Letter: End of line for great railway route

Sir: Sleeper services to the Highlands of Scotland are as important as commuter services from Waterloo to Basingstoke in the interests of the integrity of the realm and should be maintained.

But maintained at all costs? There's the rub. It seems to me that a sleeper fee of £25 each way over and above the fare is affordable on a regular basis by very few people. If, however, one could travel to Edinburgh, Fort William or Inverness and return on a £10 couchette like those all over the Continent, many more people would use the service.

Yours faithfully, GLENDA FRASER Marnhull, Dorset 15 December