THERE has been little discussion about our rail services during the urgent debate about global warming.

Yet trains are the least polluting form of public transport. So why are we not talking about reopening and expanding rail lines and making the whole network more user-friendly?

In Yorkshire, what about reopening the closed lines and stations - Strensall and Haxby, York to Hull via Pocklington, a halt at York Hospital, and much more? Is there a long-standing prejudice in Whitehall about trains? They are also the safest form of transport.

The York Carriageworks, at present dying on its feet, would benefit from a rebirth of the railways - something which seems not just sensible, but also a moral duty.

Roy Stevens, Willow Bank, New Earswick, York.