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:
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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!
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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.
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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:
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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
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