THIRTY years ago scores of rail lines throughout the country were unceremoniously closed by Lord Beeching in a money saving exercise which caused uproar at the time.

A lot of the track ripped up in 1970 had not been used for years and served communities that no longer existed. The end of these services was difficult to argue against.

But other routes were vital links in a national network and their demise was ill planned and shortsighted.

Our transport system suffered as a result and it was left to a new generation of planners to point out how sorely needed they in face were. In some areas pressure groups were set up to work to get trains moving again on lines like our own region's Settle - Carlisle route.

Today we hear that a new group has been launched to restore the 11-mile route linking East Lancashire's rail line with Skipton. The move comes at a time when Lancashire County Council is planning to use what's left of the derelict track as the base for a trunk road.

As campaigners rightly point out there is a rail renaissance throughout the UK. The reason is quite simple.

This country is too small and crowded for everyone to use their own car for every journey. An effective public transport system is absolutely essential.

The re-opening of this particular line would enable people from Blackburn, Accrington, Burnley, Nelson and Colne to get to the town that is the gateway to the Dales in comfort and without queueing on congested roads.

They would take with them spending money which is vital to a rural area that has been truly clobbered this year by the scourge of foot and mouth disease.

As a result the countryside communities bordering East Lancashire and Yorkshire are desperate to find a way out of economic despair.

Good public transport links will also enable people to move in and out of our industrial towns with ease and so make East Lancashire a more attractive proposition for prospective employers and employees.

The re-opening of the line seems an excellent focus for investment in our future - planners should examine it immediately.