wrote in message
ups.com...
(Before the war, the LNER built up commuter services from the West
Riding to the
sea-side at Scarborough, about the same distance from Leeds as Brighton
is
from London, but after the war, the services were abandoned as "not
worthwhile". No such questions about the London-Brighton service. Of
Course
not! How could you think such a thing?)

I don't happen to approve of closing the services you mention, but I'd
guess they were less heavily used than the South Coast lines. You try
closing that line to Brighton and see what happens.

Precisely. It is worth noting that two of the rail operators on the
London-Brighton route (Thameslink and Gatwick Express) actually have to pay
a premium for the right to run their services. If the other major operator,
Southern, *only* ran trains between London and Brighton I have no doubt that
they would be paying as well. A major reason for the success of this route
must be the lack of good road links along the same route in south London.

David A Stocks