Letter: Rail by road S
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: The practice of transporting trains by road (Letters, 11, 13 December) predates privatisation and has nothing to do with access charges imposed by Railtrack. It is intrinsically linked to the lack of a level playing field in transport costs.
As a result of rail privatisation, for the first time in nearly half a century the real costs of using the network, including external costs such as policing and environmental management, are now known and are passed on to train and freight operating companies. If the price of hauling a train by road included external elements such as environmental clean-up, traffic policing and a contribution towards the cost of congestion to business, rail might be the more cost-effective option.
MIKE GIBSON
London E15
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments