Introduction: The British Regional Transport Association (BRTA) has long convened
forums in and around the London-wide area. That area is mainly a focus within
the cordons of the M25, but also radial rails and calls for an equivalent orbital
M25 rail alternative. The purpose of these calls and agendas is to bring
rail-based solutions to cutting traffic, congestion, emissions, blight, lower
ill-health, improve environmental and well-being conditions to live, work and
breathe in the London area. We want to optimise the potential and believe
whilst we aspire to a London-wide plan and court studies for incremental phased
improvements, support and studies and moving specific schemes forward for
adoption, acceptance and delivery must be speeded up and happen quicker. The
case of the Dudding Hill Lines from North-East London to South-West London is a
case in point, discussed and floated for years, but still a decade away from
delivery, when it and its benefits are needed now.
Schemes at a glance:
1.
Lower
Thames River Crossing: BRTA
believe a the crossing should be a rail-based solution, not road-based scheme?
It has been quoted as potentially costing £13 billion, chiefly government
funded, which will bring more traffic, pollution and delays to existing roads
in Essex and Kent, whereas a rail-based tunnel could bring freight from
the Channel Tunnel for example to the wider East Anglia Rail Network, North
London Lines and radial lines relieving the West London Lines with more
capacity for more freight by rail. It would also enable East Anglia passenger
trains from Norwich-Canterbury-Channel Tunnel/Europe and those audiences to
East Anglia; places like Norwich, Cambridge and with a new rail link from
Colchester to Stansted Airport, better and wider by rail journeys to/from the
airport which is preparing for expansion, but with no new rail infrastructure,
will attract considerable road traffic and blight. See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8qee5n7zzo
2.
Dudding Hill Line:
Reopening when? The Lines run from a triangle junction adjacent to the new
Brent Cross Railway Station on the Midland Main Line across North-West London
to Acton for Heathrow and new lines to Working, Waterloo, Guildford, Horsham
and Portsmouth and also Reading for wider travel. Indeed BRTA has suggested as
well as Gospel Oak Lines to West Hampstead to West London including Old Oak
Common Interchange, a Luton Airport Parkway to Reading/Heathrow (South Chiltern
Link) could boost rail-based travel to and from the Luton area and airport
(expanding) and again, relieve parts of the M25, M1 and parking land use issues
which cause conflict with over-demand, but also other uses for urban land like
housing, employment and green-spaces for people and wildlife. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_London_Orbital
3.
Old Oak
Common (OOC): Heathrow Southern (https://heathrowrail.com/ with other rail
routes is to be an interchange in West London linking airport, Southern Rail Lines,
Reading new-build, Windsor (new buil), a curve from Waterloo and HS2. BRTA has
called for all these railway line projects and trains to come together and
share expanded platforms and tracks for diverse destinations and operations.
OCC represents an opportunity for rail-based travel to be able to lure people
out of their cars and make travelling to a variety of regions by rail and arcing
London, a popular thing to do, relieving the M25 and other radial roads. We
call for bays for Chiltern Main Line trains and that of Heathrow Southern Rails
to terminate at OOC as well as a tunnel to link the Southern and Chiltern Lines
and Networks together. This would inform for example the ability to travel from
the South Coast/Portsmouth to Guildford, Heathrow, OOC, Banbury or Aylesbury
and hence via a new-build link into the East-West Oxbridge Rail Link, direct
access to Milton Keynes Central and Bedford with other radial links without the
need to change, trek across London and saving time, money and creating more
diverse capacity for everyone’s benefit in a growth context. If, as we campaign
for, a rebuild of Guildford-Cranleigh-Horsham was done and that extended to
Shoreham, Brighton-Heathrow/OOC and Reading respectively would also be possible
with considerable populations linked, ensuring local and regional patronage
feeding each line. That is sustainable footfall and spend to a 120 mile arc
from the South Coast to well north of M25 territory.
4.
Docklands
Light Railway extensions: The
Docklands Rail Network has grown over the years and has proved a popular,
versatile and resounding success. We believe it should be allowed to grow
organically, ideally using road-space accommodation as we get people out of
cars by letting the train take the strain more. See: https://www.trl.co.uk/uploads/trl/documents/TRL568.pdf
BRTA calls for Docklands to have a could of lanes of the North Circular and arc
to serve Brent Cross Shopping Centre and new railway station. It should be
studied and maybe another branch could serve Alexandra Palace? Likewise, a
Phase 2 around the South Circular to serve Crystal Palace High Level and an
link to Wimbledon? A study should be done and the policy an incentive for
people to choose public transport within M25 cordons more and more with less
main road space needed for facilitating congestion.
5.
Chessington Line
extension to Leatherhead/Epsom: Crossrail 2 (SW-NE): BRTA calls for more
research, working up a business case and implementation if viable.
6.
Croxley
Link: The proposal was to bring
Underground trains (The Met) to Watford Junction via a new Link to the
mothballed Croxley Railway Branch and bring more choice, integration and links
to the Watford Junction where people can change to a variety of places
including St Albans Abbey Station. BRTA also sees there is a curve from the
Amersham direction onto the Watford Branch, which could also facilitate an
Aylesbury-Watford passenger service, cutting traffic on the A41 trunk road for
example. Watford West need not close, you could use it for additional services
and capacity, emergencies and also as a small art-deco 1930’s museum dedicated
to Metroland?
7.
Muswell Hill
Metro/Extend LU Lines: A study, route protection an progression is needed
beit Docklands or other services. https://mhfga.org/archives/4096
8.
London Orbital Railways:
East-West and North-South needed. Outer M25 ‘new’ for passenger and freight. A per
hitherto mentioned, a new rail link from Bricket Wood in Hertfordshire to link
with the Midland Main Line with a new station south of St Albans, north of M25,
called Napsbury should be implemented for Thameslink from the south to serve
Watford Junction and freight from Dudding Hill Lines and West London Lines to
serve Watford and the new freight depot in an arcing pattern.
9.
Light
Rapid Transits (LRT/Trams) Networks
should be allowed to grow organically. A. Central London needs LRT (Light Rapid
Transit Networks) (Trams) linking principal east and west and also principal
main line railway termini.
10.
Kentish
Town to Gospel Oak Lines 1969 closed curve, for Thameslink to North-East London integrations as well as
Gospel Oak Lines to West Hampstead and Dudding Hill Lines for Reading/Heathrow.
It should be studied and done for more cross-London services and integration.
11.
A new-build
Pitsea-Rayleigh rail link would
enable Thames Estuary/Woolwich rail links, links and networks to join the lines
into Southend and boost x2-way footfall, spend and plug a gap, currently only
serviced by the A13 and A130 for example. Rail could gain market share and give
quick access by new audiences of South London to another seaside resort.
This list is not exhaustive.
BRTA calls for:
1. Studies
2. Route protections
3. Joined-up thinking and approaches
4. Less territorial vision and bigger inter-rgional
pictures of Home Counties which bestride London and of which London is a main
source of feed, impetus and demand-supply stimulus.
5. Put people, places, land-use stewardship, the
environment and wildlife first before developing every spare inch of land
without adequate and comprehensive rail networks to reduce the negative
impacts.
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