Will Britains railway network ever be restored to its former glory ?

I was looking at a map of Britain with a huge railway network circa 1950, lines criss crossing the country and many branch lines. Even small villages and hamlets had railway stations well maintained and looked after. Were they really all uneconomical and can any of them conceivably be reopened again ? There are too many cars on British roads and i am pretty certain these old lines would be used if reopened.