Dear Friends, Colleagues and Elected Representatives,
re: https://bedfordspd.
These two developments 1. Developing the old St John's Station site and blocking it and the former access of the rail link to/from the east via Cardington Road and 2. The advanced plans to redevelop the A1/A421 Black Cat Roundabout and associated dualling of the road to Cambridge, making road transit quicker and more competitive with no passive provision for east-west rail (I have checked) at this stage is yet another major obstacle the Central Route (Bedford-Cambridge) part of east-west rail will have to negotiate. It can all be avoided and with some support, could be delivered at less cost, less hilly and less duration of engineering if the ERTA suggested route is adopted and supported. Indeed, were that to be the case (see attached) 2030 should be the longer side of delivery dates, could be brought forward? With junctioning (physical rail linkage to the north-south main line at Tempsford rather than housing and a new station) would enable more by rail direct to/from Bedford and the Oxford corridor. Alas if we plum for segregated tracks and another station demanding changing trains, time, cost, duration plus the 20 minutes from south of Bedford River Great ouse across Prebend Street bridge to Bedford Midland, means rich or poor, X5 or drive will be popular as ever. We want the East-West Rail sooner than later, but it must be planned properly to optimise its reach and range, passenger and freight, not just passenger provision and a circuitous route. East of Tempsford is a different matter but between Bedford and Tempsford these wider opportunities exist:
a. all north of Stevenage to Bedford including Thameslink sharing the same tracks
b. all south of Peterborough direct to Bedford/the Oxford corridor and vice versa
c. If a Retail Park Station with expanded parking off Southfields Road i.e. away from residential development concerns with a footbridge to/from the Retail Park, linking and putting Kempston Town on the railway map, not only have studies shown it would increase off peak usage of the Bedford-Bletchley Railway.
The Point of 'c' is that it costs nothing to convene a meeting, it costs nothing to apply for the Government Grants Stations Fund, budgeted at £20 million, it costs nothing to take an interest. What we do not see as 'real' is to see interest as risk of cost and so avoid except for photo opportunities near election times! Bedford-Bletchley, currently suspended, needs investment. The halts should be lengthened to a 4 coach standard, the link between 2 main lines should be electrified (Government again showing funding interest in more) and a freight plan, utilising Forders Sidings maybe for a joint Bedfordshire Unitary area recycling facility, wherbey bulk recycling like glass is collected and sent to recycling by rail.
Currently people have to drive or walk to bottle banks and a percentage of glass ends up in black bins. Could we improve on it for the 'environment'? House to house collections are done elsewhere and Hitchin did have a glass by rail scheme. Can we learn and indeed export to others where we excel?
We are not against social housing, but believe the St John's situation is a special case. East West Rail Company can only do what government tells it and we have written to government. Oxford-Bedford is a relay matter, Bedford-Willington Woods is not disimilar if the bypass bridge and access across Cardington Road, Priory and the Great Barford, Blunham, Willington Junction south of the bridge over the River Great Ouse can be bridged or whatever, is much more plain sailing than the northern route.
Bedford Midland will need more parking in coming years and expanded platform interfaces. New A4280 Bromham Road Bridge does not make passive provision for any extra rails, so fanning out must be off two slow lines south of it. That means displacing parking spaces, so would not it be prudent to protect lands to the west of the railway station, rather than develop them and then raise concerns about queues of traffic stacking up trying to get into and out of Bedford from A6 and radial bypass interceptor junctions?
Please make your views known to your MP, to elected councillors and ideally to Rt. Hon Grant Shapps MP, Secretary of State for Transport. If we win together on these matters, it is a huge step forward for 'common sense' and a better carbon footprint. If we lose, we face years of locked-in roads, car and lorry dependency and congestion the bypasses was supposed to alleviate urban areas from? Delays cost and so even road users have an interest in getting the rail choices right. Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Pill
ERTA Chairman
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