"Michael Bell" wrote in message
...
In the days when railway traffic was declining fast, and it seemed
that railways might close altogether, I got the impression that BR
developed
its London commuter market because whatever the economics, for political
reasons that network could never be shut down. Too many votes depended on
it.

Can anybody confirm this?


The London commuter market was very well developed before BR came into
existence, mainly by the Metropolitan and the Southern Railways.