Draft Transport Strategy for Green Recovery

I am responding to the consultation for your draft Transport Strategy for green recovery, with the following comments:

In the main document (DRAFT TRANSPORT STRATEGY) Transforming Journeys p.38 East-West Main Line - the Central Section must be completed before 2030 at the latest, ideally even earlier. Furthermore I have reservations in regard to the chosen route option for the Central Section and I would prefer the original route via Bedford St John's ( as per the attached diagram). In fact your organisation should call-in Bedford Borough Council's non-rail development plans for the old St John's Station area and get them rejected to keep contingency options open should the chosen route prove problematic for any reason. Comparative costs and challenges should be done and approaching Tempsford from the south-west avoids the need to negotiate A421/Black Cat Roundabout/A1 and descent to Tempsford Flood Plains. Please also see: https://ertarailvolunteer.blogspot.com/ (7 and 21 July). Furthermore, there should also be stations on the East-West at Kempston Retail Park, Claydon and Calvert (which is the potential site for a new town).

Transforming Journeys p.39 Other East-West Arcs - both these other two arcs (Banbury - Northampton- Peterborough) and Bucks - Herts) are vital.These are also referred to in the PASSENGER RAIL STUDY Phase 1 pp. 81-82

Connecting People with Opportunities p.45 Transport Orientated Development - both the Mass Transit Systems for Milton Keynes and Cambridge (also see p.88) are top priorities. As regards Milton Keynes, its Council's Mobility Strategy Infrastructure Delivery Plan 2018-2036 had proposed a Light Rail Transit. In addition the old Wolverton - Newport Pagnell railway should be re-opened and much of the original track-bed survives. As regards Cambridge, the Mass Transit system should be a Metro which should not go underground since this could bring more cars on to Cambridge's roads ,many of which are not designed to modern standards.

I had also looked at the PASSENGER RAIL STUDY Phase 1, and referring to the section Upcoming Rail Enhancements in the Heartlands p.91 Midland Main Line - Associated Enhancements & Schemes. The Midland Mail Line electrification (already in delivery) should be extended beyond Market Harborough to Leicester/Nottingham/Derby/Sheffield.

In the section Gaps in the Rail Offering throughout the Heartlands pp.80 etc., the following railway lines should also be re-opened and much of the old track-beds survive in these cases: Bedford-Northampton; Northampton-Market Harborough; Great Central (Calvert-Brackley-Rugby-Lutterworth-link existing Nuneaton-Leicester line at Narborough); Luffenham Curve (linking Midland Main Line eastward with Leicester-Peterborough line); and Northampton - Wellingborough. All these routes need protection, urban corridors need protecting for integration and coordination,and furthermore most of these routes could also be used for freight traffic. Banbury-Northampton (Northern Arc) needs to link with the Great Central somewhere in the Woodford Halse area.

The Southern Arc should involve the re-opening of both the disused St.Albans Abbey - Hatfield and Watford - Croxley lines.

I would also like to add that the delivery of the rail components must be made at the earliest opportunity to meet Climate Change targets.

Finally, I do not support the Oxford-Cambridge Expressway since it will bring no benefit at all to the Englands Economic Heartlands.This new road will affect Green Belt areas ,and will also be an incentive to build new housing and will not solve traffic congestion at all,and in fact, the road will bring in more traffic which is already increasing with the significant housing growth between these two towns. This increase in traffic will in turn increase CO2 emissions and also air pollution (a serious health emergency), both of which the Government is pitifully complacent.

Yours faithfully,

Simon Barber

ERTA Vice Chairman

T. 0208 940 4399, E. simon4barber@gmail.com