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/