Michael Portillo was Secretary of State for Transport in the 1980s when British Rail requested permission to close the Settle-Carlisle railway line. Realising its importance, Portillo campaigned for it to remain open, and was delighted to announce that permission had been refused. He later said in an interview that he regarded the saving of the Settle-Carlisle as his greatest political achievement. Increased passenger numbers, from 300,000 just after it was saved to 750,000 nowadays (thanks to the efforts of the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line to boost traffic), show that it was the right decision: the line is now profitable.