£725m peril of rail arches

FIRMS in railway arches which are set to be sold off, contribute £725million a year to the UK economy, researchers say.

Campaigners want to stop Network Rail offloading 4,455 arches.

Sarah Arnold, of the New Economics Foundation, said: “There are loads of enterprising businesses based in arches. That dynamism is under threat.”

But Network Rail said: “The sale will enable the company to reinvest in railway projects.”