To be fair his analysis would be better described as nearly competent than "done well". Government ministers were responsible for approving the cuts he recommen

To be fair his analysis would be better described as nearly competent than "done well". Government ministers were responsible for approving the cuts he recommended (and a few he didn't), but they did so based on partial and often completely inaccurate figures and without any challenge to closure as the only option. Alternatives like de-staffing and removal of common carrier obligations could have transformed the economic case for a lot of lines, as indeed could the faster roll-out of diesels.