British Regional Transport Association (BRTA): Minutes for Brackmills and Northampton Area Meeting (Zoom) Hosted by Ms Sara Homer sara.homer@brackmillsindustrialestate.co.uk on June 25th 15.00 hrs

Minutes for Brackmills and Northampton Area Meeting (Zoom) Hosted by Ms Sara Homer sara.homer@brackmillsindustrialestate.co.uk on June 25th 15.00 hrs

Present: Ms Sara Homer (host) Richard Pill (Chair) Cllr Rupert Frost, Colin Crawford, Cllr Phil Larratt, Mr Alan Rimmer (local resident near London Road, Northampton), Harry Burr, Simon Barber, Owen O’Neill.

1. Apologies for absence: Cllr Peter James.

The agenda was reinterpreted to cut to main issues, news and items:

2. Brackmills Branch Re-Railing Project: Sara had had various meetings with others including Andrew Lewer MP for Northampton South who was unsure the case and viability/outlay of the project could pay its way. Cllr James Hill was a more fruitful discussion and several pots of Section 106 could be a start for courting match-funding to pay for case and demand making studies and on/off road/rail benefits of re-railing. 1200 new homes being built at Wootton and Hardingstone. (See Note 1 below). Sara is working to get parishes on board with the rail project. (See note 2 below). Discussion was had on getting the specification right and impact. There was concern from Mr Rimmer about reinstating access across London Road and associated delays to the free movement of traffic impacting local residents. This was countered by the fact that widespread development is happening now and without a rail choice, existing gridlock will be exacerbated. Chicken and egg scenario. Discussion was had on whether bridging London Road was a goer from a rail point of view or whether a lobbying of Office for Road and Rail (ORR) (see note 3) for special dispensation in that a. there was a railway there until recently, b. we have got to get a rail solution to alleviate chronic congestion and c. Grade 2 Listed Buildings adjacent/landscape does not lend to bridging and demolition per se? Harry Burr said that level crossing issues on the Bedford-Bletchley Railway (alias Marston Vale) are problematic being converted progressively ditto plans looking at Bicester which have not happened yet. Owen gave us a walk through the England’s Economic Heartlands (EEH) study: His Power Point slides doc is large but available on request to richard.erta@gmail.com Concern was that the EEH is putting too much emphasis on using existing rails which are capacity laden and fails to grasp they need more not just more capacity on existing lines, but new links to fill gaps and give closer-to-home access to make rail a more natural daily choice for transport of people and goods. HS2 is mooted to create capacity on the West Coast Main Line, but if we are to declutter the M1 and address the east-west rail deficit, we need new and more creative rail-based solutions such as we discussed this afternoon. See notes 5/6 below.

It was recommended that multi-aspect studies are needed to consider things like congestion/traffic reduction, on/off line benefits, case-demand merits and engineering and environmental impact to name but a few. Getting bigger agencies like EEH, SEMLEP, Councils and wider community on board is a valuable goal to bring about. The studies making the case/showing demand are crucial and such evidence in favour, hopefully will be taken seriously/cannot be ignored.

4. Northampton-Market Harborough: Richard said he had submitted on behalf of ERTA in favour of the rail link being restored as all development, however green-clean will still be using roads and impacting urban areas without a modal choice to tap into. So, the rail corridor is foundational. Moreover, given we have walking, cycling, preservation and other interests, calling it a green transport corridor and widening it for accommodation where reasonable with a proper railway for end-to-end passenger and freight can be looked at in the round. ERTA has said a North-West curve would enable direct running into DIRFT. See note 4 below.

5. Northampton-Rugby-Narborough: Owen reported that Warwickshire County Council seemed interested whereas Leicester City is less so but Leicestershire County seems interested but on a sliding queue of other projects like Leicester-Coventry, Burton and Midland Main Line capacity. It was noted that a Bedford-Northampton-Market Harborough integrated rail link could alleviate and free up capacity on the Midland Main Line for other services.

6. Welland Valley Project: Owen was beavering away and it looks promising. Still awaiting funding and hopefully it will go to the next stage. Kettering-Peterborough and beyond is on the cards if it succeeds. That then leaves Wellingborough-Northampton as a missing gap. However, Harry Burr raised the idea of that link being restored and the following was mentioned:

a. many former level crossings to bridge or whatever

b. close proximity to the River Nene and flood issues

c. given development at Wellingborough, will need some careful examination as to how to redress as well as crossing MML fast tracks and access to MML slows?

d. Bedford-Northampton with an east-north curve of some descript would enable the link to double up on the Northampton-Bedford design ticket and serve any new stations for the Rushden/Irchester area.

7. Any Other Business: Harry Burr said he was meeting a Mr James Dean of Network Rail West Coast Management Leader. He was asked to raise the issue of capacity and more trains like for example Oxford/Aylesbury-Milton Keynes and onwards to include Northampton more. See notes: 5 and 6

8. Day, Date, Time and Place of Next Meeting – see https://ertarail.co.uk/events/ for updates and email your wish to attend next meeting here to sara.homer@brackmillsindustrialestate.co.uk It was confirmed that 20^th August at 15.00 was the next scheduled meeting for this Brackmills and Northampton Area Meeting on Zoom via Sara Homer to be included please. See Note 7.

Meeting finished circa 16.25pm

Please Note: Whatever the differences of opinion, we want to find solutions to problems, not be overcome with them. Please think constructively, invite key people you think could make a positive contribution and help grow positive policies and actions by all our leaders to deliver in a timely manner. Conflict between rail projects should be avoided, rather see what we have in common and how diverse rails can compliment on-off rail agendas, not least cutting congestion and giving more alternative rail choices, currently denied.

Notes:

1. Given the average household has approximately 2.5 vehicles which at about 2.5 vehicles per household x a 1200 house development will mean an extra 3000 vehicles added to existing, congested roads which means more gridlocked congestion, delays to deliveries and pollution from exhaust and tyre particles on hard surfaces. We need a rail alternative which serves specific communities like Brackmills, University Campus/Delapre Abbey and the main station as a gateway to and from these outlets including employment accessibility. Howdens large warehouse complex is being demolished and more Section 106 funding could come from that as well. Ref: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/incomeandwealth/adhocs/009922numberofvehiclesperhousehold for more data.

2. ERTA Brochure advocates an LRT heavy rail scheme (shared by Richard) which could have halts (small station access) for picking up/dropping off intensive use/people to and from Castle Station as a gateway to/from South Northampton areas calling at University of Northampton Waterside Campus/shared with Delapre Abbey, Brackmills which could have an out-of-town parking and rider scheme to ease town congestion radials to/from the main railway station and Great Houghton so far. Could be extended to the Brafield Racecourse/Horton Road/edge of the Castle Ashby Estate/Compton Estates/formerly Piddington Station area. As long as a heavy rail scheme with clearances and engineering appropriate incorporating use of spare capacity for any sourced freight-by-rail interest (if no rail it hardly arises, but if re-railed… would you use it for freight? May be a pertinent questionnaire question?). In short, the scheme can be upgraded and any conventional Bedford-Northampton rail scheme say ‘Thameslink style’ could be bolted on/amalgamated to the railway/upgraded to incorporate the bigger scheme. A consideration is to plough on as we are and get a something but may be superseded in say 10 years’ time. Unless a Marston Vale traditional sort of service pattern, I would suspect riddance of halts for just one main station or possibly 2 – Parkway at Brackmills and University/Delapre shared if lucky.

3. Office for Road and Rail (ORR):

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/level-crossings

4. Also, this is the current Harborough consultation on climate change related issues https://www.harborough.gov.uk/climateconsultation Everyone is encouraged to pile in and give support for the rail reopening please. It feeds into and is itself fed by other links.

A review of Harborough's local plan is likely to be commencing in the near future, which would be a further opportunity to highlight strategic transport issues.

5. Decluttering the M1, our rail proposals for Bedford-Northampton-Market Harborough deals with north-westerly-south-easterly axis rail alternative based on a Luton-Northampton-Leicester arc. Decluttering Oxford-Northampton via East-West Rail, relies on sufficient capacity between Bletchley, Milton Keynes Central and Northampton. Meanwhile Banbury-Daventry-Northampton and Rugby-Calvert needs to be looked at with intersection where the two lines meet to feed each other passenger and freight revenue. A43 still a busy corridor, a new station at Brackley could intercept and integrated buses or LRT to places like Silverstone and Towcester, somehow across to Northampton have been tabled.

6. Bedford-Bletchley extension to MKC, Southern Hourly to CMK, Aylesbury/Oxford – CMK + all other more (passenger and freight), means alternative routes and capacity beit physical tracks, baying and station reconfigurations let alone reopenings (Roade/Castlethorpe?) will surely welcome any non-specific movements going on new lines as we have suggested?

7. Please help spread the word, encourage people to take an interest/give support.

One way is to encourage members of the public to join ERTA:

https://ertarail.co.uk/become-a-member/

Our Facebook ERTA Pages exist and are:

a. https://www.facebook.com/bedfordnorthamptonrailway

b. https://www.facebook.com/RerailNorthamptonandshire

c. https://www.facebook.com/RebuildNorthampton2MarketHarboroughRailLink

d. https://www.facebook.com/GreatCentralCorridorReRailing

Relevant Twitter sites are:

a. https://twitter.com/NorthantsRe

b. https://twitter.com/G8Central

Blogspot contains a wealth of information/scroll down: https://ertarailvolunteer.blogspot.com/