The idea of upgrading and making more use of the Redhill-Tonbridge rail link makes a lot of sense as does a study to look at how and if a direct curve towards Gatwick could be provided?
However, more trains terminating on through platforms gives rise to capacity/pathing issues and far better for trains to run onwards to elsewhere and the Brighton arm is at capacity.
This is partly why ERTA is proposing rebuilding of the Guildford-Cranleigh-Horsham rail link which could inform a loop between Reading-Guildford-Horsham-Crawley-Three Bridges-Gatwick-Tonbridge and/or back via Redhill and the North Downs rail link which needs inclusive electrification to enable more and boost efficiency as well as giving rise for Thameslink reaches to link with Guildford and possibly Reading out of Croydon for example.
Our other proposals are:
a. support for the Arundel Curve, to enable Crawley/Horsham trains to serve Worthing, Shoreham and terminate at Brighton.
b. A new realigned Polegate-Stone Cross avoiding line enabling semi fast direct services between Brighton-Hastings and Ashford, whilst at the same time freeing up capacity/paths for more trains to inform a London-Gatwick-Eastbourne focused service, which with marketing would make more of the resort as an international destination and portal stay-cation for wider exploration of the South East with the London amenity built in. Eastbourne seems be-shadowed by Brighton magnetic appeal, whereas these better line configurations would enable both to benefit respectively. Eastbourne tracks need investment and an air of new dynamism.
c. The London - Brighton Mark 2 Project via Uckfield-South Coast Rails incorporating a re-railing of Tunbridge Wells - Eridge and maybe a relocation of the preservation operation elsewhere, like also the Lavender Line? This project would enable better links between Tonbridge and the South Coast and vice versa, with modal shift gains, cleaner air, land use savings for other purposes than endless car parking as well as footfall and spend both ways sustaining small to medium businesses and service opportunities.
d. A study looking at links with the Tonbridge-Redhill Line with a view to whether a curve connection could be provided for either/or the Uckfield Line to link directly onto the Tonbridge Line informing East Croydon-Tonbridge links?
The point is that better east-west links and common standard rail infrastructure needs to be seen as expedient. The landscape is mixed. Surrey County Council needs bringing on board for these projects, as per East and West Sussex, the latter seem content with a cycleway between Shoreham and edge of Guildford, but the compatibility seems undermined if councils fail to turn down a canal application utilising the old trackbed formation, if planners fail to relocate leisure centres and make space for a railway to get through with a station at Cranleigh and for an attitude commensurate for a cycle way and railway to coexist with a broader definition of the corridor to accommodate both respectively, bearing in mind the engineering requirements of a railway, contrast the more flexible design of a cycle way. What is clear is a cycleway and a canal will be very hard to accommodate each other. So wider councils need to get onto these others and bring them to be willing to consult with neighbouring councils and work together to get bulk environmental transport shifted by rail choices and joined up networks of rails. The long ago idea of a flyover like at Bletchley linking the Tonbridge-Redhill with Guildford-Redhill Lines would require some demolition and be a major engineering challenge, but again, the benefits of a seamless Reading-Ashford synergy for passenger and freight with the revitalisation such could make to these part-time track uses, should be aspirational food for thought surely?
ERTA is supportive of better rail links and synergies and wants to see modal shift, traffic reduction, pollution reduction and a better balance and approach to transport generally. I remind you of the Government's Rail Reopenings Fund and you should be lobbying Rt. Hon. Grant Shapps MP, Secretary of State for Transport and others like the Chancellor of the Exchequer to extend it as a rolling programme and again balance the £27 billion new roads budget with the mere £500 million Rail Reopenings Budget - we need a level playing field and more powers and incentives/sanctions to keep options open, not scupper them rail-wise.
You may wish to attest if the Transport for the South East are aware of/pursuing these smaller, incremental pieces of rail infrastructure which combined would make a huge difference? https://transportforthesoutheast.org.uk/ Thank you.
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