Leicester,
Capacity and Northampton-Market Harborough Rails
Ø Leicester is not just a gateway to
the East Midlands Region; it is also a gateway from and pivotal part of the
East Midlands. That diversity means it is a place people want to get to,
through and from for a variety of reasons and purposes and that the mode they
choose to use will be centred around norms, costs and access options.
Ø Northampton is supposed to be part of
the East Midlands Regional take, but also comes into the sub regional sphere of
South Midlands, yet Northampton has no direct rail link connection with
Leicester/East Midlands and vice versa.
Ø Reopening Northampton-Market
Harborough would provide multiple links and serve numerous markets. There’s local,
providing a rail choice, currently lacking along the A508 corridor and
challenging the M1 which does link Leicester and Northampton of modal choice
and market share for people and goods more by rail as part of modal shift and
environmentally ‘greening’ agendas.
Ø Northampton – Market Harborough Rail
Link offers Oxford/Watford-Milton Keynes-Northampton-Leicester and beyond and
vice versa. That is new linkages of expanded populations which were not present
when the line shut as part of the Serpell Report of the early 1980’s. Yes, the
passenger service was with drawn during the 1960’s, when Milton Keynes was not
built and Northampton half its current size or less, but was used for freight
until the end.
Ø A curve could be provided at the southern
end from north-west for direct running from Felixstowe and anywhere else to the
inland port of Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT) and vice
versa. The line could also serve the new Northampton Rail Freight Depot as well
as wider north-south and making use of east-west (Oxford-Bletchley) for rail to
grow into a larger inter-regional share of markets.
Ø Capacity on the Midland Main Line
(MML) is constrained apparently. But ERTAs solution is to have a new
Bedford-Northampton ‘not via Olney’ line constructed which would enable some
diversionary traffic off MML tracks between Bedford and Market Harborough which
in turn would create more paths for MML services (passenger and freight).
Looking at electrification north of Market Harborough-Sheffield could coincide
with widening the MML and tracks through Leicester to service more rail-based
operations. Where can be done, it should and is long overdue for such a
consideration.
Ø The issue of business case, should
warrant powers that be taking an interest, studying and making the case to tick
boxes of candidacy to court what investment may be available for more and
ultimately progressing the delivery of these rail links. The can’t, won’t and
don’t mantras of arm chair critics, even so-called rail ones, should be
challenged with pro-active pursuit of this rail agenda, as those critics are
consigned to a roads only 20th century tunnel vision which does not
see rail as pivotal except big spend footprints like High-Speed solutions. We
may need both, but leave it to them and half-baked more of the same is most
likely to be the default in short roads, roads and more roads with congestion!
Ø Widening a green corridor for
incorporating twin track rails, cycleways and footpaths will take some doing,
but short-medium-long term, could be plan-directed to adapt terrain to it.
To support, join our free email loop via requests to Mr Richard Pill richard.erta@gmail.com
Media Coverage: re: recent Northampton area press-media coverage.
