Our member, Mr Simon Barber has written to England's Economic Heartlands/EEH with some ideas of what taking COP27/modal shift from road to rail to help meet emissions reduction targets by the date for irreversible change of 2030, not pie-in-the-sky 2050. That gap is not lost on us, but we need professionals and organisations with Government support and permission, to start evaluating the potential contributions local rail-based schemes and connectivity could offer and inform more by rail. The M1 is about 50% juggernaut lorries, likewise A14, so that did not come about overnight by accident, the local rail closures happened, the investment in roads went in and the market used what was available as more of the same informed costs coming down. Now we have a good reason to switch back to rail, the tracks no longer exist, so new ones need nurturing. It is not about panaceas, but a line-side plan for every initiative and other regions need to be drawing up similarly their own plans like South West, South East, East Anglia, North West, North East and the West and East Midlands, Wales and Scotland. Government has a pivotal role, but it needs to make the conditions of 'can do' apparent and for that, at no extra cost, it has absolutely no excuse, it has been heading in the wrong direction and knowingly so. How to turn the 'ship' around?
The English Regional Transport Association (ERTA) is a voluntary membership-based, pro-public transport improvement association with its main projects initially in Bedfordshire and surrounding regional areas but its remit has since increased since several of its projects have a nation-wide positive benefit and impact.
One of the reasons that I am contacting your organisation is that you are involved with building and serving public-private business community networks, including the launch of Runways UK (with the UK Airports Commission), Tomorrows Rail and finally Highways UK. Apparently you are now also hosting the Conference for England's Economic Heartlands, which is one of the several Strategic Transport Bodies.
As regards England's Economic Heartlands are concerned, the ERTA calls for better rail links which are as follows:
East-West Rail Link - the Central Section must be completed before 2030 at the latest, ideally even earlier.
Great Central (Calvert-Brackley-Rugby-Lutterworth-link existing Nuneaton-Leicester line at Narborough)
Northampton-Market Harborough
Bedford-Northampton (particularly Brackmills which is an industrial estate in Northampton)
Luffenham Curve (linking Midland Main Line eastward with Leicester-Peterborough line)
Northampton - Wellingborough
Banbury-Northampton (Northern Arc) needs to link with the Great Central somewhere in the Woodford Halse area.
Midland Main Line electrification(already in delivery)should be extended beyond Market Harborough to Leicester/Nottingham/Derby/Sheffield
The Southern Arc should involve the re-opening of both the disused St.Albans Abbey - Hatfield and Watford - Croxley lines.
Transport Orientated Development - both the Mass Transit systems for Milton Keynes and Cambridge are top priorities. As regards Milton Keynes,its Council's Mobility Strategy Infrastructure Delivery Plan 2018-2036 had proposed a Light Rail Transit. In addition the old Wolverton - Newport Pagnell railway should be reopened and much of the original track-bed survives. As regards Cambridge,the Mass Transit system should be a Metro which should not go underground since this could bring more cars onto Cambridge's roads, many of which are not designed to modern standards.
I would also like to add that the delivery of the rail components must be made at the earliest opportunity to meet Climate Change targets.
Finally, I do not support the Oxford-Cambridge Expressway since it will bring no benefit at all to the England's Economic Heartlands. This new road will affect Green Belt areas,and will also be an incentive to build new housing and will not solve traffic congestion at all,and in fact,the road will bring in more traffic which is already increasing with the significant housing growth between these two towns.This increase in traffic will in turn increase CO2 emissions and also air pollution(a serious health emergency),both of which the Government is pitifully
I would have liked to have gone to the Conference this coming Wednesday but sadly this date clashes with the ERTA's Executive Committee meeting which is now being held every two months.
For comments, interest and offers to help, please contact Mr Simon Barber: Mr Simon Barber, 20 Fitzherbert House, Kingsmead, Richmond, Surrey, TW10 6HT
Send also to: English Regional Transport Association (ERTA) Department for Transport HM Treasury Rishi Sunak Jeremy Hunt
This is what we could expect if we top-slice the £27 billion new roads budget and pep up the mere £500 million Rail Reopenings Budget to parity or tip in favour of rail for modal shift.
The date 2030 is relevant, 2050 is too far away for delivery and you work it back from there. No movement, no money, no concessions using existing funds, not new ones, shows intransigence and a failure to grasp what modal shift demands. This is the problem and needs addressing.
Handing out under 65's bus passes, would give people more options to car dependency, cut congestion and inform more bus usership, making the case to retain routes. We have the frameworks, we are ideologically stalling from putting them to productive use and that is where a sea-change is required. How do we get there? ERTA plants ideas, we need champions to progress towards delivery.
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