Sir,

An hour or so's research on the web with the aid of simple spreadsheet revealed what I had suspected for many years – that Monmouth is the largest settlement in Wales which does not have immediate access to a railway station.

To be honest, that comment requires a little qualification in that those towns larger than Monmouth (ten) without a railway station are on average only 2.5 miles from one, with the furthest distance being 4.5 miles.

So, what is my point?

Monmouth has a notional catchment area of approximately 40,000 people, although I'm sure that this could be contested on a number of grounds, but what cannot be contested is the large outflow (and inflow) of car-born commuters the area exhibits every day.

The extant public transport system is clearly not designed to cope with the demands of this in terms of capacity and range.

A drive to the nearest station at Lydney is 10.5 miles, a threshold distance which many would see as being too far and with too little parking capacity to consider as an option.

Lack of a rail link clearly inhibits economic development, tourism and a general feeling of wellbeing in the population.

If we are not to be overwhelmed by massive traffic movements, impoverished by further large increases in fuel charges and generally made to feel guilty about our lack of environmental awareness by too readily opting for car travel, then as an area we have got to start campaigning for the reinstatement of a rail link.

It seems only common sense to request that the Welsh Assembly and Network Rail examine the viability of such a scheme and make it clear why they see it as being of lesser importance than maintaining 33 stations serving settlements with populations between 1,500 and 5,000, as well as a large number of halts and request stops scattered along the Cambrian Coast and mid-Wales lines.

I have no sense of public feeling about this but surely a debate on the matter is called for.

Mike Hallett

(Monmouth)