1 Experimental reopening of lines for railway passenger services.

(1) The following section is inserted in the Transport Act 1962 after section 56—

“ 56A Experimental reopening of lines for railway passenger services.

(1) Where the Railway Board propose to discontinue all railway passenger services on a line or from a station and—

(a) all those services were being provided on an experimental basis; and

(b) no other railway passenger services were, immediately before the first of those services was begun, being provided on that line or from that station;

then, section 56(7) above shall not apply but the Railways Board shall give due notice of their proposal under this section.

(2) For the purpose of this section railway passenger services shall be taken to be provided on an experimental basis only if due notice of the proposal to start providing those services on that basis has been given by the Railways Board.

(3) For the purposes of this section due notice of any proposal shall be taken to have been given only if, not less than six weeks before giving effect to the proposal the Railways Board have published in two successive weeks in two local newspapers circulating in the area affected, and in such other manner as may have appeared to them appropriate, a notice giving details of the proposal. ”

(2) In section 56(7) of the Act of 1962 (procedure in relation to proposed closures) after the words “they shall” there are inserted the words “, subject to section 56A below,”.

2 Short title.

(1) This Act may be cited as the Transport Act 1962 (Amendment) Act 1981.

(2) This Act comes into force on the expiry of the period of one month beginning with the day on which it is passed.