Closure looms for UK Royal Mail underground railway

A little-known underground railway carrying letters and parcels beneath London’s streets is to be mothballed at the end of May, according to a leaked memo circulated to Royal Mail employees.
The 75-year-old Mail Rail network, which runs from Paddington to Whitechapel, has fallen victim to cost cutting.

Its closure will come under attack this week from London assembly members, who say alternative uses for the line should be explored, including transporting valuable items such as money or jewellery.

Talks to try to save the railway have been under way since November, with the Communication Workers Union staunchly opposing the closure.

The memo, signed by Mail Rail’s manager, Andrew Watson, tells staff that they will be offered voluntary redundancy or alternative jobs.

“The mothballing date is now Friday 30 May 2003,” it says. “To enable mothballing to take place it is envisaged that the Mail Rail operation will cease at least two weeks prior to completion of mothballing.”

The announcement was greeted with sadness by union officials. At its peak, Mail Rail served nine stations, running 19 hours a day, 286 days a year. It still carries 4m letters and parcels a day, although just three stations remain open: Paddington, Mount Pleasant and Whitechapel.

Royal Mail, which made a £484m loss last year, says the line costs five times as much as using roads. The company recently said the amount of mail posted in London had fallen by the equivalent of an entire mail centre in five years, largely due to the growth of email.

In a report due out today, the London assembly’s public services committee will say that not enough has been done to make Mail Rail profitable. Assembly members suggest that the line would be ideal for moving valuable goods to businesses across London.

The committee’s Tory chairman, Andrew Pelling, said wine would be a candidate. “London is now more a city of drinkers than writers of letters,” he said.

“We’re trying to send a message that it’s important to be imaginative … These things quite clearly haven’t been looked at by Royal Mail.”

The CWU also pointed out that the Whitechapel terminus is near Canary Wharf, one of the fastest growing business areas in the capital. The line’s driverless trains cross London in 26 minutes, including stops.

The closure is likely to mean 80 more van journeys a week in London. “It’s a great shame,” said the CWU’s Steve Jones. “It will almost take a miracle to get them to change their minds now. It would need pressure from outside.”