Notes of ERTA Guildford and South East Area Meeting Saturday May 8th 2021 starting 14.00 hrs Host: Mr Iain Sear iainsear22@hotmail.com

 Notes of ERTA Guildford and South East Area Meeting

Saturday May 8^th 2021 starting 14.00 hrs

Host: Mr Iain Sear iainsear22@hotmail.com

Present: Nick Houston, Rob Cooke, Iain Sears, Colin, East Sussex County Councillor, Richard Pill and Margaret Darvill.

1. Apologies for absence: None

2. Guildford-Horsham-Shoreham Rail Reopening/Rebuild: There was discussion with one person saying they may try to widen the corridor to accommodate a railway, a cycleway-cum-footpath and a canal. This was debated a bit, but if can be done, better than no railway accommodation.

a. Wey and Arun Canal Threat Updates: One source said still at planning level, awaiting Environmental Agency approval. Richard explained Simon who was working on the matter was taken ill with a stroke and is therefore out action. ERTA can aim to facilitate Zoom and other gatherings in due course and will aim to notify people of them. We need people to commit to keeping in touch with us also.

b. Getting Councils on board with MP’s: Chicken and egg, which comes first, although bids for the Railway Reopening Fund required MP leadership from the constituency upwards. Richard said we had contacted councils and MPs along the line but mixed responses.

c.  Physical Meetings at Guildford, Horsham and Redhill starts June (dates to be confirmed): David Ferguson was the main contact to keep in touch with.

3. Heathrow Rail Link Progress: Richard reported that some coverage was in Rail Magazine that Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps had signalled some support and keeping the door open on it. The result could be a direct Guildford-Heathrow service possibly running onto Old Oak Common Interchange and maybe a new link/tunnel to the Chiltern Main Line for an Aylesbury-Guildford rail arc. How short sighted then not to want rail links south of Guildford to places like Horsham and Shoreham with through running to Gatwick from the south via Horsham and Crawley via Three Bridges for example and also Shoreham for Brighton and vice versa? It was also noted this could alleviate capacity issues at Guildford with trains dropping off/picking up and going onto somewhere rather than sitting on the platforms. The idea of an Arundel Curve was also raised, enabling more for less-than 500 meters and again the avoiding line reinstatement at Eastbourne would only be about 1 mile of track. Fields exist, but height clearances of the main north-south road out of Eastbourne was a concern potentially (see item 4).

4. Brighton-Ashford: Discussion was had on the pros and cons of a direct Polegate-Stone Cross reinstated direct avoiding line to Eastbourne to enable faster Brighton-Ashford services via Hastings and vice versa without recourse to Eastbourne every time. A mix could be looked at and more Capital-Gatwick-Eastbourne direct services lotted in as well. Realignment of the avoiding line would be needed to avoid new development. It may be too late as new development Stone Cross side is envisaged and a new station on existing lines locking in the Eastbourne reversing model. Cllr Colin of East Sussex County Council offered to raise the subject at a future meeting. This was welcome news.

5.  Electrification agendas in the South East pros and cons: The debate on the North Downs lines is whether to electrify and which sort, Overhead or Third Rail and why? Hydrogen powered trains remain an option as well. Electrification could enable Thameslink’s to run to Guildford via Redhill direct as they do from Three Bridges to Horsham.

6. Any Other Business: Richard to email Wealden District Council about it in due course.

7. Day, Date, Time and Place of next Zoom Meeting: July 5^th 14.00 hosted by Mr Iain Sear to whom we thank for his help.

Meeting finished 14.43pm.

ERTA Guildford and South East Zoom Meeting

ERTA Guildford and South East Zoom Meeting

Dear Friends, Colleagues and Elected Representatives,

I attach details of our forthcoming Zoom Meeting 8th May 14.00 hours. All Welcome/Open to all. To register please contact Mr Iain Sear and for copies of pdf agendas attached to send to others, request via me please richard.erta@gmail.com.

Our effort depends on available human and other resources being available. As lock down is lifted, we hope to resume some physical meetings alongside.

The Guildford-Horsham-Shoreham rail corridor should be seen as a strategic corridor and investment to study the case, protect from development blight and keep the option open for what it could offer regionally and locally should be a top priority of every agency, council tier and MP's and we court the public also to that end. 

Relief to the Brighton Main Line, new travel journey opportunities and here we have calls for a Heathrow rail link from Woking, but not an equivalent the other direction south of Guildford to Cranleigh, Horsham and Shoreham for Brighton and these audiences vice versa to Guildford, Heathrow and Reading. Whatever the entrenched views on Guildford and capacity, calling at and going onto somewhere clears platforms for the next arrival and so forth, should make some common sense and thus more destinations to and from should be seen as expedient.

In the recovery, footfall and spend will be a contribution better public transport can make. ERTA is flagging up an opportunity, if it is blocked, recovery will be much harder, therefore, please write in support of the railway to your local MP's. Local Councils are best placed to do audits and lists. Work with us, please do take a lead. The future of green, sustainable public transport is in the balance. Let's work to keep options open. Agenda attached. Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Pill

ERTA Chairman.

Help us save the trackbed for reopening and re-railing the Guildford-Horsham-Shoreham rail link

See this news story and support the railway please: https://www.wscountytimes.co.uk/news/people/transport-battle-looms-between-horsham-area-rail-and-canal-enthusiasts-2906317?fbclid=IwAR1sJZ0AVlVR2VXgMIrDceIs7NEVnEvrXueXkCd4kW4ALoo48h-MCTqARdw

The link you require for the present objection to the Wey & Arun Canal is as follows:https://weyarun.org.uk/content/briefing-sheet-faqs

As I expect you know, the Wey & Arun Canal Trust had already submitted its planning application to Waverley Borough Council and the deadline for any objections/comments. Please object by 11th July.

Meanwhile I provide the following details from that Council in regard to this planning application:

Waverley Borough Council,
The Burys,
Godalming,
Surrey,
GU7 1HR
Phone: 01483-523333
Email: consultation.planning@waverley.gov.uk

Reference No. - WA/2020/0004

Case Officer - Kate Edwards

We discern that the Brighton Main Line is reaching capacity in terms of usage and number of trains and it doesn't take much of a hitch to throw the services and overcrowding into chaos in normal times. At the same time, for good environmental reasons, there is a dire need to encourage people and goods more by rail as roads too are congested and heap up traffic to urban areas which have not the capacity to cope or land use availability to provide ever more urban sites for parking when demands for housing and employment abound also. 

We believe that rebuilding the rail link from Guildford-Cranleigh-Horsham-Shoreham would be beneficial and serve an end to end direct by rail travel demand which as current is largely unmet and enable a sustainable flow of people and spend to urban areas minus the traffic. Growth of development is a fact of life one way or another and the landscape changes over the years. 

Cycleways are flexible, you can divert them and design-in benefits in so doing and at one and the same time, where space allows, you can pit them on a wider trackbed based alongside a railway with suitable fencing. It need not be more of one against another, but a reasonable willingness to compromise may be better.

I attach a pamphlet and our latest newsletter for your kind perusal. The railway would give more options and flexibility and enable more land conservation than less. Otherwise it is a string of bypasses and eventual joining up to trunk or motorway standards. London - Brighton Mark 2 is welcome by us (Tonbridge-Brighton via Uckfield) but that only deals with the eastern flank of the Brighton Main Line and associated roads. The Guildford-Shoreham line, integrated with Horsham would enable Reading to Gatwick from the south via Horsham and Crawley. Likewise, the Arundel curve would enable Crawley/Horsham trains to go onto Brighton via the south coast direct, saving the issues around Three Bridges and changing. Keeping trains moving, clears platforms for other trains to access, enabling more.

We need more capacity on and off the rails. Please give us you support. The government has a Rail Reopenings Fund which enables councils via their MP's to bid for funds to study proposals. We ask your help to put pressure on adjoining councils to ensure a. the old route and connection lands are protected from obstruction. Deviations are needed at Cranleigh already. b. to round table supportive councils, agencies and MP's and get them to bid for funding and commission a study which could look at demand, engineering and wider benefits. West Sussex may think it a ANOB rural landscape, but people wanting to get through it to and from the South Coast will increasingly drive in the absence of a rail link as they do now and again, we are not against the cycle way but want a flexible reinterpretation to enable a shared corridor with the railway.

Once the rail link is in the running, planning can then adapt to the new opportunities. More of the same without better rail links seems unsustainable to us. You are not alone, many areas are waking up to the fact the closures of the 1960's went too far, isolated communities and hindered joined-up travel. We want to save people having to go into and out of London every time at cost and timne duration, changing and inconvenience. Guildford-Cranleigh-Horsham-Shoreham gives more direct travel options including Heathrow via Guildford and hopefully these kinds of things can lure more out of cars, cut congestion, reduce exhaust emissions and keep the country moving at one and the same time. This is not revolutionary, rather it is simple choice and people will tend to use what is available. 

In normal times, we table meetings and forums around the areas and my colleague Mr Simon Barber can be contacted for inclusion in details of future opportunities as and when and where lock-down permits. If you want to get emailed our pdf pamphlet please send requests to richard.erta@gmail.com or see our publicity page on our website. This is the time for action! Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Pill

ERTA Chairman

https://www.ertarail.com/publicity-page  

Please object to this canal intrusion to the railway route: https://weyarun.org.uk/content/briefing-sheet-faqs

We are not against waterways per se, but in this case, reopening the railway would be far greener, as it will cater for hundreds of people every day getting from a to b in semi fast timings for work, visiting and general by rail travel use. By all means contact us if you have any wish to discuss further. richard.erta@gmail.com Join our free email loop.

This consultation apparently closes on Saturday,11 July 2020

Guildford-Horsham-Shoreham Rail Reopening Group ~ Part of ERTA

Horsham Public Meeting – 
Reopen the Guildford-Horsham-Shoreham Railway for local benefit.

The meeting is open to all and is to be known as 
‘Guildford-Horsham-Shoreham Rail Re-opening Group’ 
Please give support and help build the consensus for the rebuild of the local, conventional rail link to serve and link communities together for the benefit of all, cutting congestion, freeing up parking spaces, bringing footfall and spend to areas.

Day/Date: Saturday 7^th September, 

Time: 2pm-4pm

Place: Horsham Unitarian Church, Worthing Rd, Horsham RH12 1S

(adjacent to local bus station with regular buses with the local railway station)

Purpose:

Ø    To bring people together

Ø    To grow support and recruit members to ERTA for wider good

Ø    To allocate roles and responsibility for covering the various facets the project presents

Ø    To appoint volunteers as helpers to act as local coordinators to ensure the smooth, principled and consistent goals are adhered to.

A mini outline report may be produced in due course as a sales/introductory tool. Clearly any volunteers or contributors welcome to entertain.

https://ertarail.com/events/ or T. 0208 940 4399

On Saturday 22nd June 2019 some 12 people came together at the local Wetherspoons in Horsham to discuss the prospect of rebuilding a Guildford-Horsham-Shoreham Rail Link. Whilst many have varying views and ideas of preference, the ERTA line is and must be to plum for a conventional railway rebuild with deviations where blockages exist such as Cranleigh for example. The process requires on the one hand a dedicated trackbed watch and orchestration to protect the route with access at both ends to existing lines and lands to ensure deviation where blockages may exist are kept clear. The rail link could offer the following (by no means exhaustive list!): Ø    A quick and handy local connection between two large and developing towns and intermediate expanding populations. Ø    Local commuting for work, school, shopping and wide travel by rail Ø    It would relieve the Brighton main line and free up capacity/reduce overcrowding.

Ø    A fast, flexible choice to car reliance and contributor to free up parking spaces for others, reduce congestion and associated air pollution Ø    Horsham – Shoreham ‘South Downs’ Link giving direct access from points north, east and west of Guildford to Brighton et al and vice versa Ø    Access between Reading/Guildford and Horsham/Crawley and approach Gatwick from the south Ø    Access for the Horsham and connections lines to Guildford and Heathrow for example, with or without an extra runway! Our basic aims are: Ø    Build local support and consensus that the rebuild is a good thing and grow support for it to be done sooner than later. Ø    Appoint Local Area Reps. To cover both the Guildford and Horsham ends of the line and interim (ideally someone for Cranleigh or group) who attend the various Forums and meetings and liaise with ERTA core team. Ø    Get local MP’s and Councils on board to form consortia and pool resources/apply with other agencies for study funds to tick all required boxes!

Media Coverage for Guildford-Horsham Rebuild

ERTA gets media coverage and well deserved. We want to get our message across and encourage and nurture local support upwards. 

Ultimately we need people to:

1. Write to their local MP's c/o House of Commons, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA and request a rolling programme of local, conventional line reopenings and rebuilds like Guildford-Horsham and for that programme to be normalised: https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/

2. Join ERTA - a growing membership shows we represent a body of opinion and gives us more clout where it counts: https://ertarail.com/membership/

3. Contact our coordinator and come to the forums and get involve positively: T. 0208 940 4399, E. simon4barber@gmail.com

Please help us help you. The reopening would enable so much more options for people and communities and underrscore public transport fit for the 21st Century.

https://www.wscountytimes.co.uk/news/people/campaign-to-reopen-defunct-horsham-to-guildford-rail-line-1-8947668?fbclid=IwAR0a6K36c5PRsg56317_q_AwAmo2dKZ5Yf2tTMHFJKQYMz-zHERi_LyJvm8

Guildford-Horsham et al

Follow this link: http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/guildford-horsham-railway-line-reopen-13970405

Join us as a member of ERTA to cement support and action: https://ertarail.com/membership/

Everyone can contribute something.

Join us on Twitter also: https://twitter.com/L2Bnewraillink