East-West and North-South for emergent Unitary Surrey!

Dear All,

Pertinent Rail-based Transport Matters

Introduction: The British Regional Transport Association (BRTA) is a voluntary membership-based association which punches above its weight. We want a nationwide government backed programme of local rail reopenings, select pieces of conventional rail rebuilds and existing rail capacity enhancements. So far this has been piecemeal and rail does not enjoy a level playing field in terms of schemes wanted and bided for contrast road upgrades and new-builds which the state does the homework for than asking promoters to DIY for example. It is often said that local authorities, getting them on board is the first step to getting a scheme off the ground. That can be true, but things need to be seen in the round of local, regional and strategically national welfare, benefit and gains is we tip the balances back to local rail and what it potentially can offer. For example, many think of freight by rail as block containers rumbling away, whereas parts of the network deal with smaller freight like parcels. BRTA wants these services to be joined-up to offer a diverse nationwide range of all sized freight for customers and translating that, more incentives for distributors including Amazon and couriers to send lion’s share, more post, parcels and cater for (supermarkets too) cages, pallets and other mix-load consignments. London has always been a main market for people and goods, but longer distances and moving cars and lorries by rail is very limited currently.

BRTA believes guage enhancements on some lines like the Brighton Main Line would enable double-deck Dutch passenger services, creating more seats and capacity on what is fast becoming a very busy railway with diverse operations and huge demand as the closures and subsequent resurgence in demand, means so much filters to it with few if any rail alternative routes.

We call for a study on individual and regionally-based ideas we are putting before the public and government tiers and regional agencies, to progress them and make delivery the priority rather than pontification, dithering and getting lost the big vision amidst minutiae of the small ‘p’ politics. We need local aspiration and national government policy, leadership, direction and investment for growth to meet and inform a series of inter-linking rail network enhancements.

Please see these websites for wider vision for South East Regional areas:

https://brtarail.com/southeast/ and https://brtarail.com/guildford-cranleigh-horsham/

Key areas in brief:

1.  Redhill Reforms: Redhill Station is very busy with people and trains reversing in and out. Gatwick, Tonbridge, Guildford and South London all have a claim to access it. It takes time, changing presents a barrier to demand. Gatwick is a principal demand location and increasingly so as is Brighton Main Line. BRTA suggests:

a.   Direct curves to Gatwick from the Guildford (North Downs Lines) and that of the Tonbridge Lines direct to Gatwick = new build. It would shave 20 minutes off end-to-end journey times, enable growth by rail and enable longer distance trains to reach the airport, reducing local clutter on and off the rails.

b.  A study into a new-build viaduct across the valley at Redhill linking North Downs Lines with that of Tonbridge Lines (they would need expanded tracks for the direct curves and new bore of the Tonbridge Line). The benefits would be:

-        Channel Tunnel-Reading direct passenger and freight access by rail – takes on heavy road usage and cuts emissions.

-        It would enable direct travel between places like Guildford and Reading to the west, to/from places like Kent and Ashford without recourse to Redhill delays and clutter.

-        If the study showed growth by rail, that is gain.

2.  Guildford-Horsham:

This rail link needs studying and route protection via development control/tailoring and building the case for the rail link amidst development and harmful impacts on congested local roads and land-use parking demand in urban areas. It would:

a.  Enable Gatwick-Guildford-Reading and vice versa (Gatwick from the south) informing a loop with aforementioned reforms at Redhill. That would enable 24x7 train operations and relieve existing line.

b.  With a new curve at Arundel, direct Horsham/Cranleigh/Guildford to the South Coast (Portsmouth, Chichester, Shoreham and Brighton) and those audiences to Horsham, Cranleigh, Guildford and ‘not via London’ access to Reading and beyond and vice versa, freeing up London-centric seats, saving time and possibly money.

c.               It needs a proper study, making the case as a through route with fresh eyes and a determined political will to push it through as essential local infrastructure. Guildford and Horsham are congested and as development goes in, the railway becomes ever more sought after. It can be done if we act now, another 10 years pontification and rejectionism, just exacerbates operational problems and compounds against sustainable urban footfall, spend and quality of life issues.

3.              North Down Line Potential: As well as our suggested Redhill Reforms, the North Downs Line, a long-time Cinderella line, needs investment in the form of extending third-rail electrification enabling direct semi-fast running of Thameslink Trains from East Croydon to Guildford and vice versa integrated. A Phase 2 could be extension to Reading, which informs a South outer-London orbital rail network, which brings many new and diverse capacity opportunities to more by rail along these lines. The current diesel service is inadequate, poxy, gets crowded with people and luggage (principally for the airport) and takes end-to-end a while. The link direct from Guildford to East Croydon, would enable more direct commuting options, more carriages and more employment opportunities without adding to road journeys.

5.  Heathrow and Old Oak Common: BRTA believes that trains and platforms can accommodate diverse rail services. Therefore, sharing tracks ‘common infrastructure’ should be the approach for enhancing new rail-links with Heathrow and the emergent Old Oak Common (OOC) Interchange Station in West London. We call for:

6.               Southern Heathrow Link: https://heathrowrail.com/ should link Guildford and with a west to north curve, enable direct Waterloo direction trains both to the Heathrow Airport vicinity from the southern lines. Likewise, the arms from a joined-up Windsor Link and that of a Reading Western Arm. They can share tracks, platform spaces and should have baying facilities at Old Oak Common. In addition, we call for a study in a direct twin-track tunnel link with the Chiltern Main Lines and for Chiltern services to have baying platforms at OOC too from the North (Banbury and Aylesbury). This would create an arc from Guildford/Woking to the Oxbridge East-West Rail corridor (emergent) linking with Milton Keynes and Bedford for example with wider national rail links ‘not via London’ with changing trains, stations and delays and costs.

Local-regional – re-railing informs a net-work effect which enables inward and outward movements of people and goods by rail, it is not merely an introverted parochial matter, not is it ‘otherly’ and not our concern. Rail brings people together and restores, underscores and enhances local people, places, communities, land-use stewardship balances and that of wildlife and public health and that of the environment.

BRTA stands ready to talk, engage and court support as much as possible for these schemes. We welcome fresh approaches and progression towards yes a full business case, but also bringing round-table discussions to coalition moves towards informing consensus and getting the delivered by 2050 at the latest. Unless we act now, that is not a luxury that will be available by then!

Yours sincerely,

 

Richard Pill

BRTA CEO