ERTA Rugby Transport Forum - Saturday 21st January 2023 1pm food, 2pm business at Rupert Brooke Wetherspoons 01788 576759 8–10 Castle Street, Rugby, Warwickshire CV21 2TP

Rugby Forum - all welcome! Obviously as and when we get more local people interested and willing to be involved, we hope to upgrade to a hall-based meeting as resources may inform. However, for the time being we meet at the local Wetherspoons. 

I attach a diagram showing the lines and links we are interested in. It is noteworthy that Rugby is central between Northampton and Coventry and Leicester and Leamington Spa, but there is a feeling that the central significance of the location and town has been overlooked, under-estimated and should indeed be restored as a main rail hub for local and regional rail connectivity and indeed environmentally, with more people and goods being lured and nurtured back onto the rail network. 

It is interesting, however informed, that HS2 has a station gap between Solihull and Old Oak Common (OOC) (West London), some 100 miles. That is a lot of growth area development sprawl without access to any rail station within 5-10 miles drive-time. So more development of whatever kind, will revert to road and roads of any kind are jamming up progressively with rat-running across country to circumvent junctions and congestion on trunk roads and motorways - when the selling point for closing railways and building motorways was they would drain towns and rural areas of congestion!

We are not trying to rebuild every inch of old railway line, we want new 21st century design rail links which serve people, communities and forge better local access and linkages. Old routes have been compromised and the art now is a. to determine we wish to entertain the idea of restoration, b. then to help find resources to study options and solutions and c. if the case is robust, to pursue them incrementally or as part of a government-backed grand design for modal shift to reduce emissions, congestion and waste.

https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/cost-of-congestion-in-capital-revealed#:~:text=This%20is%20estimated%20to%20cost,were%20not%20stuck%20in%20traffic.

Arguably the link above shows what is also happening outside London and we know there is a need for more rail-based orbitals around London to link the South Coast and Channel Tunnel with the wider regions sustainably. We believe our suggestions, with realignments, new build and integration, could play a pivotal role.

Magna Park is one of the largest depots of its kind and generates significant traffic, but as yet has no rail link access. Likewise Lutterworth, a growing town with no rail link serving it. Much ado about traffic, trade and business between West and East Midlands, but whilst rails do exist, north-south Rugby/Northampton-Leicester as a gateway to wider East Midlands and East Coast via Peterborough, remains largely unappreciated. 

There will always be objections whatever one seeks to do, but these need to be weighed in the round and that of the greater good. As UN Secretary General recently said at COP27 

"And our planet is fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible. We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator. "

Source: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/speeches/2022-11-07/secretary-generals-remarks-high-level-opening-of-cop27

Whatever your views on Climate Change or Emergency, our rail ideas, which is what ERTA does - plant ideas - should be adopted and translated to policy to nurture towards fruition. Please consider what help you can give, like protecting land for enabling physical rail linkages in the Narborough and Rugby areas respectively.

East-West Rail (Oxford-Milton Keynes) is being built now. So that link will give access by rail to Oxford, Bristol and Southampton and all in between for example and them to potential audiences, if via our route (as West Coast Main Line has capacity issues), which would cut duration or freight and passenger journey times and boost regeneration, footfall and spend and cut emissions at one and the same time. In all cases, you have to start somewhere.

Copies of pdf agenda via requests to richard.erta@gmail.com 

Great Central Corridor New Rail Appeal

Notes from 09-07-2022 Meeting:

ERTA Notes of Rugby Forum – Saturday 9 July 2pm food, 3pm -5pm business Rupert Brooke, 8-10 Castle Street, Rugby, Warks. CV21 2TP https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/england/warwickshire/rupert-brooke-rugby

Present: Cllr Peter James, David Ferguson, Simon Barber, Richard Pill

Apologies: Cllr Tim Douglas, Cllr David Bill, Adrian Carter, Richard Cooper

Preamble: We had a loose interpretation of the agenda, to discuss the way forward and the issues and plan accordingly. It was agreed that the two schemes of Northampton-Market Harborough (MH) and that of the Great Central (GC) should be dealt with under one meeting, especially as North of Northampton and Rugby are concerned as are both glaring gaps linking two principal main lines. If we are serious about modal shift, we need these lines back in some form and order to enable that rails to take more of the lion’s share of what business is on offer. ERTA and colleagues would seek to do both under one meeting.

 

1.                 The two schemes are:

a.                 Northampton-Market Harborough and

b.                 Great Central corridor new build from Old Oak Common-Narborough (where it would link to the existing Nuneaton-Leicester lines. ’b’ can be broken down to a Phase 1 focus of Rugby-Leicester/Nuneaton and the re-railing of Lutterworth and Magna Park – one of the largest industrial depot complexes in Europe with no rail connection (a planning oversight!). and ‘c’ south of Rugby to Calvert for connectivity to east-west rail (Oxford, Bristol and Southampton arcingly) and those audiences – people and goods to Leicester/East Midlands. That is more capacity (road and rail). Bletchley-Northampton on West Coast Main Line (WCML) is premium and with extra traffic from Oxford-Milton Keynes – East Croydon-MK Central has been scaled back to Watford due to capacity constraints and Bedford-Bletchley also is vying for access – then the GC re-railing idea makes more sense and is more direct.

2.                 Northampton-Market Harborough (MH) is shorter, has a road scheme being placed slap bang on it by West Northants Unitary Council, which is a huge problem and set back. Likewise, a new deviation south of MH is needed to link physically with the Midland Main Line (MML). This link could:

a.                 Bring freight in by rail to Brackmills Industrial Estate, Northampton new rail-linked depot and with a north-west curve, link direct into DIRFT.

b.                 Enable Southampton, Bristol and Oxford arc and all in between to Milton Keynes, Northampton and Leicester/East Midlands and Felixstowe by rail and all in between

c.                  Boost both locations and have an intermediate station to serve Brixworth on the A508, it would also provide rail-based competition to M1 and associated traffic relief both ends and intermediate places.

3.                 ERTA: we are still relatively small, have upwards of 40 members scattered across the English Regions and have many projects of a similar nature at varying stages to deal with and are meagrely resourced. That means at best we can:

a.                 Plant ideas

b.                 Work with others to develop flyers and feed into meetings

c.                  Need able-others to lead, help head up and make contacts who can invest in these ideas and take them further, growing in such wake, a consortium for delivery.

 

4.                 Action Stations and taking these projects forward:

It was decided that Cllr Peter James from Harborough District Council would set up a meeting at MH to bring people together and inform a regular meeting to:

a.                 Appoint a head-up advocate team or set of individuals

b.                 Aim to get councils and agencies of Midlands Connect and England’s Economic Heartlands (EEH) on board

c.                  Invite a speaker of relevance for first 20 minutes with Q&A to draw them in for support like Gazeleys, Maritime and others who may be willing to invest in the projects, studies, enablement.

d.                 ERTA can help promote these meetings as ‘open to all’ but with a clear message, we expect people to offer to help and be useful to advancing these projects.

e.                 Richard to draft potential diagrams and send to Cllr James for him to help find a willing volunteer to work them up for possible deployment on a flyer. Likewise, the flyer, once notified of the details of date, time, place of meeting in MH, would provide a flyer using what is available and Cllr James would help inform distributor volunteers. Every meeting could have a donations bucket and that could help fund printing costs and hall hire. Light refreshments would be provided. The meeting may concentrate to volunteers only committee style and lay foundations as a consortium.

5.                 Other Actions:

a.                 David to carry on leafleting on a regular basis whilst weather clement of Brackley, Woodford and Hinton, Willoughby, Hillmorton and Braunston and Barby and finally Rugby.

b.                 Richard to notify Lutterworth T.C. of the future Methodist Hall Meeting when Cllr James notifies him of said details.

 

There being no other business, the forum ended at 15.25pm

 

Notes: Please encourage any interested people or organisations to email richard.erta@gmail.com to join our loop and/or see our website for joining details/fill in a flyer. Membership and considering what people are reliably willing to do is welcome.

The Executive Committee cannot be responsible to do it majoritively, to work, it must come from local people. EEH Website is: https://www.englandseconomicheartland.com/

I attach the Rugby Forum Agenda. Simon to please bring spare copies. Please encourage others if you can to attend and make common cause with us/help take a lead.

ERTA is not about reinstating a literal old GC corridor railway, but a new railway along a similar corridor with new build where old has gone to link London, Southampton and Bristol with West Coast Main Line/WCML, Leicester and East Midlands and vice versa and all in between. 

We, as a small association of upwards 40 members, are in the business of planting ideas. Pushing all traffic through the Bletchley-Northampton WCML portal is not going to work with Oxford-Bletchley, as the WCML is congested and so more capacity is required. 

Northampton-WCML-Leicester via Market Harborough is under attack from a roundabout junction being placed on it by West Northants Unitary Authority as a scheme over from the County Council days. It is a setback, but we need an authority to hold it to account to ensure a railway can be rebuilt.

Similarly, Rugby-Lutterworth-Narborough needs route option identification and moves towards advancing and making the case in delivery candidacy terms.

ERTA does not have the resources, so we need to court with our ideas, bigger professional bodies from councils, agencies and developers, who may be interested and willing to invest to see what is in it for them. Any help with sending contacts, ideas, suggestions, people and helpers to us, would be gratefully appreciated. 

Our website: https://ertarail.co.uk/events/ lists opportunities to meet and engage with us and if we get demand, a zoom meeting can be arranged. But we need others to take an interest please.

Any questions feel free to ask, but we look towards you to help inform the upwards of £50k for commissioning studies to look at 'how to...' and 'business case' and 'environmental impact' and 'demand' etc. Local Councils could do more to protect remaining route and infrastructure and ask HS2 to support a domestic line and new alignment from Calvert-Claydon-Brackley East-northwards to Rugby Central (possible Parkway Station) and options for onwards to Lutterworth via new viaducts and/or via  a new construction to the Northampton Loop Line for accessing WCML into existing Rugby and/or arcing around with connection to DIRFT and onwards to Lutterworth-Narborough etc. These things need to be looked at, but if we want a modal shift, planning them, determining them and courting investors, is exactly what we need now please.

Join our free loop via requests to richard.erta@gmail.com

Great Central Corridor Re-Rail Project - a new railway for all!

25 May 2022

Press Release

 

Great Central Corridor New Rail Aspiration!

 

Given the HS2 project and other development has scuppered relaying track on the original Great Central Main Line, ERTA is of the view however, that a new domestic line along the corridor has merit, should be supported, studied and kept open as a viable option.

 

The new-build domestic rail link would leave the East-West Rail Link east of the proposed new Claydon Junction (linking Aylesbury with Milton Keynes) and west of built Claydon which is expanding as is most of the areas the new line would serve. It would go to the east of Brackley with a Parkway Station adjacent to the A43 with bus links to Silverstone.

 

A new Parkway Station at Rugby as an interim with phased incremental development or if a major backer sees the bigger picture and does ‘all in one’ as a whole project, a new-build link to the West Coast Main Line (WCML), Northampton Loop and Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT). A new link out of WCML via Magna Park, Lutterworth and linking the existing Leicester-Nuneaton lines in the Narborough area is envisaged.

 

The scope of the new railway is:

1. The immediate corridor between Old Oak Common-Calvert-Brackley-Rugby-Leicester/East Midlands.

2. Calvert – Rugby has a 3–5-mile population catchment of around 144, 000 plus through journeys and freight.

3. The scope of what this extra capacity creation railway could offer to road and rail enablement to do more by rail is a cordon of scope from London-Southampton-Bristol to Leicester/East Midlands and all in between.

“ERTA believes it is worth government, agencies and others taking an interest and we welcome a consortium of champion backers to buy into the idea and work it up towards delivery. HS2 of nature cannot serve intermediate places like Brackley, but upwards of 15, 000 population needs closer rail access, otherwise we just pour growth onto a road only agenda.” Said Richard Pill, ERTA Chairman and Media Spokesperson.

 

End of Press Release

 

Further comment: Mr Richard Pill, ERTA Chairman and Media Spokesperson 01234 330090/richard.erta@gmail.com

 

Our meetings are open to all, so all welcome. 

Agenda for ERTA Great Central Corridor Re-Railing Project via Zoom: Colin Crawford (hosting a Great Central re-rail corridor Zoom Meeting: Mobile 07836-693977

E: colin.crawford1@btconnect.com on Thursday 7th July 1pm-3pm. He will send a link and help disseminate to potentially interested people. Richard to provide an agenda as a guide.

1. Appointment of a Chair for the meeting (Colin Crawford)

2. Apologies for absence

3. Update by Richard about what the project is and is not.

4. What we need to succeed and who, what and how supporters can get it (i.e., not solely Richard):

a. Route protection/recovery/realignment/new build sections

b. Raising funds for studies/encouraging others to study

c. Dedicated EEH Officer to make in-rails to their camp and influence them to support it, study it, poll people, talent and work towards delivery

d. Any offers to assist Richard in the effort (email/desktop style)

e. Any particular issues for and resolutions. See notes below:

5. Any reports on progress on Rugby (WCML)-Magna Park-Lutterworth-Narborough link up? Any offers to be our agent on that project and work with others to start progression towards delivery/secure the route/support/enablement?

6. Rugby Central. Yes, a new link via Barby to link with WCML/Northampton Loop/DIRFT needed, but could Rugby Central serve as a nodal Parkway status Station and terminal branch initially unless a big partner can deliver ‘all in one’?

7. Any other business (related)

8. Day, Date, Time and Place of Next Meeting, ideally a Saturday early September, not the 10^th.

Notes:

1. Note: we don’t want any dissent or against spiel, it is our policy to pursue it as far as it can go. If you support, get involved, if not, see the vacuum a modal shift needs and Climate Emergency and get out. We are trying to build a coalition of support, action and hope.

2. Too long has been spent delaying, deferring, denying and here, we must ruthlessly commit to supporting, engaging and enabling please.

3. Studies have been done via numerous outlets and the case was robust. Development has blocked, but I believe a route, a new railway to modern standards but not High Speed, able to deal with diverse passenger and freight capacity, can be found. If we do not bother, it defaults to roads, more roads, more congestion and ruins the landscape. We must act now.

4. Join our email loop via richard.erta@gmail.com and join ERTA via https://ertarail.co.uk/become-a-member/

and

ERTA Agenda for Rugby Forum – Saturday 9 July 2pm food, 3pm -5pm business Rupert Brooke, 8-10 Castle Street, Rugby, Warks. CV21 2TP https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/england/warwickshire/rupert-brooke-rugby

1. Appointment of a Chair person for the meeting.

2. Sign the attendance list and welcome, saying names around the table.

3. ERTA Re-Rail Project: a brief guide to what it is about and what it is not – Richard Pill

4. The ERTA Need: more members, more offers to help, to build the local support base up and encourage support at all levels. How best YOU can help with that, as we are busy with many other aspects and things. A need for local people to own and engage with this matter.

5. Any progress/reports on Rugby-Lutterworth-Narborough (linkage for Leicester etc) inclusive of Magna Park?

6. Consideration of solutions to problems, remembering this is in all probability a new railway, built to modern standards and able to handle passenger and freight usage, contrast HS2 passenger only with no station between Solihull and Old Oak Common, however informed, it is both a gap and vacancy for a domestic railway to fill.

7. Getting England’s Economic Heartlands (EEH) and Connect Midlands agencies on board more/any volunteers to bridge between them for winning them over more to our way of thinking?

8. Route consideration:

a. coming off east-west rail east of new Claydon Junction, west of built Claydon in a context of development expansion a given?

b. A study is needed to getting around Brackley to the East with Parkway Station near A43

c. Woodford Halse is blocked and parish needs winning over – any volunteers.

d. Rugby Central as an interim nodal point terminus Parkway Station, with a new link via Barby to join Northampton Loop/WCML somehow, somewhere needs a specific study/phased, incremental assessment by professionals. Our job is to grow a team, recruit new members, bring people together and grow local support at all levels please.

8. Any other business

9. Date, Time and Place of Next Meeting: Ideally a Saturday in October.

Please note: ERTA Central Officers can collaboratively foster willing hosts for meetings and as a result bring people together. Please encourage any interested people or organisations to email richard.erta@gmail.com to join our loop and/or see our website for joining details/fill in a flyer.

The Executive Committee cannot be responsible to do it majoritively, to work, it must come from local people. EEH Website is: https://www.englandseconomicheartland.com/

Comments:

The Pandemic left much undone as did distract, but now we are gradually getting together using zoom for some audiences and physical meetings for others. We do not wish to disenfranchise those not familiar with modern technology, and we aim to value contributions made by all who can contribute in some constructive way.

I attach 2 agendas for 2 meetings. Our meetings are open to all and so all welcome. They will not be going over the same old ground of should we or wait, rather, how to and get to or get out! Development is happening, Government has declared a Climate Emergency and we need a coherent coordinated endeavour to tailor development to protect a course for a new rail route and keep options 'open' more, whilst pressure and influence to encourage all tiers of governance, councils and agencies along with business and developers to invest in seeing what this new rail link could offer and make sustainable whilst balancing public utility with land-use policy and practise. Currently it is a free-for-all and whereas Victorians saw the need for bulk people and goods to go by rail, we have laissez-faire whereby anything goes, whether it is consistent with sustainability principles or not. That must change.

We need as many people as want to help, feel able to contribute, head up and front for us in the labyrinth of interfaces such a monumental challenge informs. It can be done and has to start now. 

In the early 1990's on a sponsored cycle ride, a display at the old Winslow Station, showed a need to support re-railing the Great Central corridor then and people were dismissive saying things like "if we can't get Aylesbury/Oxford-Milton Keynes, what chance Great Central"; but now of course, Oxford/Aylesbury - MIlton Keynes is not only on the cards, but being rebuilt. It is the Great Central corridor's turn, and had a little energy been spent to protect the corridor, we would be better off today as a result. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, efforts to reopen have come and gone, but we must learn, re-start where we are at and see the new opportunity. Essential for road and rail relief but needs acumen to draw-in bigger outlets to take an interest, do the studies we are not equipped to and court government support. It can be done and I welcome any support to help us make progress. We are facilitators and idea planters, but other folks can bridge between what we do and making it a reality please.

Great Central Main Line Recovery Map of Intent 28-04-2018

Join us and help be the answer as to whether it could happen and give the chance the benefit of the doubt. Join ERTA: https://ertarail.com/membership/, join our free no obligation email loop richard.erta@gmail.com or contact Mr Simon Barber and tap into one of our networking Forums: 

Chief Officer and Coordinator responsible for (Finance, Delegated Meetings, Recruitment and Administration): Mr Simon Barber, 20 Fitzherbert House, Kingsmead, Richmond, Surrey, TW10 6HT T. 0208 940 4399, E. simon4barber@gmail.com