Remember John Major telling us how rail privatisation would deliver a network that would be "the envy of the world"?

Compare that with the Strategic Rail Authority's utterly inadequate proposals for the Brighton Main Line (The Argus, September 10) which do nothing to address the problems of the limited infrastructure south of Three Bridges.

Brighton struggles to cope with what runs now. Does the SRA have any thoughts on reinstating Platform 9?

And what about the most glaring gap of the lot - the missing link from Uckfield to Lewes?

Politicians and others manage to get away with flawed arguments for not putting back seven miles of track.

But one aspect of Mr Major's railway is the "zero factor" - take one or two zeros and stick them on the end of a number and there's your excuse for not doing anything on today's railway where (thanks again, Mr Major) hyper price inflation rules.

So much could be achieved by putting back what was there in the first place.

Ironic, yes?

-Simon Stoddart, Hastings