6 August 2019
Press Release
English
Regional Transport Association (ERTA) believes the East-West Rail is paramount
and needs a fundamental rethink to get it right for Cambridge and further
afield.
The English Regional Transport Association
(ERTA) support the principle and notion of a fully restored direct rail link
between Oxford-Bedford-Cambridge for improving east-west travel options.
However, we believe that the original route
was the best and should never have been closed and that the intermittent 50
years of abandonment has been too long for this glaring gap to go unaddressed
in physical infrastructure terms. Moreover, whilst blockages exist on the old
route (Bedford-Sandy-Cambridge) any new route will have its own issues and cost
more to negotiate with and so a trade off back to the old route should be
tabled and considered alongside any new options. In summary:
1. The old route enables segregation allowing
more trains off existing lines to plough east and west respectively.
2. The old route must have deviations where
considerable blockages exist such as around Potton and Gamlingay but the access
at Trumpington also needs careful consideration.
3. If the new route links in at Shepreth for
example, it overloads Shepreth Junction where the Bishops Stortford and Royston
lines converge into Cambridge. This could cause delays to existing services
and/or restrict what frequency east-west could offer.
4. The railway must be rebuilt to cater for
more passengers and freight to go by rail. Merely providing choice is not
enough, there must be encouragement and incentive for modal shift to unlock
gridlock congestion across the regions.
The ERTA will continue to make these points
known to elected representatives at all tiers and locations and expects tough
decision pro-affirma to be made for the greater good of humanity and the
environment.
End of Press Release
No comments:
Post a Comment