it is needed instead of building more roads. Take traffic off the roads and put it on the railways as it was when we had the big four - LMS, LNER, GWR and SR.

Our railways then were great. Rebuild it. That's the answer, not the roads.

E BELLAMY-TALL
Stamford Road, Kettering.

The way we were - a diesel train at Rushden station in 1954.

I FEEL I must comment on the article by Rebecca Coding regarding reopening several stations on Midland Mainline.

I agree with most of the proposals, including Irchester, which would also be beneficial to Rushden travellers - but not Wymington, which never had a station in the past anyway.

In the old days people from that village would walk via the footpath to catch the train at Irchester.

However the next station down the line which should be re-opened would be Sharnbrook in North Bedfordshire, which would be of benefit to the community in that area and relieve some of the congestion in Bedford.

R G RICH
Woodlands Road, Irchester.