21 Feb Seaside branch lines need to be able to connect to their nearest town
Another lovely little lost railway that linked a town, Axminster, to the seaside, Lyme Regis. In our case, it was from Halesworth to Southwold. Ours was lost as early as 1929 to bus competition (please see for reference the feature film, The Titfield Thunderbolt) and also increasing competition from motorised goods vehicles. The Lyme branch was lost, as were many other railways that linked towns to the seaside because at that time, car ownership for ordinary folks was on the increase and it offered them convenient personal transport that was cheaper than rail travel. Additionally, folks could travel by car anywhere and anytime they pleased. But fast forward 60 years to 2024 and look at the situation now. No one in 1964 (even in 1929) could have foreseen the chaos and aggravation that too many vehicles on the roads has now caused, especially in seaside towns. Vastly increased costs of motoring, including but not limited to Road Tax, Vehicle Insurance, fuel as well as other factors, such as traffic jams and limited street car parking spaces in seaside towns (and indeed everywhere) and competition in finding those spaces and where there are car parks, the day light robbery inflicted by the car park companies who operate them, make car travel to the seaside a much less attractive proposition these days.
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