Great Central re-rail corridor concerns and opportunities

Please see below link to zoom meeting.

Given that EEH have now published their phase 2 passenger rail study

https://www.englandseconomicheartland.com/documents/422/EEH_Passenger_Rail_Study_Phase_2_Report.pdf

and also the freight Solent to Midlands study

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Solent-to-the-Midlands-Multimodal-Freight-Strategy-Phase-1-V3.1.pdf

We need to review the degree to which projects along the GC corridor align with these strategies.

Contact: Owen O'Neill <*@oweno.info> to join.

Reader to consider:

Personally, I feel the project faces considerable challenges with:

a. Grendon-Calvert

b. Calvert

c. Brackley East

d. Woodford-Willoughby

e. Connecting to WCML Rugby, Northampton Loop, Daventry - e.g. would Harry's proposed Daventry Parkway-Northampton Loop link have a north-west curve for running into Rugby?

f. Catesby-Rugby GC-new flyover-Lutterworth area linking with your Rugby link (Midland) onwards to common links with Leicester-Nuneaton Lines.

If the above is unfeasible, however informed, what can be done, what can be redeemed, what are the options and what timescale?

I note page 18-19 in Rail Magazine Edition 938 mentioned the Calvert theatre with HS2 and access for Aylesbury-Milton Keynes.

We must find solutions to these conundrums, otherwise corridor development will just default to roads and existing overcrowded domestic lines. The pattern repeats elsewhere. The idea was, we have a trackbed as a basis and deviations and other links off it. Now we have umpteen proposals with no trackbed hitherto, virgin railway routes and doubtful plan on freight access.

I attach the agenda for completeness, although do feel free to deviate. Thanks very much. We do need to consider and come up with solutions to these challenges pro-affirma of a re-railed corridor.

ERTA Publicity Page has documents on Great Central Corridor today: https://ertarail.co.uk/publicity/

Rebuild a Great Central Rail Corridor for more capacity and route options south of Narborough to Rugby and Calvert for

East Midlands, Oxford, Aylesbury and beyond links and opportunities to declutter roads

and clean up the environment.

Let’s stop the rot, protect the corridor and keep options open!

It is Vital that:

Ø   

The corridor is protected from further blockages and realignment land likewise by pro-active Government policy and action

Ø    You add your voice to reopening the railway – write/email to your local MP c/o House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA https://members.parliament.uk/members/commons and these Councils (Google them): West Northamptonshire Unitary Council, Rugby Borough Council, Warwickshire County Council, Leicestershire County Council, Buckinghamshire Unitary Council and Leicester City Council.

Ø   

English Economic Heartlands (EEH) c/o England’s Economic Heartland Business Unit c/o Buckinghamshire County Council, Walton Street, Aylesbury, HP20 1UA or for general enquiries please contact Business Unit Manager Lyndsey Cox on 01296 382703 or englandseconomicheartland@buckscc.gov.uk

Ø    Join ERTA

and help inform a growing team of pro-active support.

Ø   

Put nature reserves, cycleways, canals, roads and development elsewhere not on the route of a potential new-build/re-build rail corridor.

Join our free email loop via requests to richard.erta@gmail.com

More on our website publicity page: https://ertarail.co.uk/publicity/ 

Good Article - we need alternative options affordably to be fostered.

re: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56748346

We have pro-rail alternatives which, if adopted now will help ease such land-use taking and guzzling issues. Planning must not be simply more for rail, but modal shift say 45% of M1 x other motorways and trunk roads within 9 years (2030) and what that requires (at very least our Bedford-Northampton-Market Harborough) links and GC corridor re-railed/plough through. 

Someone holding the Government to account on Reversing Beeching (can't just election time spin things like that when such an environmental and practical need to send more by rail and ease the road-based logistics pain), and delivery would be a something, but the Government in turn to enable others more to just 'get on with it'. We have Vivarail to supply recycled trains, we need a similar set up to purchase old trackbed, realignment spaces and provide track relaying services. Delegating delivery reduces Government fear of risk-cost thresholds and spreads the load more, but then organisations like EEH and TfN would have to get on with it than at best simply making cases and being lobbying vehicles 'of Government' once removed? Government Organised Non Governmental Organisations GONGOS is something floated about a few years ago. Ross-on-Wye needs re-railing. Borders Model proves it can work. 

I fear genuinely that dualling the A421 between Black Cat and Caxton (Bedford-Cambridge) will increase the volume of traffic and it will end up blocking junctions more and causing overload on the urban interfaces especially Cambridge. The system is not working, it is not delivering and cost is a factor which means opting for a better pro rail solution. ERTA remains open to work with anyone or organisation to progress these sorts of issues more. Time is not on our side and only Grant Shapps both giving go ahead and reforming the system to enable more can make it better. 

The tilt towards roads rather than local rail must also be equalised or tilted in rails favour. On Bedford-Northampton, tough decisions need to be made now, including ploughing through a wodge of £500, 000 upwards developments or a brand new route further north. In 10 years, ploughing through will be the only option in many cases particularly at urban junctioning interfaces and main line station access for many will be built on. Guildford-Shoreham direct is needed with a south to west curve at Shoreham being looked into for optimising passenger (Brighton) and non-deep-sea freight (from the west and port landed also). The point is these principles ripple and repeat scenario elsewhere nationwide. We do local, export best practise global potentially.

We need all weather-proof campaigning as there's never a good time, just as Churchill said 'blood, sweat, toil and tears' or something like that - ardur v endeavour, the step forward is leadership in the right direction. Please work with ERTA and help swell our membership to boost potential. Otherwise electric or otherwise, it is carmageddon!

ERTA Events Page is progressively updated, please encourage others to give us support: https://ertarail.co.uk/events/ Thanks.

Ressurrection of ERTA London Forum (physical meeting) now 17-09-21 14.00 hrs

Please find attached details of our London Forum and Pamphlet and we would welcome your interest and support. The English Regional Transport Association (ERTA) is voluntary and membership is open to all. We welcome support and advocacy of our campaign aims as well as reliable volunteering. Please refer to our website for wider read and we welcome your kindly encouraging others to take an interest and give us their support also. https://ertarail.co.uk/events/

Please liaise with Simon and David and together, come to a consensus with a view to working collaboratively to take things forward. Thank you.

Interesting read: https://www.mylondon.news/news/east-london-news/london-underground-town-21-miles-21281601?fbclid=IwAR0Et4lqzCv4jMv_fhjwUW0ERQzjPuvzRV4y4RVbwnqIwSIiEui4yQqHelQ

Solent to Midlands and Beyond corridors for more modal shift

re: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Solent-to-the-Midlands-Multimodal-Freight-Strategy-Phase-1-June-2021.pdf

Clearly if we are to see growth and sustainably predicated, and if we accept existing rails and roads are at capacity, modal shift and reducing emissions and congestion means shifting more freight and people back to rail and that in turn demands more rail routes, duplicate routes and capacity creation. Southampton-Reading-Oxford-Birmingham/West Midlands and beyond, fanning out across a wide spectrum of the country, means we need creative thinking and planning now, not some way-off date of 2050 when the threshold of irreversible climate change is 2030! https://www.un.org/press/en/2019/ga12131.doc.htm Whether you believe in Climate Change or not, we cannot keep taking land share for widening roads, catering for congestion, pollution and delays. We have to get more by rail. 

The English Regional Transport Association (ERTA) has done a 13 page response to the Solent-Midlands Report which I trust you will find of interest.

Principal rail options are:

1. Western flank Chippenham-Kemble-Hereford via Ross-on-Wye onwards to Shrewsbury, for non Birmingham centric freight by rail and passenger services to ANOB areas which have upgraded progressively A40 trunk roads, but are a desert for rail. Likewise bringing Malmesbury and Cirencester back onto the rail network makes a lot of sense, ditto Witney in passenger terms, but we need end-to-end connectivity also.

2. A new build off the Winchester line (north of Winchester) to Newbury-Didcot could help declutter Reading as well, but issues of new build and accessing the Oxford lines at Didcot via a flyover, are a challenge. 

3. Broadening out South Coast Portal handling with more through Portsmouth, Shoreham and elsewhere is another aspect. WE have called for a Shoreham-Guildford reinstatement of a direct rail link, which would give access from Oxford and north, direct to Brighton 'not via London' and quicker than changing at Reading for example. However we also call for support for more joined-up design and planning with the proposed Southern Heathrow Link: https://heathrowrail.com/heathrow-southern-railway-limited-welcomes-uk-transport-secretarys-invitation-proposals-privately-financed-southern-rail-access-london-heathrow-airport/

It must go on to interface with the new Old Oak Common (OOC) Interchange and via a tunnel, to physically link with the Chiltern Rail Network with radial links to Oxford, Banbury, a new domestic Great Central spinal line alongside HS2 to serve Brackley (east of)/A43/Silverstone via a new Parkway Station and onwards to Rugby, Lutterworth and the East Midlands via Narborough/Leicester and also a curve in the Nuneaton direction.

4. Birmingham should have the freight centric to it, not be lumbered with freight for beyond it and not specifically for it. That will free up pathways and enable more modal shift to rail with subsequent environmental benefits as well as wider shares of footfall and spend based on sustainable transport modes.

Please have a perusal and help get MP's on board and urge the Government to speed delivery up. East-West Rail must physically link with the East Coast Main Line in the mooted Tempsford area for completeness. Likewise, given existing north-south rail lines are at capacity now (a basis for arguing HS2's contribution eventually), the spinal resurrected Great Central corridor including Calvert-Grendon for quick domestic access to OOC and beyond, would enable East Midlands specific freight and cross-country operations to access without recourse to London, Birmingham or existing lines more, enabling more with benefits. We need a joined-up vision that delivers, not the status quo. We would really welcome your support and interest. However good existing rail upgrades are, Reading-Oxford is at capacity now, so alternative routes are required to keep things moving and cut road reliance more. It is in everyone's interest to do so: https://blog.greenflag.com/2019/tyre-particles/

For perusal of a copy of the 13 page ERTA response, please see and scroll down our Publicity Page: https://ertarail.co.uk/publicity/

ERTA Brackmills and Northampton Area Zoom Meeting

Greetings! Our Brackmills and Northampton Area Zoom Meeting is due to take place on Friday 20th August at 15.00 hours. Please contact Ms Sara Homer Email: sara.homer@brackmillsindustrialestate.co.uk to request to be sent the link to join the meeting. Northampton, part of the Golden Triangle, has a massive win, win for rail, transport and the environment if it can get the rail links back in a timely manner. Bedford-Northampton with new build, Northampton-Market Harborough with a widening of the 'green corridor' to enable more, Rugby-Lutterworth-Narborough for Leicester and much more. We need your interest, contribution and support. Business people are coming together and agreeing we must have choices to reduce road congestion and that means re-railing. All are welcome. An agenda is attached. Please feel free to pass on and recommend us to others. Membership is logical and helps resource our efforts. We seek to build teams which can usher along the rail improvements we wish to see, local to Northampton and nationwide. Thank you.