‘Patronising’ attitude to preserved lines

IN YOUR Rail Reopening Schemes feature (April), I was a little perturbed to read about the casual way in which proponents of the ‘Brighton Main Line 2’ plan propose to deal with the two current rail preservation schemes on the route.

While the supposition that ‘as long as we can find somewhere for them to relocate their trains we can come to a happy conclusion’ is patronising and misses the whole point of why preserved lines exist, even more remarkable is the suggestion ‘they really shouldn’t have opened a preserved railway on what was a main line’!

Leaving aside the question of what is a ‘main line’, if we follow that last point, then virtually no preserved line in the country should have been established.

While I wish to see old lines reopened as much as the next person, I’m not sure the way to garner support is to alienate preserved lines which have also now operated for decades, and made significant contributions to the local economy.

Ian Joustra Worsbrough, Barnsley