Press Release 28-08-2018

28 August 2018

Press Release

East-West Rail routes need hurrying along and Councils must protect options in planning decisions

ERTA is concerned that on the one hand the East-West Rail Consultants need to be urged to speed up publication of their proposed Bedford-Cambridge rail route and on the other, alternate interpretations unless one and the same for gauging public reaction purposes, speculate on possible options causing unnecessary NIMBYism to arise.

What the predecessor to the English Regional Transport Association (ERTA) from 1987 advocated was a rebuilding of the traditional rail route from Bedford-Sandy-Cambridge. Blockages exist and either need compulsory purchase and demolition or deviated railway route to avoid. This may seem controversial, and would be even if it was a new roadway, but to plum for brand new routes brings other blockages and obstacles to the fore as well as working with the grain of history and the lie of the land contrast costly cuttings and tunnels to intertwine with ridges and hills for example.

Richard Pill, ERTA Media Spokesperson said “These new ideas want to serve purported greater populations enroute including the St Neots and Cambourne areas. But run into problems with a clash to move the Guided Busway as their scheme assumes the same route. It is crucial the East-West Rail does have links with Peterborough and St Neots from the north and Stevenage and East Bedfordshire from the south to the County Town of Bedford and onwards to other places. My own view would be to get to Sandy and then bypass built Potton and Gamlingay with perhaps a shared station between the two of them and either short term link at Shepreth or raise the M11 and tunnel into Addenbrookes Junction Station and run into Cambridge from there. Development pressures are on and time is running out for recovering a reasonably direct route.

End Press Release

Further comment: Mr Richard Pill 01234 330090 or richard.erta@gmail.com

Refs. http://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/news/cambridge/a-vision-of-how-east-west-rail-could-look-under-think-tank-s-proposals-1-5666406?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social_Icon&utm_campaign=in_article_social_icons and

https://www.eastwestrail.org.uk/feature-east-west-rail-central-section-route-options/

Addendum: We are following developments closely and making our input as we go. That we are talking about a route at all is some progress, but Government should be encouraging early delivery and that means putting the preferred option in the public domain and letting the people decide. Tweaks on a core route theme seem more sensible than completely new build as none have blockage free trajectories and it is essential that East Bedfordshire and St Neots are both linked to the County Town of Bedford by rail again. That translates to one route, curves and chords onto and from it and sharing of tracks with east-west trains, Thameslinks and freight. That is why we need extra platforms and tracks through Bedford Midland and I welcome to chat to leading planners or politicians as to how best that might be done, it can, we have windows of opportunity but existing plans need revising to cater for it. After electrification and dust settles, we're locked-in to a straight jacket and will have less wriggle room unless we get other councils like Corby to think ahead and cater for relocation of train serving depots for example. I attach a map of what we were considering in 2006.

ERTA secures Matlock Forum and consolidates support for reopening the railway.

Matlock Forum -Three ERTA members (Tony Bush, David Ferguson and I) had travelled up to Matlock on Friday 29 June and had spent two nights at a B & B in the town where we all attended the ERTA Matlock Forum which was held in the afternoon of Saturday 30 June at the Crown Pub (a Wetherspoons) in Matlock. Eleven people altogether came to the meeting, including the three ERTA members.

Practically all the attendees who were not ERTA members lived in or around Matlock and had seen our Press Release which had appeared in the Matlock Mercury. We chiefly discussed the Peak Rail, and it emerged that there are about six disused tunnels along that route, of which one contained a disused private halt for Haddon Hall (the Duke of Rutland's seat near Bakewell); also at least one of these tunnels is now used for a cycle-path. The chief problem with the tunnels is the vibration which had been an ingredient for track subsidence suffered by that line during its last few years prior to closure. Another ingredient for that line's track subsidence was that the ballast consisted of millstone grit, which was (and still is) an important locally-produced material. Other issues include replacing a bridge over the A6.

One of our Matlock-based attendees planned to organise another Matlock meeting later in the year, and also another attendee will be a useful contact since he works for the railways specialising in tunnels. We had all agreed that collaboration between people such as businesses (particularly quarry companies), landowners, local authorities, and transport pressure groups  is essential.

Over the whole week-end both David Ferguson and I had distributed a stock of ERTA flyers relating to the re-opening of the Matlock – Buxton railway, and among the places we had both distributed included the Peak Rail bookshop at Matlock Station, our very good B & B and several shops/restaurants etc. in the town and, of course, all our meeting attendees. On Sunday both David and I travelled on the Ecclesbourne Railway where we had also distributed some of these flyers. However, Tony had to go home on Saturday after our meeting.

Anyone interested please contact Simon Barber: T 020 8940 4399 

E. simon4barber@gmail.com

Let's reopen the St Albans Abbey to Hatfield Rail Link

The English Regional Transport Association is a voluntary membership based organisation seeking select rail reopenings. St Albans - Hatfield would link west coast and east coast with St Albans in the middle and provide a handy link for services to and from the corridor of the Abbey Link. A housing estate needs partial relocation to clear the way for a railway, most of it is a cycle cum footways which has held the corridor in reasonable stead. There is also a proposal for a St Albans south station and ERTA calls for Napsbury to have the underground extended from Barnet via M25 (new Park and Ride Station), London Colney (has no rail service) to Napsbury, ducking under to emerge to a new link into both St Albans Abbey and across direct to Bricket Wood for termination sharing at Watford Junction. These links will provide more options, new commutes, flexibility and help de-congest many busy roads, cut air pollution - all the things touted we need to cut global warming, but unless it is local rail, we fail to address the core and systemic issues of closures 50 years ago x growth ever since and subsequent impact on movements and environments, health and peoples lives. ERTA want to cut stress, enable self determinism in mode of transport more and break a London cnetric cycle which is overloaded and price managed and isn’t coping very well. There is a proposal to have a new freight by rail depot south of St Albans and maybe this link could also serve that adding revenue to the passenger services. Contact: Mr David Ferguson, 25 Virginia House, 19 Kingston Lane, Teddington, TW11 9HL 

T. 020 8977 4181 E. daferguson1212@gmail.com