ERTA Guildford-Cranleigh-Horsham Rail Reopening Working Group

15-02-24 Update - All welcome - bring cash to our meetings please!

BRTA Guildford-Horsham Working Party – Saturday 24 February 2024 in the Jubilee Room, 2-4pm business Venue: Guildford United Reform Church Building, 83 Portsmouth Road, Guildford, GU2 4BS Venue W. https://guildfordurc.org.uk/
Venue Phone: 01483-569822 Main Contact Mr Simon Barber T: 0208 940 4399  
E: simon4barber@gmail.com
 
Agenda
1.     Apologies for absence
2.     Where we are at (CEO BRTA Richard Pill/Chairing)
3.     Volunteers we need:
a.     Seeking funding/sponsorship for flyer printing £200 for 500 A5’s £400 A4 on colour gloss – getting into letter boxes starting in Cranleigh first
b.     Volunteers for reliable on-going leafleting
c.      More members help us grow the support base
4.     Local news on what is happening:
a.     Threats to the route – update on old and new
b.     Council courting
c.      Agency/quango/government courting
d.     Need investors for funding preliminary can-do studies.
5.     South Heathrow Rail Link news and a west-north additional curve for Waterloo direction to the airport and if we get our way to Reading/Old Oak Common/Chiltern Main Lines.
6.     Any Other Business
7.     Date of next Working Group: Saturday 15^th June – same venue please Simon/same times.

 
Notes:
1.             Please encourage attendance and support for our Public Meeting in Horsham ERTA Horsham Public Meeting – Saturday 27 April 2024 12 Noon lunch – Meeting 1pm
Lunch Venue: Lynd Cross, 1 Springfield Road, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 2PG
W. https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/england/west-sussex/the-lynd-cross-horsham
Agenda: 1pm open up.
2-2.30 1st speaker (Tiffany Lynch – Director, TPL Transport Planning Ltd) followed by Q&A.
2nd speaker(tbc) followed by Q&A.
Update from us on the Working Group and close 4pm.
Vacate premises by 5pm.
Meeting Venue: Horsham Unitarian Church, Worthing Road, Horsham RH12 1SL
Venue Website: https://horshamunitarianchurch.com/
Venue Phone: Mobile 07717-221520 Main BRTA contact is Mr Simon Barber:
T: 0208 940 4399   E: simon4barber@gmail.com
2.             Note, we are meeting 12 Noon at the local Wetherspoons, setting up from 1pm and business starts 2pm. We need as many helpers/volunteers and unified advocates and recruiters as we can muster.
Public Meeting at Horsham will additionally have Rob Whitehead
Community Engagement Officer (Southern and GX) | Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR)
3.              As a second speaker.

4.             Please always bring cash to our meetings for retiring collection to help pay venue fees and peruse our second hand books and magazines/encourage people to join as  a member. Thanks.

13-01-24 Update

We received this, disappointing and raises the question of Government inter-play by directing to quangos like this who ignore or dismiss schemes such as ours, so Government ducks responsibility, accountability and scrutiny blaming quangos it sets up for the very purpose of avoiding schemes. Environment, modal shift and re-railing should be harmoniously the main agenda, instead we have plurailism and road schemes in the mix still! Things must change, Guildford-Horsham-Shoreham and trimmings alongside Heathrow Southern Rail Link should be seen strategically and worth investing, not long-grassing to never, never lands!

"Thank you for your email dated 4 January 2023. As a sub-regional transport body (STB) Transport for the South East (TfSE) advises Government on the  investment needed to transform our region’s transport system and drive economic growth. Our Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) outlines all the schemes we have identified with our delivery partners up to 2050. The SIP is the culmination of five years technical work which has included extensive stakeholder engagement.

As an STB, we focus on identifying regionally important transport schemes that will deliver our economic, social and environmental objectives. The schemes in the SIP have been selected for inclusion using a multi-criteria assessment framework consisting of over 50 criteria, including when and how each could be delivered.

It was not realistic to include all the schemes that everyone would like, or which were put forward as part of the Transport Strategy and SIP engagement process. The schemes for which you are seeking support, such as the reopening of the Guildford-Cranleigh-Horsham rail link, construction of the Arundel Curve and re-instatement of the Polegate-Stone Cross have not been included in the SIP.  This does not mean that they would not offer benefit or improve the transport system in the south east but that others were better aligned with our objectives. .

We are not considering any additional schemes to take forward at this time as we are now focussed on how we can support delivery partners to progress the schemes that have been included in the SIP.

For those schemes that are included in the SIP such as the service enhancements to the Reading – Waterloo mainline, we are reliant on our delivery partners such as Network Rail as we are not a delivery body. In turn, our delivery partners are dependent on their own funding and decision-making processes. As a result, not all the schemes in the SIP will be delivered in the short term and a number of them may have to be delayed until a later date. Network Rail will be looking at the Reading – Waterloo mainline link in the second phase of their Wessex Suburban Strategic Study. This will include considering  increases in service frequency to meet demand to 2050 and journey time improvements, however, there is no timetable for this study as yet.

We  are in the process of refreshing our Transport Strategy as we are aware that a lot has changed since it was agreed  in 2020, including a heightened focus on decarbonisation, impacts of Covid on the travel market and the levelling-up agenda among other important influences. Following the Transport Strategy refresh, the SIP will also be reviewed to ensure it continues to deliver on our vision and objectives for the south east.

On your request for a contribution to cost of the production of your fliers, like many other Government funded bodies, I am afraid that we are not in a position to offer any financial support for this."

Kind regards

 

Elan

 

Elan Morgan

SUPPORT OFFICER

07849 308518

transportforthesoutheast.org.uk

  

19-11-2023 onwards:

~ERTA Guildford-Cranleigh-Horsham Rail Reopening Working Group~

Notes from first meeting 18 November 2023 at a Room in the Guildford URC Church premises at 83 Portsmouth Road, Guildford, GU2 4BS

 

Present: Richard Pill (Chair), Simon Barber (assisting), David Ferguson (ERTA), Trevor Jones, Tony Newton and Adrian Chandler.

 

1.     Chairman’s welcome: Richard Pill presided in the Chair explaining our stance is for a heavy rail solution between Guildford-Cranleigh-Horsham with amended spurs to serve Dunsfold and Shoreham as addendums and separate study following support for our core rail focus being advanced.

2.     Introductions: We went round clockwise introducing ourselves, our particulars, and stances.

3.     Things to consider:

Of the many things, the following was noted:

a.     Winning over Cranleigh people as important.

b.     Making it clear that a benefit would be the reduction of waiting time in the commute into Guildford and Horsham respectively and wider, further travel by rail opportunities.

c.      A281 and B2128 were seen as important roads the rail could alleviate.

d.     Stations for Wonersh and Bramley and also at Peasmarsh for the Park and Ride.

e.     Getting councils and MP’s needs local people support and emails/letters. ERTA can inform an umbrella for people to work under if they wish. Richard’s role is one of coordination and delegation.

4.     Actions: ERTA to design an open-ended question one side of an A4 with diagram and membership on the reverse – A4 B&W sheet for delivery at first Cranleigh, the Bramley and Wonersh. In that order. £100 gets 1000 ish or 500 colour gloss. It would be issued from February 2024 That in turns can feed for similar at the Horsham end and Guildford itself. Donations and volunteers working together and coordinated by Richard with whom they communicate, is necessary to avoid duplication or waste. An additional thing could be a draft letter people could download and sign and send to MP’s and Councils.

5.     Prioritisation: All of route protection, getting a coalition of political and public support and funding for studies are all important, but given the situation that we are at the start and foothills and a mammoth project needing more people and resources, to make our appeal to the public affected first and then move onto more and greater – the other aspects is required.

6.     The phased approach of Guildford-Horsham, Curves and Straight, Shoreham and Arundel Curves and other related aspects – Dunsfold was tabled - was generally supported although some thing the Arundel curve idea a red herring! The curve heading West direct off the Guildford line would enable direct and relief route to Arun Valley, Portsmouth, and Chichester. Brighton – Reading arc remains a wider regional un-rail-serve direct link, which our route could facilitate if a route can be found.

7.     Any Other Business:

a.     ERTA does not support Canal intrusions, LRT or Guided Busways on the old trackbed needed for a railway. However, there should, with some widening of the route and some flexibility, enable a walk-way cum cycle-way alongside the railway with perimeter fencing.

b.     Other things mentioned was Guildford East and West Stations and one for Merrow. These were in hand we were told. Likewise, support for an extra platforms and track capacity into Guildford is also to be desired and no more land sales to non-rail uses! A Woking flyover was also mentioned. There was support for a Woking-Heathrow Rail Link with an arm to Reading. This would link and follow the current Paddington-Heathrow rail service route.

c.      Emails from Trevor Jones and Tiffany Lynch were read out.

8.     Day, Date, Time and Place of Next Meeting: same venue Guildford URC Room on Saturday 24^th February 2024. It was also noted that a public meeting would be held end of April at the hall of the Unitarian Church next to the Bus Station at Horsham: https://horshamunitarianchurch.com/contact/ with a guest speaker to be announced. All welcome, watch this space.

Meeting closed approximately 3.30pm

 

Note: ERTA welcomes people to join, donate money and time and volunteer to help us respectively. The Working Group is open to all who support our trajectory of travel and who want to practically help us as these notes indicate. Thank you.

Local Train to Guildford awaits departure from Redhill 18-11-23

Update 12-11-23

Our working group starts the preliminaries next Saturday and over 2024, we have a goal of making progress to be as organised as we may to startmoving pro-affirma the measure of why and whether to reopen and move out and onwards from there to coalition building to get it done within a 10 year period. 

There's the local, regional and nationwide fit of reopening these rail links and benefits near and far if we do. Reading/Heathrow-Brighton arcing the corridor for one, South Coast to West London and beyond likewise. It needs local authorities to work with us and get on board as well as organisations like Transport for the South East (TfSE). They paint a broad brush and tinker with walking and cycling and bus, but we need additional rail reopenings to give modal choice for modal shift on a bulk measure and that can only happen if existing lines get upgraded and strategic missing links like Guildford-Horsham are reinstated. 

Please consider helping us. Sadly one councillor form the Shalford area has been sarcastic talking about cable cars, but we never flinch that tough choices need to be made, rail v obstacles, modern rails instead of steam but gains as with end-to-end timings and faster acceleration and braking for stations. Has Government or Opposition

got the message and courage to engage positively and not long-grass be deferring to quangos it appoints, to trade reports, hold conferences but delivery falls short of actual pro-rail 'spades on the ground'? Things must change and we need an agency which can inselect and thankfully few cases say "here's the cheque, move please", but councils should not be allowing blight on old rail courses in the first place, so some rectification is required to take these things into account.

Free pdf newsletter and agenda available via richard.erta@gmail.com All welcome.

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Guildford-Horsham-Shoreham and arms – a pivotal rail link for modal shift revolution

link for modal shift revolution

Of the many aspects one could elaborate on, the rebuilding with new direct lines and curves of re-railing the Guildford-Cranleigh-Horsham-Shoreham rail corridor could inform the following:

1.     The local connectivity of local main centres with each other, currently only bus and road-based direct access is possible. That puts a strain on local roads (rural and urban) and as development goes in, so will get worse.

2.     The regional rail-base choice, currently not on offers could be:

a.     Reading-Guildford-Cranleigh-Horsham/Shoreham-Brighton arc ‘not via London’, freeing up seats elsewhere, shaving end-to-end timings and enabling more rail-based usage, decluttering roads in a large area.

b.     Guildford-Heathrow Southern Rail (see: https://heathrowrail.com/proposed-route/) which should yes, have a Reading arm, yes have a Waterloo (west-north curve) and yes should be extended to link and bay at Old Oak Common (OOC) Interchange (emergent) as well as direct tunnels to link Guildford/Woking with the Chiltern Lines for direct arc and access by rail to Banbury, Aylesbury and Milton Keynes (East-West Rail) and them audiences to Guildford and south ‘not via London’ freeing capacity on existing lines, making rail use more attractive and relevant for existing and new audiences.

c.      The curves at Horsham should link for direct running from Guildford and points north and west into Horsham and onwards via Crawley to Gatwick from the south via Three Bridges. Likewise, a direct curve to the west would link with the Arundel Valley Lines and South Coast to Portsmouth, Chichester and Bognor Regis for example and a direct line onto the former Horsham-Shoreham line would enable direct, quick by rail transit to Shoreham (a port), Worthing and Brighton from the west. The curve from Horsham to the Shoreham line should also be reinstated and also the south to east curve at Arundel as well to give more flexibility to rail-based operations for people and more freight by rail, cutting local road pressures, wear and tear.

3.     These rail links would enable much more by rail and should be supported by all. How do we bridge between aspiration to full Government support?

a.     It needs studying from a can-do point of view. Engineering, business cases, environmental considerations (gains and pinch points) and alongside this, how it would fit into the wider regional landscape in planning, development and sustainability terms. ERTA is confident it would stand evaluation and be an asset not a ‘unviable distraction’!

b.     Route protection is vital to keep options open and where development has encroached the old line, to consider deviations or if not possible in some cases a ‘here’s the cheque, move please’ approach for the greater benefits and good the rail restoration would inform.

4.     What ERTA is seeking to do:

a.     We have a working party to look at small and fine details and what can be done and to nurture towards local government, MP and other support who in turn may adopt the project and take it on to a higher level of appreciation and move the agenda on to delivery not mere talk of a ‘nice’ idea.

b.     We facilitate the working group and also public meetings to bring people together, let them join, have their say and be educated as to what the rail link (relevance) could mean for them.

5.     ERTA is a voluntary membership-based association and welcomes people and organisations to join and be involved with us. We are always seeking speakers (providing they bring their own equipment) to give illustrated talks at our meetings in Horsham and Guildford. Membership helps resource our work and activity and that in turn raises up the profile of the rail link aspiration to ever wider audiences.

 
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