Friday, 25 July 2025

News article, gloomy or accurate, where next?

re: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/news/labour-s-great-rail-revival-has-already-hit-the-buffers/ar-AA1J7nQd?ocid=BingHp01&cvid=132afc127f534f86cb7bb535acc7e799&ei=16

This article is a bit gloomy. For many years there was a government/whitehall denial that railway reopenings were credible. Bedford-Sandy in Bedfordshire, part of Bedford - Cambridge was one such dismissed. On the one hand power said there was no case, then blockages meant could not be done and so not worth studying and as no study, there could be no support. 
Round and round we went from 1987-1995 when the East-West Consortium got going, then once professionals were in the driving seat, everything changed. 
They had the resources to pool together and invest an a study and Steer Davis Gleave 1997 showed Bedford-Sandy as part of a wider Oxford-Cambridge rail link was perfectly do-able, realignments south of Blunham and north of Sandy just as we said; but that good news was dented by the fact the two councils in Bedford, the Planning Authority and the Transport Authority could not agree on an 'Inner Route' or an 'Outer Route' (bypassing the town centre) and these routing issues plus the new-route of East-West Rail Company, is still the big issue today.
Then add to the matter that the government should be following a policy of switching from road to rail to reduce emissions, reduce pollution, save public health and cut NHS waiting lists, save land and speed up end-to-end timings - lots of benefits for choosing local rail solutions. New money not-so-much the issue, switch of priority and spend from road to rail is what is required. 
A sense of direction and lead, rail first. Taking tonnages off roads and pothole costs would be less as well as maintenance costs generally on the highways. Trouble is since the 1950's we've directed everything to road reliance and dependency and that has now come home to roost as endless congestion means delays and that is inflationary.
Those 'costs' translate to all our pockets.
Therefore, Government, for whatever reason is playing the field, trying to be all things to various demands without raising Tax from those with broader shoulders and so on the one hand plays 'make the case' knowing it is avarice expensive and time consuming, then turns even when cases are made robustly, to say "there's no money". Weird how they held a meeting in Eynsham in Oxfordshire touting support for Oxford-Bedford-Cambridge rail new-build, but very next day said "no money" for Witney and Carterton to get its local railway back despite a good case, and even Oxford-Milton Keynes has no passenger service start date as yet... glacial is the state of affairs and ultimately the public will lose faith and where that takes us is probably more chaos and uncertainty, for want of a pragmatic lead of where transport, people, places and the environment joined-up should be going - the rail-way. 
HS2 is an expensive fiasco unravelling and much ado posthumously in the media, which could not be overly critical in earlier stages of concept and design and campaigners dissenting from the plans, were hard pushed to get a word in edge-ways and sidelined in relation to wall-to-wall coverage in some Rail Magazines and other "HS2 can do no wrong" media espousals.
BRTA has had its own debates and neutral episodes. But our view is that HS2 is not enough, capacity improvements on existing rails and reopenings are also needed on a nationwide on-going basis region-by-region. It is the spits and splurts of government which is disconcerting and whilst Portishead is good news, Colne-Skipton is equally deserving, but blighted in funding by government finding £9 billion for the Lower Thames Crossing Road scheme, which really, if it were leading right, should be rail-based.
Any government of any shade may have had to make difficult decisions, but environmentally, you put rail first, not pluralism of road and rail with little coherence. M1 is 50% juggernaut lorries, A14/M6 likewise, we need the rail alternative and BRTA is a contributor to that narrative.
Please give us a donation and help fund our further efforts/join as well. https://brtarail.com/become-a-member/ Email your MP too, they need to be reminded of our efforts as well:

Sunday, 20 July 2025

Bedford Local Transport Plan - Please engage and help us get our goals on the radar.

Please engage with this: https://www.bedford.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-travel/transport-policy/new-local-transport-plan

 and remember BRTA's calls, principally:
1. East-West Rail via St John's with reinstated triangle going east of Bedford and physical linkages with the East Coast Main Line (ECML) at Tempsford.
2. Bedford-Northampton new-build routing to enable Birmingham-Rugby-Northampton corridor to access directly Bedford (35 minutes) and the new Wixams for Universal main line station
3. Stations North of Bedford at Oakley and Sharnbrook
4. Local new rail passenger service to Oxford, now, not just 2031
5. New local shuttle passenger service between Bedford and Leicester and electrification finished to Nottingham, Sheffield and beyond.
6. New local station at the Retail Park Kempston, putting Kempston Town on the rail map and Oxford corridor for inwards footfall and outwards more opportunities.
7. Better buses linking with Bedford Midland Railway Station on a regular day-time basis as part of their over all journeys.
8. Bedford Midland Station Rebuild with more platforms, tracks, capacity, new train shed looking down Midland Road to the town centre and retail, toilet and better fronting facilities, more variety and a local community hub-resource, not solar focus hub for commuting. 
Please support these things in your responses to the Local Transport Plan.

Thursday, 17 July 2025

Re-Rail Witney is a goer, but not supported by government?

Please see news article and email your MP in support!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0k72ln3748o

Please see this link: https://witneyoxfordtransport.org.uk/2025/07/17/integrating-rail-infrastructure-in-oxfordshire-development-plans/

Email in support of the rail link being fully restored as a modern railway which people and potentially freight can use.

The following link may be of interest... a viable rail proposition, but not being given the support by government it required to 'go ahead'! 

There's numerous other, similar rail schemes which fall into this category, but instead, flying against the people, places and environment, land use and modal shift agenda, government finds £9 billion for the Lower Thames Road Crossing and plethora other road upgrades, whilst old and potential new-build rail routes are languishing, being compromised to arbitrary development without planning the rail infrastructure?
Please email your MP and demand a rethink in favour of local rail solutions more transport-wise, not pluralism of mode without choice i.e locked-in congestion!

Tuesday, 15 July 2025

Request for your support please - Bring back our tracks and trains campaign!

Dear All,

Please write in as individuals or in a corporate/external fashion is welcome too.
My check list for support is:
1. Bedford-Bletchley railway local shuttle to be fully retained and improved with
a. half hourly frequency at am/lunch and pm peak times
b. Sunday services
c. halt lengthening
d. Kempston Town and Retail Park to get a new station/put on the corridor rail map
e. infill electrification with semi-fast Oxford-Bedford trains now and 2031
f. semi fast Watford-Corby trains exploiting semi fast end-to-end criss-cross synergies.
2. Rail links east of Bedford via St John's plus physical linkages with ECML/main north-south main line at Tempsford
3. Study and support for a new-build Bedford-Northampton Rail Link, to enable Thameslink extension from Bedford to Northampton, Rugby and possibly Birmingham without a need to change trains and those audiences vice versa to Bedford and Wixams Main Line Station for Universal Theme Park.
4. Stations North of Bedford (SNOB): Oakley and Sharnbrook with a new electric shuttle between Bletchley/Bedford to Leicester on slow lines with new stations at Oakley, Sharnbrook, Irchester, Finedon, Burton Latimer, Desborough, Kibworth Harcourt and Wigston - same design as pre-Universal for Wixams, 2 platforms on slow lines with modest booking halls and parking capacity for 100 cars each. That will create capacity at existing principal stations, feed into them and enable closer access to wider rail services and network/less congested roads/emissions and delays. The A6 into Bedford Midland is a key beneficiary artery if these stations are progressed/sites found.
I would welcome support individually and corporately for these to be studied, supported and progressed by dint and stint and championing/real policy determination.
The idea East West Rail Company does not see that Cambridge-Bedford-Northampton direct has merit NOW let alone their Northern Route cater for such, shows how blinkered their approach has been and remains until they are willing to repent, realign and incorporate with humility a more inclusive and diverse approach.
In such a context, Bedford Midland Station Reform needs to be a top priority NOW by all, ideally coalition, working it through together please.
Yours sincerely,

Richard Pill
BRTA CEO

Thursday, 10 July 2025

British Regional Transport Association (BRTA) Press Response

re: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20p95e7j3lo.amp

BRTA has called for electrification to Nottingham, Sheffield and ultimately Leeds and Carlisle to enable more to be made of the Midland Main Line and its connectives. Electrification brings efficiencies for passenger and freight operations.
All this traffic on the rails must go through Leicester, which is a bottleneck, the avoiding route was closed in the 1960's between Corby-Nottingham direct. 
BRTA has called for Leicester to have more track capacity to enable more passenger and freight by rail to get through it (Syston-Wigston) and for Felixstowe-Birmingham to also be electrified at one and the same time.
Leicester needs more platform access capacity as calls for reopening rail links to Leicester are from reopening Burton-on-Trent to Leicester via Coalville, Rugby-Leicester and that of Northampton-Market Harborough with a new station for Kibworth Harcourt area.
BRTA CEO said "we are saddened the government seems to have no on-going plan to electrify the Midland Main Line and is using finite resources for other schemes as in a play-off between rail projects, rather then reviewing whether the £9 billion it found for Lower Thames Crossing Road Scheme which will at cost exacerbate many environmental and transport problems. That money would be better diverted to the rail improvements so every region gets them, not just the West Country for example. This playing one area off against another shows political expediency, rather than a consistency of strategy which puts people, places and the environment first and at the centre of policy."

End

BRTA will continue to press MP's to support our rail agenda and encourage councils, agencies and the public to support our calls in unison. Leicester-Coventry may have potential for rail usage, but Rugby is a principal missing link as per Northampton and so the context of getting Leicester sorted, should be more of a priority for all.
Our forth-coming public meeting in Sheffield will doubtless mention this matter. See attached flyer for more details.

BRTA Sheffield Forum Public Meeting

 Saturday 19 July 2025 2-4pm business

Venue: 

Farm Road Sports & Social Club, Farm Road, Sheffield S2 2TP

1.  Welcome by Chair-of-the-Meeting Mr Chris Hyomes

2.  Speaker: Chris Bell, on Don Valley Rail Project to Stocksbridge

http://donvalleyrailway.org/

3.  Speaker Roy Begg, Technical Officer of the Minsters Rail Link Campaign https://www.minstersrail.com/

4.  Others speakers at the Chairperson’s discretion.

5.  Question and Answer (Q&A) Panel

6.  Any Other Business 7. Sales and Mingle

All welcome, admission free.

BRTA Website: https://brtarail.com/events/

Blogspot: https://brtarailvolunteer.blogspot.com/


Friday, 4 July 2025

Local Bus Improvement Schemes and using Universal as a catalyst for more diverse radial rails

The recent No. 8 extension seems crass to put it mildly. It states: 'Queens Street' on the front, but actually stops and waits at Roff Avenue going clockwise in orbital form via Kimbolton Road and Bedford Bus Station and out to Queens Park and Great Denham. Unsure who is paying for this service, scantilly used, may go the same way as extending the No. 8 to South Wing Hospital a while ago I fear? Reasons South Wing failed may be better know to some than others but had it of gone via Kempston Road (single deckers) - Spring Road
Kempston-Ampthill Road (Morrisons) (especially as the Stagecoach
Flitwick bus No. 2 was withdrawn, always busy when I used it) and back
to Bus Station, that may have got more usage. As it was, poorly
marketed, dropped off the wrong side of Britannia Road and changing
drivers caused delay for hardy souls from Great Denham and Queens Park
who wanted to make the through journey?
On the new loop via Roff Avenue, not Queens Street, caused confusion
to drivers and passengers. One driver either did not speak or
understand English, I said does it loop round via Kimbolton Road, he
denied and refused me access, stating he would go to Queens Park after
a change of drivers. I wanted to go to Kimbolton Road. I alighted and
lo, he drove off towards Union Street, the very loop I wanted.
Likewise, if the bus went the anti-clockwise way, picking up at St
Pauls (No. 7 is reduced to hourly sadly now) and timetable spread,
than the growing insanity of clustering buses (especially noticeable
on Sundays coming back from Kempston between No. 1 and C1 for
example), thence St Cuthberts, North Wing Hospital via Kimbolton Road,
Park Avenue (old folks home side)-Roff Avenue and into town via
Tavistock Street (new stops)-High Street (new stops)-St Pauls (drop
off)-River Street, turn left into Midland Road, loop round via Bedford
Midland Railway Station-Bromham Road (new stop outside Wyvern House
(shops opposite)-Hassett Street-Bus Station and out to Queens Park and
Great Denham. That would bring buses where no go since privatisation,
serve key outlets and bring footfall and spend. It is an opportunity.
Please have a rethink.
Likewise, what are we trying to achieve? Public SERVICES for people to
use or Profit or cut? I recall a certain bus service called DART a few
years back where loads of people used it, but was not profitable
because of the 'model', designed for services, not profit. It died a
death through cost, unreliability and shameful trashing takeaway food
and tomato sauce on seats, than maintaining a high standard. It was
withdrawn, but helped people get to out-of-the-way places at shift
hours like sprawling warehouses on the perimeter of town and meant
less scooters, less drive time/costs and enabling more without cars to
find work... but profit is the ONLY consideration, it was cut and we
are poorer for it?
Clearly on the Scooter problem, better police enforcement of rules,
segregated cycle/scooter lanes and more support for pedestrians,
rather than free market of chance and 'tough' wild west approaches on
who comes off badly.
18+ to Retirement bus-rail passes to help those on low incomes and
benefits access public transport and mitigate cuts and costs? It must
be nationwide. Then more users for services, more mobility,
opportunities and quality of life balances can be enjoyed. Who pays?
We all do by the default of spiralling car costs, congestion delays
and NHS waiting lists bloated with pollution informed lack of
resolution. If we care, do we also remember wildlife?
People and biodiversity is suffering, and we can do better.
Hope ideas of interest. It could work out that savings, pay for outlay
in a 'roundabout' way!
BTW, notice the planning consultation for Universal. Happy to meet and
discuss rail matters with anyone. I have offered to principal players.
2031 is the key date, will we be ready? Wixams Main Line Station,
Bedford Midland Station (rejigging, layout and capacity) and local
Bedford-Bletchley Railway, Halts and shuttle service, Oxford-Bedford
express passenger services - silence; that is what I hear
majoritively. It is time to pull together and ensure Bedford is ready
on the day, not 2050 getting gainful Oxbridge Arc jobs, whilst the
people and environment suffer? Nothing to do with Universal, it should
be a driving force for impetus and fresh thinking, but really, the
person/brains/set up on East-West Rail needs reform, democratisation
and delivery targets, to just get on with it, not play for time as if
it was separate to the areas which need it now? Devil is always in the
details, but we should ask "what can you deliver now?"
Bedford-Bletchley is a perfectly operational railway, loads of spare
capacity, so why is Bedford not having an hourly passenger train NOW,
not waiting until 2031 whilst the line is gold plated? The curvatures
on an 1846 railway won't be eased, but 25 mph - 90 mph is all better
to be keeping on the move, than stuck in congestion, rural or urban,
with the negative spin-off of rat runs to deal with? Prevention is
better than cure, surely a delegation must take these matters to the
Secretary of State for Transport and HM Treasury, growth is available,
are they prepared to ensure it can be delivered on time and within a
budget, not like HS2 which seems to be an empty sink project, just
leeching up evermore funding and dates of opening keep slipping? I
think Northampton-Bedford-Wixams Main Line as part of a joined-up
Thameslink service could also be another winner. It would clear tracks
from Bedford Midland and boost footfall and spend for all.