Notes from ERTA Great Central Meeting Friday 13th November. Disclaimer: Please note, these are notes taken during the meeting and whilst seeking to be accurate, are a guide and not formal per se. I have had to use a new sequestration of numbering to that of the agenda in some cases.
Present: Richard Pill (Chairman), Owen O’Neill (Zoom
Facilitator), Simon Barber, Colin Crawford, Cllr Richard Auger, John Harrison,
Harry Burr, Peter McBeath and Cllr Rupert Frost and Kathy Keeley.
1. Convenors Welcome and any preliminaries: Richard welcomed people to
the meeting.
2. Apologies for absence: Sam Peach, Mike Reed, Cllr Mike Cockerill, Cllr
Mark Graves, Cllr Philip King, Cllr Peter James, Cllr Tim Douglas, Cllr Martin Tett.
3. Report from Mr Sam Peach on progress so far followed by discussion:
Report from Mr Sam Peach was read by Simon Barber. Since last meeting Sam has met with Anthony Swift
of England’s Economic Heartlands (EEH), Their focus is on east-west transport
links. Sam has been doing research on transport along the Great Central Route.
Northants County Council produced 2 documents Page 30-33 Rail Strategy Doc ‘Fit
for purpose’ (?) 2013 circa. It has a bit on north-south links. Cost in 2013
but under considerations given we are nearly 10 years on from the assumptions
of these old docs. North Northants Planning Unit has also been engaged with.
There will be a general review of policy to bring things up to date. Anthony Swift
advised Sam to look at South Midlands Multi Modal Study which is about 15 years
old. Next steps are to build the economic and social case. A discussion then
followed: Sam’s study to include:
a. assessment of households along the route
b. economic benefit of re-railing
c. re-railing costs
d. freight/new to rail benefits and capacity creation for more by rail
elsewhere too
e. Sam will seek MP and Council interest
f. will also read transport docs released by councils.
4. Discussion was had on Mr Chris Heaton-Harris MP, MP Daventry area and
Rail Minister. Remembering that MP’s and
getting them on board (Andrea Leadsom, South Northants, Chris Heaton-Harris,
Daventry, Mark Pawsey, Rugby, Alberto Costa, Lutterworth, Narborough).
Harry Burr, a resident from Towcester has run a campaign for a station on
the existing West Coast Main Line (WCML) at Weedon near Daventry as a Parkway
Station for the town. It had courted media and widespread coverage and popular
support. We congratulated him on his sterling efforts and wished him well. He
is just 13 years old, but given Daventry is one of the largest towns without a
station, is a much deserving candidate to be taken seriously for better rail
connectivity.
5. A discussion was then had around Northampton-Market Harborough:
Pros for the rail link were things like:
a. Brixworth – 10, 000 new houses to be built, and with an average of 2.5
cars per household, that traffic along the A508 will end up being congested at Northampton
or elsewhere adding to a problem.
b. The rail link would enable East Midlands-DIRFT freight and beyond
access
c. Would link as part of a through link between Oxford-Milton
Keynes-Northampton-Leicester/East Midlands and vice versa, shaving time,
opening more by rail journey opportunities
d. Would take on M1 (Northampton-Leicester) giving rail choice currently
not available.
Against it was felt:
a. Local People don’t want it / object
b. Chris Heaton-Harris (who may have been written to) is against it
c. A cycle track occupies much of the route/now used for non-rail
purposes
Owen O’Neill said that for that, GC and other projects, there needs to be
Assessment of Benefits including Economic. Discussion was had with Cllr Rupert
Frost.
It was mooted that in rail choice terms, GC approaches Leicester from the
western flank of M1, Northampton-Market Harborough on the eastern flank.
Richard Auger said some have ‘silo views. There’s a need to link to 1.
Local Strategic Plans – rail links and connectivity and 2. Government – where
it wants to go on it. A discussion was had. On the one hand that is fine, but
if Government sits on fence in policy/action terms like the disparity of
funding for new roads v rail reopenings they go against the environment whereas
the whole issue we want is more environmentally-friendly transport able to
carry bulk people and goods and save land for other things. Some people call
Northampton-Market Harborough Railway as ‘Brampton Valley Railway’.
It was felt Climate Change/Climate Change Emergency was an important
aspect for these rail links.
It was said there is a need to break a project down to chunks. Segment
Leicester to Rugby/Rugby-Leicester/Narborough – Owen O’Neil showed slides of
the lie of the land and his proposal of a new-build rail serving Magna Park and
Lutterworth and as an option was broadly welcomed to be shored up and promoted.
If someone comes up with a Plan B, providing the demand and market can sustain
it, we have no real problem with such.
6. Peter McBeath interjected on demand aspects by warning that ports are
being dredged for larger container carrying ships for 23, 000 container
carriage docking and want to use rail majoritively to serve their land
carriage. That sends ripples of demand-supply of capacity and pinch points will
need sorting, new rails and links will be given impetus and this is happening
now and going forward, not some longevity luxury of decades. So, it raises
questions of rail capacity and readiness. We will need lines like Great Central
to help cater for it all sustainably.
7. Richard Pill, Chairing the meeting laid the cards of ERTA on the
table: we can facilitate meetings, bring people together, campaign within
resources and nurture volunteers to inform a team who in turn can take and do
what is necessary as per Sam Peach to take projects on to a next stage.
However, we do not have the resources to commission £100, 000+ studies to tick
all boxes. It is for professionals to conjoin and invest in their (private) and
nations (Government tiers) interests. It is not about our Executive Committee taking
on more work, rather realising new volunteers and them in turn expanding our
ideas and working them to fruition/variables on themes included.
8. Key benefits: It was felt environmental land use, route protection to
keep options open amidst development bombardments not made to take rail intent
into consideration per se and winning over the national political biases. Mr
Simon Barber has a Westminster Team and volunteers are welcome to sign up and
collaborate with him.
9. Peter McBeath made the point that ports expansion and more trains
demand scale. We need more capacity and
alternative routes. Richard said that the scope we felt for the Great Central
re-railing (see map) was Southampton/Bristol-Leicester/East Midlands and all in
between. With M40 on the west, M1 on the east, it is a critical corridor to
re-rail giving capacity elsewhere. Southampton trains have hot spots at Reading
and the Reading/Didcot-Leamington Lines were heavily used, getting to East
Midlands direct and from it without recourse to Birmingham or London would be a
boost for rail and more by rail potentially. ERTA had been seeking discussions
with a number of operators and developers into distribution. Convergys,
Gazeleys and it was recommended we seek to get ASDA Board on board. Could it be
that Owen’s Rugby-Leicester section is the appetiser which brings buy-in for
more south of Rugby beit Banbury and/or Calvert for access to wider links
to/from?
10. Segmental Status’ – as well as the big picture of what we are trying
to achieve with variations on a theme.
a. John Harrison pointed to freight proposal for rail freight terminal
near Hinkley off the Leicester-Nuneaton Line, which could potentially benefit
from the GC link or variations on a theme from the south.
b. Calvert-Woodford Halse. It was suggested that getting a domestic line
alongside the HS2 corridor to serve Brackley area with bus links to Silverstone
was a project in itself with options to Aylesbury, OOC and Oxford for 2-way
commuting for example. Woodford Halse is next up and as a nodal point of area
reference, the connectivity and mutual feed of any Banbury-Daventry-Northampton
arcing rail link would intercept GC corridor and interlinking should be
considered. One suggestion was for Banbury-Rugby (Rugby is a sectional study
issue of access) as a shorter link to achieve than going Oxford-Calvert etc.
ERTA is open-minded, but the Brackley issue, with A43 and expansion remains to
be addressed. Simon said he wanted a meeting with Colin and Brackley Town
Council to try and establish common ground. Woodford does have some blockages
which various opponents have flagged up. Land and growth – we need route
protection and Plan B to be adopted with a conversion from opposition or
neutrality to pro-affirma support for the rail. Discussions with Parishes was
to be welcomed to foster good relations and appreciation of what a railway
could offer and Simon to seek a meeting with Woodford Halse P.C. too.
c. Woodford-Willoughby. Re-railing Great Central has the issue of Catesby
Tunnel and the wind tunnel use of it. Parish Clerk against re-railing options.
d. Getting into Rugby required yes, Rugby to be on board but also,
studies on best options. ERTA has a view.
11. MP’s et al. See elsewhere.
12. Overall it was felt:
a. Getting ASDA on board and similar was worth pursuing:
- ASDA Executive – can they input strategically
- insights
- how to take things forward
- Invest in studies
Be a conjoiner to projects
b. demand and assessment led not just of today, but future forecasting
with a 10-year scope. What will it be without the railway, what contribution
could a railway make positively?
c. Putting together a business case, getting professional support – City
of London and then Westminster. KPMG was mentioned. But we have to have a good
business case first to interest them as investors.
d. Get Amazon on board – they need to start using rail. Warehouses the
size of football pitches springing up everywhere. Simon/Colin to approach these
bodies for preliminary sounding out.
e. Look at Local Distribution Networks and Karl Watts – get him on board
as focuses on Parcels by Rail Services.
13. Owen O’Neil happy to assist with Rugby-Leicester focus after February
and collaborate with Sam Peach.
14. No other business.
15. Date of next Zoom Meeting 29th January 2021 15.00 hours.
Meeting finished 15.40 Richard thanked all for attending.
Note: Clearly a need for focuses respectively. ERTA has a view, a wish, a
plan but can only interject ideas, it is for professionals and those so
orientated to take on board, work up and court wider support. We support Great
Central corridor re-railing with variations on a theme and rebuilding a new
Northampton-Market Harborough rail link and will table meetings and direct
activists and would-be campaigners to those ends as our contribution. People
are welcome to join ERTA as members and offer to volunteer to help us. To
register for the next Great Central Zoom Meeting, please contact Mr Simon
Barber Mr Simon Barber: T. 0208 940 4399, E. simon4barber@gmail.com.
Please encourage others to get involved and liaise with us. My loop via richard.erta@gmail.com is
‘open to all’.
ERTA
can:
1.
Facilitate Zoom Meetings
2.
Plant Ideas
3.
Bring people together
4.
Make suggestions
5.
Input to consultations
6.
Network
7.
Head hunt professionals elected or in business who can take an interest and
move the propositions on to the next stage.
Interim
we do need:
1.
Local and Government (all tier) support for route protection and
realignment/deviation spaces
2.
People to join ERTA as Members - helping us
3.
Offer time and talent as volunteers - things like website maintenance skills,
designing maps and diagrams for general use and helping inform a team more to
take on stewardship and growing support for the bigger picture of re-railing,
with local chunks acting as patchwork places for growing and nurturing
collaboration.
The
issues are massive, but what if we do not re-rail? More development means more
traffic and congestion with pollution and then what? So, now and going forward,
in all interests to cooperate and take heads out of the sand.
Please note, all discussions on Northampton-Market
Harborough rail link are held on the Northampton Meetings. If you wish to also
register for that meeting contact Mr Simon Barber respectively.
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