Page:The Reshaping of British Railways (Beeching Report).pdf/98

 Some 340,000 passenger miles accrue to this service which accounts for 65,000 train miles a year. On average, there are 5 passengers on a train at any one time. Earnings are £1,900 and these represent little more than a quarter of the train movement expenses of £7,500. Station terminal expenses bring the total of direct expenses to nearly £11,000, less than a fifth of which is covered by the earnings of the service. When track and signalling expenses are added—£8,200—the total expenses are ten times as great as the earnings of the service.

Passengers using this service in combination with other services contribute more than £12,000 to the earnings of other rail services, and it is estimated that withdrawal of the service would result in the loss of £9,000 of this contributory revenue. Because there would be no alternative rail service on this line after withdrawal, none of the earnings on the service would be retained.

Despite the estimate of contributory loss, which is probably high, bearing in mind that holidaymakers may travel elsewhere, the overall net financial improvement expected from withdrawal is nearly £8,400, or more than two-fifths of the present level of total direct expenses attributable to the service.

This is a rural branch service covering 23 route miles and connecting at Thetford with main line services from Liverpool Street. The stations served are:—


 * Thetford
 * Wretham and Hockham
 * Holme Hale


 * Stow Bedon
 * Watton
 * Swaffham

Thetford and Swaffham would remain open after withdrawal of the service. On weekdays, five trains a day in each direction are worked by diesel multiple units over the whole route, and one a day between Thetford and Watton.

The train miles are 86,000 and, on average, there are 9 passengers on a train. The earnings are £3,700, the movement expenses amount to £13,200, and the terminal expenses to a further £3,900.

The shortfall of earnings on the movement and terminal expenses is £13,400, equivalent to more than three-quarters of these expenses. In addition, the track and signalling expenses which could be saved by the withdrawal of the service amount to £17,200, increasing the shortfall to £30,600. Put another way, the earnings on the service cover roughly one-tenth of the total direct expenses.

The gross revenue accruing to other services, contributed by passengers using the Thetford-Swaffham service on part of their rail journey, amounts to some £16,000. Allowance must be made for the loss of £1,700 of this contributory revenue and, taking this into account, it is estimated that the loss in gross revenue will be £5,400.

The estimated net financial improvement in revenue which would result from the withdrawal of the service amounts to about £29,000, equivalent to over four-fifths of the total direct expenses.