Letter: Railtrack profits

Sir: At this time of the year one should try to be charitable, even where Railtrack is concerned, and there is much to agree with in Mike Gibson's letter (19 December) about track charges.

Many of us associated with the rail industry have complained about the unlevel playing field between rail and road costs for decades.

However, this cannot disguise the fact that the UK now has among the highest rail track charges in Europe, and these charges do inhibit sustained growth of rail traffic. Also, despite privatisation, 95 per cent of these costs are picked up by the taxpayer. Little wonder Railtrack makes such massive profits.