• IVOR Kenna says that goods used to be transported by rail, (Mains bursts: I blame lorries pounding our streets, November 9). Quite so.

He also says that goods and containers should be put back on rail and that we should open up London’s disused railway lines and stations, such as Smithfield Goods.

This is fine on paper, but unfortunately in today’s world all of these goods stations are long gone. The sites and indeed some railway routes have been redeveloped by building housing on then.

For instance, there use to be two goods depots off Caledonian Road, one in Frederica Street, which is now housing.

There was also one off the North London line, a site which was used when the Channel Tunnel link to St Pancras was built. And there was one at Highbury and Islington, again used for housing.

Smithfield is no longer rail connected, as it was off the Circle, Hammersmith and City, and Metropolitan lines and could only be accessed outside the rush hours and would not be able to operate today.

Even if we still had these yards, the current freight rolling stock would not be able to use them due to its length.

The old yards were full of tight curves which could only be used by the old, short-wheelbase wagons.

And even if we could get wagons into the old yards, as Ivor suggests, how do you then move containers to the end client?

Part of the problem with water and gas mains is that the majority are old and made of cast iron. They need to be replaced with more modern plastic mains. That unfortunately is a problem for the utility companies to sort out.

JE KIRBY
N16