Great Central Railway

Doctor Beeching sounds the death knell for the Great Central main line.

Ambitious plans to link the Great Central with the continent via the then outlandish idea of a channel tunnel had failed to materialise but the line was a vital lifeline for many people from Manchester to London Marylebone. A silent trip along the line showing long-lost Midlands stations such as Quorn, Hucknall Central, Nottingham Victoria and Woodford Halse is followed by interviews with people concerned that they will be cut off if the line is closed.

The Great Central was the last of the British main line railways to be built; it opened in 1899. Most local services on the line were discontinued in March 1963. A few services such as a route from Nottingham Victoria to Rugby lingered on until 1969 before the line finally disappeared.