The spatial impacts of a massive rail disinvestment program: the Beeching axe

Stephen Gibbons, Stephan Heblich and Edward W. Pinchbeck

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: This paper investigates the reversibility of the effects of transport infrastructure investments, based on a programme that removed much of the rail network in Britain during the mid-20th century. We find that a 10% loss in rail access between 1950 and 1980 caused a persistent 3% decline in local population relative to unaffected areas, implying that the 1 in 5 places most exposed to the cuts saw 24 percentage points less population growth than the 1 in 5 places that were least exposed. The cuts reduced local jobs and shares of skilled workers and young people.

Keywords: rail; infrastructure; beeching cuts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H54 N74 R10 R40 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 15 pages
Date: 2024-09-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-geo, nep-his, nep-reg, nep-tre and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Published in Journal of Urban Economics, 1, September, 2024, 143. ISSN: 0094-1190

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:124531

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