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re: https://www.thesun.co.uk/
Whilst history has taught some of us maybe to take headlines with a pinch of salt, given the precarious nature of our financial situation, the disregard for environmental considerations and the fact many upper tiers of society tend to drive everywhere (or fly?), bus and rail use, walking and cycling all need to be put in proportion and perspective and a better appreciation of their vital roles.
ERTA would request people email their local MP's and the Secretary of State for Transport Mr Mark Harper: https://members.
1. £27 billion found for new roads, whereas the Rail Reopenings Fund was a mere £500 million. https://www.gov.uk/
2. Rail can do freight from parcels, post and pallets to container loads and all in between. That is the potential, but the network is not robust enough for the markets which have and are emerging since the closures of the 1960's. The government is doing nothing to protect rail corridors old or new and when it comes to levelling up, it is not getting it where it counts like giving the go-ahead to Colne-Skipton as an example of long called for, case made but no action and dithering adds to costs, makes route protection less certain and the model repeats elsewhere from Bedford-Cambridge to Guildford-Horsham/Shoreham and elsewhere.
3. Government needs to get a grip. It has a pivotal role in terms of frameworks, policies and joining up the various components.
4. Bus usage would be boosted by making an under 65's concessionary card available for all who want one. Car ownership is a cost and for low income people, raises affordability if not versatility, whereas affordability is an issue on accessing buses and age use seems to be under 18's people who can't drive and over 65's people with a free concessionary bus pass. So loads of audiences to court.
£2 cap x a family of 4 is £8 each way, each time. It can add up. Bus cuts have disenfranchised people in places like Olney or getting between East Beds and the County Town of Bedford. Frequencies cut, so X5 was split with 905 (Oxford-Bedford separate to Bedford-Cambridge now) and reduced from a through service coach with a toilet on board for a 3.5 hour duration each way journey, to double decker buses with no toilet facility. That hits people with hidden disabilities and dumbs down the Oxbridge arc service identity as a joined-up unit.
5. Cost of congestion - Chancellor - rail makes sense! https://www.
Yet the idea of reversing trains at Bedford Midland with reopening a rail link east of Bedford via St John's is anathema to many, whereas a through route to the north, Northern Route E, is hilly, more expensive and puts all through Bedford Midland including freight. There's a debate of two slow or 4 tracks north of Bedford, the latter requires some 50 houses be brought down. Our route, east of Bedford, which enables east-west freight on the back of a reinstated triangle, to pass through without recourse to Bedford Midland and enables a east-north train movement, currently not in the design, which restricts potential rail-based reach and ranges.
Conclusion: What the government needs is a big picture, a vision and a route map to get there in a timely manner. Some rail reinstatements are more or less 'ready to go' and would bring immediate benefit and yes, create loads of jobs, including the supply chain industries which are overlooked. Opposition need to do likewise, mere criticism does not get us out of a melt down and transport crisis where Government scapegoats the soft cheeses and panders to road investors and associated without regards to environmental issues beyond mere greenwashing by planting saplings everywhere, whilst congestion and pollution rises for want of rail alternatives. Congestion is a cost and preventative medicines as cleaner rail-based transport can inform, can bring other savings. Suffice to say last Saturday going to our Rugby Forum, X5 Bedford-Milton Keynes now only has an hourly frequency. The disabled toilet inside the booking hall is constantly locked unless one asks for it to be unlocked. There were 2 out of 4 booking hall ticket office windows open and a queue of 20+ soon built up. There was no visible staff helping with ticket machines. On occasion at Bedford Midland, I've been charged more and a different price with the machines than via the booking offices. In short, people are best to deal with unless you have pre-paid and for troubleshooting. Remember those old PC's where novices wrote wonderful stuff and lost it for want of a back up due to some anomaly? Machines are right unto themselves, but can have short-comings and I would suggest people understand people better. The cost of de-staffing could be a culture of alienation. Let your MP know of your experiences.
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