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