Redhill Rail Reform - It could bring enormous benefits to passengers and more freight by rail too!

Redhill, is the key location on South East Railway Network, where ‘reform’ with investment, could bring dividends to all rail users and more freight by rail too!

The British Regional Transport Association (BRTA) wants reform of Redhill on and part of the Brighton Main Line, which has had numerous suggestions for capacity enhancement. Closures, locked-in road dependency, and growth, leaving existing lines struggling to cope with demand as people want to vote with their feet and use better public transport.
Our diagram above, done by our excellent member Iain Sear, shows the principles of our intent to speed access to principal places at Redhill for people and goods. It does not show every track that exists, it is simplified to try and convey an idea… what if?!
 
We call for:
1.    Third Rail Electrification of the North Downs Line to enable East Croydon-Guildford and Reading Thameslink network growth and wrap around. That releases diesel stock for deployment elsewhere.
2.    The flyover idea would enable Channel Tunnel-Oxford and beyond freight and passenger trains orbiting London and linking with principal places like Birmingham, freeing up capacity on existing lines.
3.    Tonbridge-Gatwick and Brighton direct, shaving time off changing at Redhill would enable more trains and reduce messing around, overcrowding and link Kent with Sussex by rail.
4.    BRTA calls for organisations to form a coalition, pool talent and resources and study these ideas, the benefits and time savings, freeing up paths and enabling transformation of the areas rail services.
5.    If you support our calls, please add your voice to our membership: https://brtarail.com/become-a-member/
6.    Other schemes over the recent decades have been numerous: Lewes-Uckfield, Brighton Main Line Mark 2, and a late comer is to abolish the Gatwick Express and amalgamate serving Gatwick Airport, a growth area, into existing services, with more of them. BRTA is not necessarily against these schemes and some like Lewes – Uckfield, we have flagged up many times, but they all seem to flounder on hitches sadly.
7.    Our suggestion of a flyover at Redhill has been around since the time of the 1955 British Railways Modernisation Plan, which was only partly implemented, intended to save the railways, instead, led preludatively to the mass closures with modernisation was more often than not being made out of economies, not government investment, which went on more roads, sadly. Getting congestion off the roads by improving rail links and access, is a top priority for BRTA and we invite the public to email their MP’s in support of what we are tabling here: https://members.parliament.uk/members/commons?sort=1
BRTA holds forums around the South East to bring people together, for recruitment purposes and to delegate roles and responsibilities to local people to roll up their sleeves and help usher the agendas along!

If you share the agenda, help bring it about. Time is running out and you can make a real difference! Watch this space for progress updates! E. info@brtarail.com