Reopen a new Polegate-Stone Cross avoiding line!

 A new-build Polegate-Stone Cross avoiding line offers these opportunities:

1.      End-to-end timings shaved between Brighton and Ashford by 20 minutes

2.  More capacity into and out of Eastbourne for Capital-Gatwick-Resort access

3.      Make South Coast Rail competitive to the A27, giving realistic, attractive modal choice!

4.      Lure people out of cars, reduce congestion and locked-in road monopoly.

5.      Consider freight by rail more and all different sizes from parcels to pallets to aggregates and more!

These are just some benefits and we urgently need councils and agencies to stop developing over the route, weight the gains of reinstating it and act now before we scupper options!

If interested in helping nurture wider appreciation, please:

1. Join ERTA as a member: https://ertarail.co.uk/become-a-member/

2. Offer to be an area rep with recruiting and growing the team more in mind.

3. Write to the local MP asking for support: Caroline Ansell MP: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA 

Phone: 020 7219 3000

Email: caroline.ansell.mp@parliament.uk also Mr Huw Merriman MP, Bexhill and Battle, Constituency Office, 29-31 Sea Road, Bexhill on Sea

TN40 1EE Phone: 01424 736861 

Also sits on the Transport Select Committee!

4. Join our growing email loop for updates and newsletters: richard.erta@gmail.com

5. Write/email to Rother District Council and encourage them to commit to a study and explore options whilst keeping the land available for either-or old or new alignment avoiding lines for modal shift off roads passenger and freight by rail more. https://www.rother.gov.uk/ and also the Wealden District Council: https://www.wealden.gov.uk/ as well as all others from Brighton-Eastbourne-Bexhill-Hastings-Ashford/Kent. It is in all their interests for a healthy, bouyant and successful rail link, quick, dynamically better than upgraded roads and cutting time and congestion, the rail investment has much to offer these corridor arterys. Without the avoiding line, the rail currently is crippled and uncompetitive and that is less-than satisfactory. So, please give us your support, join ERTA and our free email loop and let's work at making in-rails together!

6. Write/email these as well: https://transportforthesoutheast.org.uk/ 

They should be leading from the front instead, seem to dither, be clueless, cost a shed load and a nice professionalise, clincial middle class lifestyle career builder. Is it any practical good, what and where are their local rail reopenings lists/pursuits? Unless we re-rail like Polegate - Stone Cross and that of Guildford-Horsham-Shoreham, we have little chance of traffic reduction, cutting pollution, speeding things up and tailoring development to rail infrastructure, not new road building and upgrades? Act now, Government demanding upward of £50k for studies, must either undertake to do them themselves and pay or cut the rot and save our railway solutions now on the basis of free, strategic thinking, investment, actions and a load of common sense!