Present: Mike Reader MP (Northampton South Constituency). Simon Barber, Professor Andrew N. Williams, David Ferguson, Richard Pill, Tim Page, and Mike Macmain.
1. Apologies: Pat Mayall (BRTA Member), Jan Hall of Thomas Fund for Northampton.
2. Mike Reader MP said he had previously studied engineering at Loughborough University focusing on human aspects and flooding, civil engineering progressed to Severn Trent Water. He did public bodies projects, and then the Criminal Justice Centre (CJC), SCAPE procurement body, Pick Everard the MACE including transport and global UK arcing. He was a lead for the Hudson Tunnel in USA and did Iceland and Saudi Arabia. He was elected for Northampton South Constituency in the July 4th General Election 2024. He regretted that former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had cancelled the Crewe arm of HS2 which he worked on, but now the new government has confirmed the Euston southern terminal and revising the Crewe option. This brings in the need the retain corridors and land for rail purposes. He said HS2 will bring capacity creation. On buses he reminded us that the £2 cap had risen to £3 but better than full fares. Housing and infrastructure are key focuses of his. Louise Haigh is the new Secretary of State for Transport, Lord Philip Hendy (Transport Rail Minister) has a son who works at MACE. Mike is also a member of the Labour Infrastructure Forum. His pet agendas are roads, rail, buses. He said “Northampton has the worst air quality problem.” And that we need to “decarbonise logistics” (Northampton area being a main hub for it). Mike Reader MP is also on the Northampton Forward Board. Rail Stations, in particular Northampton need reform. * (see notes). As far as Northampton Station is concerned, the MP is looking at more multi-modal interchange potential with more and better parking and bus integrations. Rails to Brackmills Industrial Estate from Northampton Castle Station (see note 4) and road improvements in the Pine ham area (Pro Logis mentioned).
On Northampton to Market Harborough (N2MH) rail link, the MP said “I fully back it”. He also said he supports a Northampton-Old Oak Common (OOC) – which has connections with HS2, Heathrow/Elizabethan Line and GWR Servings to Reading and beyond. This would be Northampton-Milton Keynes-Aylesbury-Old Oak Common. See note 5. Tackling the agencies to show more interest and support like SEMLEP and successor organisations, EEH, Midlands Connect and especially West Northants Council to tango more with us and the project. Mr Reader was actually in charge of the Birmingham to Crewe HS2 link section and had given 3 years of his life to it when it was cancelled by Rishi Sunak.
3. Questions and Answers (Q&A):
a. A question about a southern curve off the A14 south to Northampton on the M1 would be useful. MP replied it is in Stuart Andrew MP Daventry area, may be best to write to on it. His constituency and other MP’s along N2MH cover the line, about 4-5 MP’s and it would be good to have them working collectively to support N2MH and making joint representations to get a coalition/consortium buying into the idea.
b. Another question/comment was that the hard sell to everyone was the Northampton Northern Relief Road would solve congestion, but congestion and air pollution claims 100+ lives a year, is getting worse, development goes in but no new rail links and satellite stations and time is running out on land-use options. There is a need to recover the rail corridor from the impact of the ring road; bridge or level crossing. Council priorities and that of government need to turn from roads prioritising to rail agendas for traffic relief. Roads as a panacea have been hard-sold for decades as ‘the answer’ to regeneration, it has not worked, rail can sustainably deliver results.
c. Comments were raised on re-railing Brackmills. Basically, reconnecting the Brackmills Branch to the main lines south of Platform 1 (current) to London Road, would enable a 12-coach/long train siding and triangle run around for passenger and freight use – waitover off the main lines and would be a first step to make reopening to Brackmills (useful for getting workers to the estate and potential freight - needs canvassing) and lower future upgrade costs. London Road needs a level crossing or road bridge (hard in confines of listed buildings adjacent to it – so an Officer for Road and Rail (ORR) needs ‘special dispensation.’
4. Professor Andrew N. Williams:
a. City status for Northampton
b. Northampton has a rich history
c. It is a major growing principal conurbation and place.
d. It has some of the poorest places to do by rail for a place of its size and needs expanded rail options.
e. N2MH would bring more jobs and investment to the area.
f. N2MH would reduce 103 per annum deaths through air pollution mainly from tyres and exhaust from fossil fuel burning vehicles. (see notes)
g. N2MH would also reduce poverty with more opportunities and sustainability agendas.
h. Leicester/Market Harborough 35 minutes each way transit times.
5. Response: MP Mike Reader asked for:
a. A list of people/outlets he should write to (to be provided).
b. List of councils on the line (N2MH).
c. Fellow MP’s
d. Naomi Green (England’s Economic Heartlands/EEH)
e. Compile a one-pager outline on the scheme (see also: https://brtarail.com/n2mh/
f. Other: send link of brochure to Mike Reader MP.
6. Simon Barber Consultations:
a. 2040 Consultation West Northants Unitary Council
b. Local Plan 2024
c. 3 years ago, Strategic Plan 2050.
People need to be vigilant and engage with planning applications, studies, and consultations to optimise outcomes for the rail agenda.
7. Station Stall for BRTA at Northampton Railway Station. Simon to write to London North Western again and Richard to ask the MP Mike Reader to see what is reasonable, even a noticeboard space to enable BRTA/N2MH to engage with active rail users.
8. Local Elections:
a. List of candidates, for engagement
b. Emails is all we can afford, saves cost of printing and postage.
9. Roade Station: Simon and David to arrange a date at the pub for a forum and to market it to discuss the station idea. Bogus view of single platform for the station, it must be 2 platforms on two slow lines with parking and a decent road access. Richard to notify Parish Councillors when a date is notified to him. 2025 sometime. Limited leafleting.
10.Any Other Business: Northampton-Lamport Railway doing sterling work and we have no problem with them.
11.Date of next meeting (to be announced): Market Harborough subject to no-cost-to-BRTA Market Harborough April Saturday in 2025. Then Northampton later in 2025 at same venue (Quakers) similar format. MH meeting to be asked to invite the local MH MP and other forums to loop in and invite other MPs to attend.
Meeting closed 15.45pm
Notes:
1. It may be worth talking to Chris Wragg at West Northamptonshire Council – been around a long time and has professional knowledge on transport and planning.
2. Northampton Forward Board: https://www.westnorthants.gov.uk/regeneration/northampton-forward
3. Station Reforms: must not be a purely car capacity parking and aesthetical exercise. Northampton needs:
a. More capacity tracks to enable through freight trains to get through without conflicting with passenger movements and platform capacity/access
b. A study is needed for a new twin platform on the slow line station at Roade (south of Northampton) which would act as a relief/time saver for rail users from Hunsbury southwards, avoiding the need to drive into Northampton for accessing rail services. Current talk in closer to Northampton on the loop or Blisworth further out, whereas Roade serves and intercepts both lines potentially. Wixams Station (South of Bedford is estimated to be upwards of £20 million): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4nger6lk83o#:~:text=On%20Wednesday%20Bedford%20Borough%20Council,Conservative%20councillor%20Graeme%20Coombes%20said.
4. BRTA supports a study into a new rail route linking Northampton with Bedford. Studies were done independently from 2001 to 2003, latter government funded. It, with Bedford-Cambridge were long-grassed by Rt Hon. Alistair Darling as Secretary of State for Transport, Bedford-Cambridge revived by East-West Rail, Northampton-Bedford long grassed/lacked such an organisational champion. However, Thameslink does Brighton-Bedford, serves at least 2 airports and Eurostar St Pancras, Northampton-Birmingham has many connections also. The gap is Northampton-Bedford a 21.5-mile gap. Relaying to Brackmills, would go on to serve Great Houghton thence tunnel under Castle Ashby lower estate, south of Yardley Hastings, new station to serve the A428/A509 intersection area, under or northern arcing of Lavendon and then towards the former trackbed/Stevington Walk to a new flyover to the slow lines on the Midland Main Line and into Bedford Midland. Bedford Borough Council wrote to Northampton Council about protecting the rail route when development threatened it via the Ransome Road/Delapre Abbey developments. BRTA is concerned to be assured the land saved will have sufficient width for a double track railway (new rebuild) with 25 KV electrification for continuum. This would bring Thameslink to Northampton, enable faster access (study indicated 35 minutes transit times end-to-end Northampton to Bedford serving 2 stations). It would also enable a Birmingham-Northampton-Bedford-Cambridge South Midlands rail corridor, handy for cross-country rail passengers and freight potentially. It needs route studies to identify options (Olney is majorly blocked with no deviation enablement) and work updating the business case, courting and round tabling of interested parties including East-West Rail and that consortium taking it forward. See page 64 of this report: https://www.eastwestrail.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ewr-cs_-_cos_-_final_report_08-08-2014.pdf Northampton is a large place worthy of City Status and should be rail-connected as a ‘Y’ on its side, with Oxford, Cambridge via Bedford.
5. Northampton-Market Harborough (N2MH) means a 35-minute end-to-end transit between Northampton and Leicester. A perfect complement to OOC-Northampton linking in the East Midlands areas as well, making Northampton pivotal on a new rail corridor! Such rail links would give more options to use rail and boost regenerative footfall and spend for the town centre.
6. Northampton air pollution: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-66939602
BRTA Northampton Forum and Public Meeting –
Saturday 9 November 2024 2pm - 4pm business,
Venue: The Emmeline Davis Room (upstairs), Northampton
Quaker Meeting House, Wellington St, Northampton NN1 3AS https://northamptonshirequakers.org/ Note, parking is limited!
Agenda
1.
Apologies for absence
2.
Mike Reader MP, Northampton
South, a few words of introduction, being in
government, transport, and local issues, followed by Q&A.
3.
Update on N2MH* by Professor
Andrew N. Williams followed by discussion and the next steps N2MH
Project
4.
Local Plans (Simon Barber) and what they said on rail generally and specifically.
5.
Bedford-Northampton – is there any hope?
a.
Ransome Road: Has development curtailed 25KV
access to Northampton?
b.
Do we agree the new-build route from Great
Houghton-Stevington Walk via Yardley Hastings, A509/A428 Roundabout vicinity
and tunnel under Lavendon/bypass it? It needs an updated study and
collaboration with other councils and agencies. Does it make any sense to block
the access into Northampton Castle Station* or to go south, change at
Bletchley to come east to get to Bedford and Cambridge/East Anglia by rail,
when Bedford-Northampton enables direct 35-minute transit to Bedford studies
have shown. That is sustainable footfall for Northampton/regeneration!
6. Station Stall at Northampton plus other outlets/Umbrella
Fair reports/volunteers/helpers needed.
7. Local Elections 2025
8. Roade Station scope
9. Any Other Business
10. Day, Date, Time, and Place of Next Meeting: Suggested 1st or 2nd Saturday in April 2025 at Market Harborough Methodist Hall with Cllr James? Maybe their local MP as a front-line speaker also and someone from the Harborough District Council plans?
Notes:
1.
BRTA
personnel will meet at The Cordwainer, The Ridings, Northampton, Northants. NN1
2AQ
Venue Website: https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/england/northamptonshire/the-cordwainer-northampton
Venue Phone: 01604 -609000 For lunch at
12 Noon, proceeding to set up the room at 1pm for a 2pm start.
2.
No eating at the venue.
3.
For further information please contact Simon
Barber, 20 Fitzherbert House, Kingsmead, Richmond, Surrey TW10 6HT
Email address: simon4barber@gmail.com
Phone (landline): 020-8940-4399
Phone (mobile): 07522-374740
4.
Please bring some cash to BRTA events and stalls so you can join,
peruse our second-hand books and magazines, or donate.
5.
*N2MH stands for Northampton to Market
Harborough Rail Link Project! Northampton to Leicester/East Midlands and vice
versa in just 35 minutes end-to-end time.
6.
These timings are approximate and agenda
subject to review.
7.
BRTA wants political and council support as
well as that of the public. These projects are not just a ‘local’ matter, they
have regional significance.
8.
Northampton Castle Station needs more tracks for through freight and platform access
for more trains to call at Northampton. Say a 10-year time-frame, it needs
planning now as per any additional satellite stations like North of Northampton
and Roade Parkway for example. Latter has a new A508 bypass, but no rail
access, despite being at the gateway to the 2 lines northwards merging going
southwards! Milton Keynes is not a 10-minute drive, Northampton a costly, time-consuming
drive to come south by rail! Development is going in without these
infrastructures and the result is unsustainability on any front from air
quality, public health, and socio-economic performance. These rail links would
sustainably help!
