ERTA Guildford Meeting 16-10-20 and follow-on notes

The English Regional Transport Association (ERTA) is a voluntary association seeking the re-railing of select closed lines for the betterment of people, places and society. The closures of the 1960's were short sighted, ill-conceived and the legacy is locked-in dependency on roads, vehicles and fossil fuel with congestion, land use parking and emissions a side effect detrimental to public health and generating synthetic demand for more roads and strings of bypasses which free up brownfield land for ever more development then requiring more road capacity. Ancient towns and beauty spots cannot cope with it in normal times and the emergent society from Covid 19 needs to build a better reach and range of options which conserve land and gives transport choice. Guildford-Cranleigh-Horsham is one such strategic missing rail link.

We recognise that the interim 50+ years have happened, but believe with realignments around Cranleigh and select places, the recovery of a rail link can be done and should be sought. Studies are needed alongside a will-way attitude to progress, with others, the rail interest in the name of public choice and new options like our attached pamphlet alludes.

The Government has the Rail Study Fund to match fund pots which councils along the line, Local Enterprise Partnerships and other organisations can contribute to with Network Rail and select other agencies. The rail link had a local and regional appeal with links orbiting London via Reading-Brighton/Gatwick respectively and East Croydon-Shalford (new curve) and direct running to loop Gatwick from the south and back, relieving the Brighton Main Line and roads around these parts. It would also free up platform capacity at Guildford for more trains generally.

It should be remembered that waterways and cycle paths can go anywhere. They can exist, but railways need formations, alignments and engineering which cannot share with waterways or cyclepaths unless the trackbed is widened and a suitable perimeter fence with greening is installed. This may be possible in some places, but possibly not all. Given growth of development, we need to consider the rail link and it's fit now and protect options, study options with a view to overcome problems and deliver better public transport, not throw it away locking in roads only options. The best way to save the countryside is to strike a balance of modest growth, rail choices and less road reliance. Leisure craft and cycles can fit into that plan too, it just needs a horses for courses approach with the trackbed route of the railway for the railway as a priority in the interest of greater volumes it would handle, including commuting options for work further afield and incoming sustainable footfall and spend, bolstering a recovery after Covid and helping businesses in their viability all year round.

I would welcome your kind support and hope that we can see the idea of reopening the railway protected and ideally taken forward with a robust feasibility study which can answer many questions which arise in the course of pursuing re-railing. Ideally the Government would give its support, realising that any 'Reverse Beeching' must go hand in hand with route protection incentives/sanctions to ensure options are retained objectively. We continue to bring this principle to the attention of Grant Shapps and Chris Heaton-Harris. Thank you.

Disclaimer please note: These are notes taken during the meeting for a rough guide only. I took them down alongside the meeting. They are intended to help bring out what was discussed generally and direct our thoughts to next steps ideally of what we can all respectively do. Again, apologies in advance if I’ve missed any name off or got them mixed up. If you wish for amendment, please email specifics to richard.erta@gmail.com

 

Present: Richard Pill (Chairman of ERTA), Colin Crawford, Simon Barber, H. Trevor Jones, Rob Cooke, George Potter, Ramsey Nagaty, Kathy Keeley, Zoe Franklin, Cllr Alison Griffiths, David Daniels and others.

 

1. The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

2. Apologies for absence: Transport for the South East, Russell Spink, Lucy Dixon-Thompson, Richard Moore.

3. Guildford-Cranleigh-Horsham Rail Reopening.

a. H. Trevor Jones of the Guildford Rail Users Group had objected to the canal threat with others. The rail link has strategic value. There is a port at Shoreham and potential for freight is another aspect. The benefit of access via Guildford and Reading avoiding London is another plus point. This would free up capacity. New spur would be needed at west of Horsham. Cycle and canal lobbies want the sole use of the old trackbed with walkway retained. Whether in some cases the old route can be widened out and/or waterways and cycle paths slewed around the railway requirement, remains to be seen.

b. Getting around Cranleigh: A major issue. On the one hand Cranleigh could gain by a rail link for things like ease of commuting, on the other, subsequent development now and on-going, means the old route is blocked and realignment is an issue. If you go west from the north, how easy is it to re-join the old route south? Cranleigh is due for expansion as per Dunsfold.

It was suggested we need definitive list of what, where to consider. ERTA would work on this, but it was suggested that we are not resourced to do much of it as we live away from the area, lack means-ways and would need more volunteers on the ground knowing what to put in the inventory for example. Gardens backing onto old trackbed do not of themselves block reopening, but may be objectors and/or to canals and other uses, but also could deter widening in those places. Cllr Griffiths said also we need a series of questions and list and GIS Mapping could include this scheme.

LRT another option, unsure of compatibility with freight, but also cost comparatives and examples elsewhere of suitability over conventional rail options. But could enable inclusion of Dunsfold development expansion:

Cllr George Potter of Guildford Borough Council we need a specific idea of what a study should look at, a list. Guildford, Horsham, Surrey, Crawley, Cranleigh, Waverley etc.

c. MP’s and other organisations:

Russell Spink of Transport for the South East: russellspink69@hotmail.com

MP’s for Guild are Ms Angela Richardson, Waverley (covers canal application) Jeremy Hunt, Horsham is Jeremy Quinn, Mark Griffiths Arundel Curve.

Concern of air quality and public transport joined up with trains and buses at Shalford was mentioned.

Suggestion of a standard letter to MP’s was touted.

e. Volunteers: Kathy Keeley and others would liaise together as and when and where appropriate.

Matt Furniss was Surrey CC for Shalford.

4. Heathrow Southern Rail Link:

Some were not keen on Wisley having a station on the Heathrow link as impractical, despite the HRA getting about 1 million visitors per year. They could do better to court the LRT from Staines-Windsor-Byfleet or more buses. General agreement in sense for the Southern Heathrow Link to go on to Old Oak Common interchange and – if ERTA had its way – onwards spur to link onto the Chiltern Main Line. Gives London orbital Banbury/Aylesbury-OOC-Guildford span of reach and range via the airport, which could be 24 x 7 with capacity for freight in quieter times away from residential areas.

5. North Downs Line Link: People unsure of whether electrification was best idea, good standard trains of whatever power is what matters surely? Likewise changing at Redhill some felt, not a problem. ERTA had thought electrification and Thameslink reaching Guildford may be worth looking at, but no clear view. Mr David Daniels of North Downs Line CRP said bi-mode trains for the line were being looked at. It is an important link off the Brighton Line and maybe if we got Guildford-Horsham reopened, a direct curve from Shalford to Cranleigh and looping round Gatwick from the south could boost all concerned as well as offering more capacity elsewhere.

6. Tonbridge – Gatwick Curve. Mooted originally as a HS4 notion with a new route linking Gatwick and Heathrow, ERTA had floated the idea before as a conventional condiment to our Guildford-Horsham-Gatwick from the south idea, going on to Tonbridge and Channel Tunnel/Ashford for example as an extreme reach and range. Not much enthusiasm at the meeting. HS4 was thrown out by DfT, but cost is an issue in context of current situations with record debt, HS2 and balancing the books at the Treasury.

7. Guildford Current Rail and Bus: Ramsey Nagaty – frequency of buses and trains at Shalford demand better connections and tying up of linking services.

Rob Cooke raised the point of platforms and capacity at Guildford and impact issues of redevelopment, more trains and through onwards running rather than terminating at Guildford if reopening were to occur? Generally, a concern was a. would there be more capacity at Guildford rail-wise and b. impact of redevelopment whether better interchange or less convenient or congestion? Kathy and Simon raised that we need to put pedestrians and disabled people at the heart of planning and a bus station near a railway station is better than segregation? It was noted the debate about Guildford on these matters had rumbled on a long time. H. Trevor Jones said they could put in more platforms at Guildford. George Potter said more platforms and parking are a future contingency and may need to use current sidings land. Meeting finished approximately 15.11 and date of next meeting will be Friday 5 February 2021 14.00 hrs. Register via Mr Simon Barber:

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

Time to invest in the Bedford-Bletchley Railway!

 Time to invest in the Bedford-Bletchley Railway!

ERTA lauds the collective combination of paid professional and voluntary inputs to making the railway as pleasant as it can be and fostering good will. However, ERTA believes that more needs to be done to make the line even better. Attracting passengers is a good thing, but can be a swing door if we lose them in equal measure. To stem the drain and ease off the constant pressure means people want the following:

Ø    Reliability! People want to be able to rely on the trains service to take people from where they wish to go and arrive safely at the destination of their choice. This means trains fit for purpose and which work, happy staffing relations, a healthy timetable and calling at places they wish to get to. Bank Holiday and Sunday services and later evening trains have long been called for here!

Ø    Buses are no substitute for railway services! Since the 1960’s it has been proven time and again that bus substitutes for rail services are unable to keep to the timetable and are laden with all sorts of bedevilments as a result. Every effort must be to make the trains work and keep them working. Studies should be conducted to assess whether half hourly at peak time would be used.

Ø    ERTA believes that a new station serving and giving access to the Retail Park at Kempston, Bedford would be of benefit to attract more rail users for shopping, wider area access and employment opportunities more. It is disgraceful the station was not opened in the early 1980’s when the Retail Park opened and even worse that rail users have been denied access ever since.

Wider vision to better integrate opportunities the railway offers:

Ø    ERTA applauds the on-coming of the long-awaited East-West Rail between Oxford-Bletchley and Bedford and very much hopes in some shape or form it continued to Cambridge!

Ø    However, it will need to be more than 1 train per hour, more like 2 per hour and 4 coach trains will soon need doubling to 8 coach capacity, given the bid for more users and modal shift back from road to rail.

Ø    This means a redesign of Bedford Midland with more baying facilities for more trains off the Bedford-Bletchley railway with some track alignment to make the link between St John’s and the Bedford Midland faster and more robust.

Ø    ERTA believes the best future for the railway would be an infill electrification scheme and lengthening of halts to 4 coach capacity to enable more diverse services, perhaps exploiting the end to end aspect of the commute value the line offers. So, a Watford-Bletchley-Bedford-Corby service should also be looked at.

Ø    The line needs a freight plan. Laudable that talks are about a rail link to serve new developments in some quarters, but the reopening of an investment in Forders Sidings for things like a depot for recycling by rail from glass to fridge’s, from old cars to paper, materials could be collected and sent for processing by rail more serving a wide area. Think environment, think rail!

Ø    ERTA believes that the old St John’s site should not be sold off and redeveloped for housing, rather retained and used for rail related purposes. Bedford has a chronic lack of capacity for more trains, stabling and parking for rail users. Congestion across Prebend Street Bridge is rife and a 2-track solution for more trains between Bedford St John’s and Cardington Road could help. Also, the possible use of Ford End Road old loco shed site for more parking and a second booking office could help. If they are lost to other development, it locks in problems, not solutions! Join our free email loop richard.erta@gmail.com

Check this link out! It is not just about roads only but the fact is the land is locked-in by the A421 Bedford Bypass, so growth and expansion is locked-in and congestion compounded - success of oversubscription. The railway station offers a way to bring more people in (growth) and keep traffic levels checked (modal equalibrium). If you see the sense in what we are saying, please join us and offer support: https://www.bedfordindependent.co.uk/gridlock-at-interchange-retail-park-as-b530-roadworks-cause-traffic-chaos/

ERTA News and Views October 2020

The ERTA successful events programme continues and I attach 2 meetings one for the Guildford area and associated South East transport matters and one for Northampton and associated rail related matters. 

Please do feel free to share/pass on. More the merrier and as always, registration for the Zoom Meetings is via Mr Simon Barber whose email is cc'd in this email.

Other dates for your diary are:

• London Forum (on Zoom) - this has now been agreed for Saturday, 28 November 2020 from 2-4pm
• Conference (on Zoom) - this has now been agreed for Saturday, 24 April 2021 from 2-5pm (1.30pm start)

Newsletter will be out 1st November. Our Brackmills and Bedford old St John's Pamphlets are available via email request to richard.erta@gmail.com. It is never too late to send emails or support or objection until it is! So, please pile in, likewise saving the Guildford-Horsham trackbed for rail purposes, not a canal or exclusive non-rail usership. There is the cycle lobby, the canal lobby and the rail lobby and unless a shared co-existence with respective recognition of needs-must be found, the only winner is a congested road lobby! Pathetic to talk about cutting emissions on dustbin trucks as tinkering at the edges, when we're pouring £millions into new and widened roads to be filled with ever more traffic 'buying time' making the situation ultimately worse and more congested/polluted. 

ERTA seeks to put the rail alternative. The existing network is inadequate to reach and range to make modal shift/choosing rail for passenger and freight a realistic proposition. Rather than HS2 whereby they are a big scheme coming at it top-down, we advocate small, incremental, local, conventional links inclusive of people, places, communities and multiplied, the model achieves at less cost a much more comprehensive rail alternative and a better Britain to face whatever the storms of life bring. The Victorians knew, to be disconnected, was to face disenfranchisement and in a largely unregulated market, went full pelt to be connected with the result of competing lines, stations and yet it settled and worked notwithstanding the dent to economy and population of 2 World Wars. In such a Post War context the closures were implemented. There may have been a 20th Century growth of trend of oil and internal combustion and more by road fuelling road demand, but the closures locked-in that trend and now we are at a point where more choice is wanted and necessary to calm traffic volumes and consider things like land use, spaces and the environment. That is why we need comprehensive reaches and ranges, not just packing the West Coast Main Line full and leaving large swathes disconnected still. Brackmills needs re-railing, a freight plan for the Marston Vale is needed and keeping options open via St John's for a role for rail makes operational sense, so why not?

We continue to wave our views before politicians and the public and hope they get it. We need a balance and are in some cases, maybe many cases still a long way from it and are poorer for it. Our next stall at St Paul's Church, Bedford is Saturday 7th November - all welcome: https://www.antiques-atlas.com/antique_fair/bedfordshires_antiques_collectors_fair_st_pauls/af2055 

Without your patronage and support, we cannot sustain the advance of the choice agenda. Even if we get it, then the impetus is to choose and vote with feet and wallets and so everyone can play a part in making a difference whatever your postcode!