05 April 2025
The British Regional Transport Association (BRTA) a voluntary unincorporated membership based association seeking to restore strategic missing rail links and improve the environment as a result. We advocate passenger and freight by rail, unblocking our roads and improving air quality we all have to breathe! Enquiries can be sent to E. richard.erta@gmail.com
About Me

- British Regional Transport Association (BRTA)/Richard Pill
- Bedford, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
Saturday, 5 April 2025
Government Gives London Luton Airport Expansion Plans the Go-ahead!
Thursday, 3 April 2025
Open Access could be an asset to local rail expansion projects in addition to regular service patterns?
In the current issue of Rail (2nd to April 16, 2025 page 8) an open access bid includes Nottingham Leicester Bedford to Oxford Bristol is discussed.
Saturday, 29 March 2025
Concern Regarding Withdrawal of Paper One Day Bus & Tram Pass by TfL
Hello
Friday, 28 March 2025
Press Release BRTA flabbergasted by Lower Thames Crossing Decision by Government
Press Release
Saturday, 22 March 2025
Transport for the South East (TfSE) needs the public to support BRTA's rail agenda!
TfSE - please read and engage. Please email your local MP via
https://members.
and give support for BRTA's principal calls which are chiefly:
Tuesday, 11 March 2025
Development and Planning synergies around Bedford?
BRTA is concerned that the government pressure and targets, dire need and weakness of planning systems to avoid cost at all cost including legal issues which can also be protracted, that development infill across our green and pleasant lands is going a-pace without adequate infrastructure, rail-based access public transport to facilities like shops, better buses, social housing for local people mix in both urban and rural locations.
Thursday, 6 March 2025
London Orbital Airports, has the government really thought it through?
The government's push for growth via airport expansion beit Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton, needs a jolt to ensure they coincide with more and better rail links first as follows:
Tuesday, 4 March 2025
Bedford East West Rail and Thameslink Meeting 01-03-2025
Bedford East West Rail and Thameslink Meeting 01-03-2025
Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Bedford to Northampton (B2N) new creation rail link for greater sustainability and connectivity!
Update at 03-03-2025:
Ransome Road development as is some others to the rail idea if it does not leave adequate corridor land and with space for:
1. 25KV OHLE Electrification for Thameslinks/other link-up modern traction and gantys.
2. adequate space for perimeter fencing and a cycle way alongside with lighting
3. Consideration of the congested London Road, Northampton, air pollution and whether this development is sustainable or just quotient infill housing for its own sake without wider contextual considerations superimposed by people located in greener rural areas on urban situations?
If you support our rail aspiration, please write to you local MP - find them on https://members.parliament.uk/members/commons
The local MP for Northampton South is Mike Reader MP, but he can only entertain emails for his own constituents, but if other MP's can contact him and work towards accommodatiung the railway verifiedly, that bodes better. If the railway is rebuilt, a station halt serving both Delpare Abbey, Northampton South and the Waterside Northampton University Campus can be implemented and benefits serivative thereof. New housing tend sto be flimsy and needs barriers and space from close proximity to a railway and sowe do question whether Ransome Road development is the best location given these other agendas or a blocking of the rail idea via a fig leaf of 'everyone needs homes'? Let us have your own feedback via richard.brta@gmail.com and join our loop for updates and other newes related to reopening railways.
Our excellent webmaster, Andy Purves has spruced up and issued a new campaigns page about the idea of reopening the Bedford-Northampton Rail Link anew, not the old route per se, as is blocked at Olney. However, support would be welcome at a strategic council, agency and upwards level as well as public interest in the idea. Please see the page:
Friday, 14 February 2025
British Regional Transport Association (BRTA) calls for extension of the rail link to Stansted progress news Reuniting East and West Essex by Rail
Now this: 27-02-25
Would complement rail links between Stansted and Colchester/Braintree too?
Update 25-02-25: Reuniting East and West Essex by Rail
21-02-25 Update Zoom Meeting - all welcome:
Present: Ian Couzens (Railfuture East Anglia Chairman), Trevor Garrod (Chaired the Meeting from Lowestoft), Richard Pill (BRTA CEO), Simon Barber (BRTA), Dave Aldridge (Shortgate Parish Council, Wickford.
1. Apologies for absence: Jonathan Coghill (BRTA), David J. Start (BRTA).
2. Minutes of previous minutes and matters arising: There were no matters arising and the minutes were accepted.
3. Stansted Expansion and better rail links:
a. The meeting want the railway extended eastwards to serve Braintree/Colchester and Chelmsford arcingly.
b. A question was do we want more aircraft in and out of Stansted? Medium to long haul maybe, but short flights, the emphasis should be on more and better rail links, services, and connections. Pan-Europe travel by rail for example was flagged up and Eurostar is expanding services via the Channel Tunnel to/from wider European destinations.
c. If we want more by rail, we need links like east of Stansted for wider audiences to and from the airport by rail, cutting congestion on the A120 and emissions.
d. We considered the environmental benefits of the proposed rail extension and the population attending the airport commuting for work, shift hours and subsidiary industries informing a supply chain dependent on business to and from the airport. It is thought about 12, 000 people work in relation to the airport and presumed from a wide area. Better rail links would enable more of these people to attend by rail and enlarge the employment base and choice from a wider range including East Essex for example.
e. The new rail link would reunite east and west Essex which is a fairly large and growing population county of England.
4. Consideration of their letter of response to the Braintree meeting:
a. The letter was a welcome response, but it was expressed that we are not asking the airport to fully fund the new rail extension, but help and be instrumental in helping gather a coalition of support by lead agency and councils to take the project and give it a home and forward to appeal for government backing just as Rachel Reeves has done for Heathrow Third Runway for example. It is of regional and nationwide significance and impact.
b. Richard Pill to email Mr Fieldhouse and would ass the pdf of Railfuture’s Study making the case for the airport rail link extension. This basic study makes a case, but we need investors and support for a more detailed and fuller study to be worked up which may for example do routing, engineering, environmental considerations, and possible Parkway Station for Great Dunmow area for example.
c. Ref R120 mirrors A120 corridor. The population is growing in volume, sprawl, and density, so land use is becoming a precious commodity and ensuring the railway remains do-able is why it needs a home with professionals, councils, agencies, and government to be done within maybe a 10-year timeframe?
5. Next Steps:
d. Richard to ask Mr Fieldhouse for any origin and destination data from customers and staffing supply and demand and what expansion would inform numerically.
e. Richard to write/email councillors and ask for them to consider a key person’s conference to further consider these matters and a course of action for the railway and invite the author of the Railfuture Study to speak for example?
f. Another meeting/conference could also be done by Railfuture/BRTA, location to be determined. BRTA happy to help marketing by email, but can’t resource such ourselves and any future meeting would be Zoom and/or a smaller public meeting at Braintree.
g. Richard to contact Transport East about the matter.
h. The Railfuture Consultants were Jonathan Roberts, based in London and these minutes would be sent and any future mapping on the way ahead is welcome to entertain.
i. Richard to post out to those who attended Braintree who only gave postal addresses.
6. (see 5)
Who will do what including BRTA seeking someone to join and be the Essex Area Rep to recruit and build a team to coordinate.
7. Any other related business:
It was discussed about time-span from conception to delivery. Clearly given pace of development there is no room for long terming or complacency. We need coalition, support, champions, and leadership now. It was mentioned East West Rail (Oxford-Bedford-Cambridge) started as an amateur campaign and has taken 40 years with Oxford-Milton Keynes Passenger Trains running from August 2025 mooted.
8. Future Zoom/date of next meeting and any plugs.
No future formal da in touch and so another Zoom for interim progress later in the year seems logical. Meanwhile people can join our growing email loop via richard.brta@gamil.com
Meerti8ng started at 3pm and finished about 4pm Thanks to our webmaster Andy Purves for helping set up and manage the Zoom apparatus for the meeting.
Notes:
Website: https://brtarail.com/events/
Copies of pdf letter via richard.brta@gmail.com
Enquiries via 01234 225068
Railfuture Report Consultancy: https://www.jrc.org.uk/
13 February 2025
Press Release
British Regional Transport Association (BRTA) calls
for extension of the rail link to Stansted to arc across to reunite east and
west Essex as one east-west rail link with Braintree and Colchester
BRTA convened a meeting on Saturday 8th
February at Braintree to bring people together to discuss the matter that if
Stansted is to expand, the public should rightly ask their MP’s, Councils and Government
to demand contributions to extending the rail link eastwards to link with
Braintree and Colchester including a new Parkway Station for Great Dunmow.
Benefits would include:
1.
Decluttering the
A120 in a context of massive infill development. The road is accident prone and
hazardous and needs the relief a proper rail link can offer.
2.
Reunite east and
west Essex offering train travel between places like Cambridge and Chelmsford,
Harlow to Colchester and all in between.
3.
The meeting also
discussed re-connecting Maldon to the main line by rail, a new route would be
needed, a study is called for.
Richard Pill said after the
meeting “Essex deserves better joined-up rail connectivity and we call on
councils and others to demand the rail link and routing for it be included in
expansion plans for the airport. We aim to hold a Zoom Meeting on 24th
February and all are invited, further details via richard.brta@gmail.com”
End of Press Release
Further comment: Richard
Pill, BRTA CEO 01234 225068