Update on 26-03-24
Network Rail - their 2020 report redacted on commercial grounds their calculated freight and passenger capacity figures. These were not obtainable even under a final FOI appeal.
Such figures have usually found to be gross underestimates when the lines are fully reopened.
The Borders line opened 2015, its 2019 annual figures were 1.3 million passengers. This was on 2 tph, mostly single track railway going from out of the borders to a main station.
The recently reopened mostly dual tracked Ebbw Vale to Newport line (2024) will have 4 trains per hour (56 per day). N2MH would on NR estimates be fully dual tracked and linking the two busiest rail lines in the country. 4tph seems a reasonable estimate
The 2020 NR report does not show the population growth, since several housing developments are taking place along that corridor.
EEH - I heard Naomi Green speak at the STB Meeting at the NEC Birmingham last July and said hello to her there.
The last EEH meeting was held in December 2023 but Professor Andrew Williams was not able to attend due to personal reasons and the county councillor who was supposed to be turning up apparently his car broke down on the way.
In spite of the ministerial written answer of October 2023 for us to work with EEH for N2MH, N2MH was not on the EEH December meeting's agenda. Further direct enquiries, with EEH related that 'N2MH did not meet the necessary threshold'
Zoom meeting held Feb 2024 with Ms Green to determine what these thresholds are. This has been separately minuted and sent to Richard. Basically, a very different conversation would be being had if this was a PFI initiative, and therefore to move forward with N2MH the elected local and county councils have to be fully on board and supportive
Professor Williams and not EEH mentioned the green dividend that now comes from building any infrastructure project in the UK as related at the STB meeting at the NEC in July.
We do not know what this means for NB2MH. Professor Williams specifically wanted the updated study to quantify what this could precisely mean, so that residents of North Northants and South Leicestershire could themselves choose from a range of options. Professor Williams suggested, sensory gardens, some re forestation, and parks with equal access for all children with disabilities as potential options. The study will surely provide other options too.
West Northants Council - there has been no discussion from both West and North Northants Councils on the rail link. FOI request and answer from March 2023 stating no discussion at all since two county councils were established was mentioned.
Northampton's local community launched a campaign(1000 voices) calling for West Northants Council to clean up Northampton's toxic air pending an imminent writ being served on them by DEFRA for this inactivity.
This 1000 voice campaign uses figures from the British Heart Foundation stating annually the 1000 excess deaths countywide and 102 for Northampton. This campaign has received wide national TV publicity BBC and ITV and further demonstrations are planned for next week.
A Northampton Local Councillor recently told Professor Williams that he did offer to purchase some monitors to assess pollution in his ward, but was told the council had no means to collect any data obtained. No such monitors have been purchased.
Ove Arup Associates - at the STB meeting at the NEC in July last year they quoted to me a figure that such a survey costs £80,000. They have not undertaken any such survey concerning N2MH
Northampton South Labour PPC - the prospective Labour candidate for our forthcoming election is in favour of re-opening the Northampton-Market Harborough railway. Mr Peter Doveston has an email from him which needs to be precisely quoted and included here
Questions were raised about the capacity of Leicester for N2MH. The truth is we do not know what this is and NR have withheld their own figures.
Concerning these alleged Leicester issues, Professor Williams should have raised the option of changing at MH and then waiting up to 15 minutes to connect to the Leicester service. This would still mean a reduction in Northampton to Leicester by rail from 90 plus minutes to around 50 minutes, still a significant saving.
Market Harborough Station - we are calling for the station's enhanced capacity to be considered as part of the updated report.
Mr Perter Doveston mentioned a currently being created Northampton Transport plan for which N2MH needs to be included
Unless N2MH within the next 6 months start to get lift off from the local and county councils to assist with funding an updated report to be included within the future transport plan, then chances of future success will remain very small.
30 January 2024
Press Release
BRTA Calls on all leaders, to give support to a
rebuilt Northampton-Market Harborough Rail Link to reduce chronic congestion,
air pollution and make proliferated development more sustainable.
It presently takes 90 plus
minutes to commute by train from Leicester to Northampton. However, using
Network Rail's own figures from a suppressed and incomplete 2020 report on
reopening the Northampton to Market Harborough line (N2MH) this figure
would reduce to 34 minutes - including 3 stops.
However, despite a positive
parliamentary answer in October 2023, progress towards reopening remains
painfully slow. The 2020 Network Rail report is not in the public domain and
required several FOI requests to obtain a redacted copy and additional
information. However, FOI appeals have been unsuccessful to release the
estimates for freight and passengers N2MH would bring, the grounds for
rejection being 'commercial sensitivity' As N2MH was pulled up in 1982, I
believe that this amounts to suppression of information.
All successful UK railway
reopening schemes have far exceeded their original optimum passenger estimates N2MH would link the 2 busiest
railway lines in the UK and provide a strategically important east-west
corridor for freight.
With the opening of the
Northampton Gateway Depot this year, (initially opposed by both Northants
County councils and all Northants local councils) 7500 additional jobs will be
brought.
We in the BRTA
believe that reopening N2MH could bring many thousands more jobs to
Northamptonshire as well as reducing the excess mortality in Northampton from
pollution - regarded as the worst in the country.
We in the BRTA are seeking that
the Network Rail 2020 report regarding reopening N2MH is updated, completed,
and brought fully into the public realm, I would be very happy to
discuss further.
Our next meeting - which is
open to all - is: ERTA Northampton Working Group Meeting – Saturday 10
February 2024 from 2 – 4pm.
Venue: Northampton
Quaker Meeting House
(Emmeline Davies Room), Wellington Street, Northampton.
NN1 3AS www.
All
welcome. The purpose of the Working Party is to offer/assign everyone a role
and area of responsibility, grow teams and progress the what needs
doing as determined. It is not a talk shop or discussion forum as such, it must
be hands-on. Please try and assist with making thing work
and enabling things to get done. Richard is chairing and is in
coordination and delegation role. It needs local people to engage and
show leadership based on sound judgement.
For further
comment, please contact Mr Richard Pill, BRTA CEO 01234 330090 richard.erta@gmail.com or
Professor
Andrew N Williams anw@doctors.org.uk T: 07923489254
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