ERTA Bedford-Cambridge Rail Link Route Suggestion - October 2018

This rough diagram shows the route ERTA supports and we note the following:

But starting from the Bedford end first, we may observe the following:

Ø    Milton Keynes Central will have trains from Aylesbury and Bedford will have trains from Oxford. Change at Bletchley Flyover new station for interchange between the two.

Ø    Bedford Midland Station and tracks between it and St John’s need reconfiguration more or less back to pre-1977 current Bedford Midland design. Accommodation, through running and capacity for more is what the current layout is not designed for.

Ø    Carriage sidings need relocation to Wellingborough or Kettering or Corby with the new electrification.

Ø    The old St John’s is of a 4-coach configuration, so 8 coach trains will rule it out surely? But the redemption of the old route gives, with level crossings at Cardington Road and entrance to Priory off Barker’s Lane and the raising of the A421 Bypass with an underpass for the railway 4.5 miles of relay-able railway corridor.

Ø    From there we have 3 competing routes: 'C2-2' / 'CBRR'. C2-2 follows more or less the old route, CBRR going on a completely new route. To simplify, one suggestion is to follow the A421 corridor to parallel to St Neots Bypass, past Eltisley, Cambourne and enter Cambridge via Chesterton Junction. This balmy idea means gradients, tunnelling, completely new build and getting rid of the Cambridge-St Ives Guided Busway. No tears lost there per se!

Ø   The National Rail Infrastructure Commission wanted to bypass Bedford via Wixams.

Network Rail or whoever is responsible, are to bring forward a proposed Central Route in Spring of 2019. Development encroaches apace. Delay would haemorrhage progress.

ERTA prefers utilising the corridor of the old route as it is as straight as you care to find, serves East Bedfordshire linking to the County Town of Bedford and you can add tracks to link from St Neots north of Sandy, ditto St Neots – Cambridge via the same old Bedford-Cambridge railway and corridor.

Ø   Sandy should be made an interchange. Yes, realignments are needed at Willington and Blunham, exacerbated by piecemeal interim planning decisions and the course of the River Great Ouse.

Ø   Potton and Gamlingay old route is completely obliterated, recovery would be massively opposed and upheaval laden with cost. Bypassing the two with a shared Parkway Station would be sensible, but will Central Beds Council’s laisse-fare approach to parcels of land for development, keep a window of land to allow Sandy – east of Gamlingay new deviation route to be recovered?

Ø   To go south encounters the Wrestlingworth and Clopden Hills. Hence wrapping around built Potton and Gamlingay and following more or less the old route is expedient.

Ø   Raise the M11 with a bridge to allow trains to go under it. Tunnel under housing and Trumpington Park and Ride.

New Junction in the Long Road Bridges area, heads east for East Anglia via Cambridge!

Caption Above: How times change? Taken circa 2005 by Richard Pill, these ex-Bedpan Class 317’s stand in the former Bedford Bays at Cambridge Station facing south. Former flour mill in the background. Will Bedford bound trains ever arrive at this destination again? ERTA issues a call to action to inform they do in a timely manner. 

If you support the logic of our stance, why not join our free news and email loop? richard.erta@gmail.com - together we can make a difference!

Here's a worked up interpretation of the above diagram:

Press Release 28-08-2018

28 August 2018

Press Release

East-West Rail routes need hurrying along and Councils must protect options in planning decisions

ERTA is concerned that on the one hand the East-West Rail Consultants need to be urged to speed up publication of their proposed Bedford-Cambridge rail route and on the other, alternate interpretations unless one and the same for gauging public reaction purposes, speculate on possible options causing unnecessary NIMBYism to arise.

What the predecessor to the English Regional Transport Association (ERTA) from 1987 advocated was a rebuilding of the traditional rail route from Bedford-Sandy-Cambridge. Blockages exist and either need compulsory purchase and demolition or deviated railway route to avoid. This may seem controversial, and would be even if it was a new roadway, but to plum for brand new routes brings other blockages and obstacles to the fore as well as working with the grain of history and the lie of the land contrast costly cuttings and tunnels to intertwine with ridges and hills for example.

Richard Pill, ERTA Media Spokesperson said “These new ideas want to serve purported greater populations enroute including the St Neots and Cambourne areas. But run into problems with a clash to move the Guided Busway as their scheme assumes the same route. It is crucial the East-West Rail does have links with Peterborough and St Neots from the north and Stevenage and East Bedfordshire from the south to the County Town of Bedford and onwards to other places. My own view would be to get to Sandy and then bypass built Potton and Gamlingay with perhaps a shared station between the two of them and either short term link at Shepreth or raise the M11 and tunnel into Addenbrookes Junction Station and run into Cambridge from there. Development pressures are on and time is running out for recovering a reasonably direct route.

End Press Release

Further comment: Mr Richard Pill 01234 330090 or richard.erta@gmail.com

Refs. http://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/news/cambridge/a-vision-of-how-east-west-rail-could-look-under-think-tank-s-proposals-1-5666406?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social_Icon&utm_campaign=in_article_social_icons and

https://www.eastwestrail.org.uk/feature-east-west-rail-central-section-route-options/

Addendum: We are following developments closely and making our input as we go. That we are talking about a route at all is some progress, but Government should be encouraging early delivery and that means putting the preferred option in the public domain and letting the people decide. Tweaks on a core route theme seem more sensible than completely new build as none have blockage free trajectories and it is essential that East Bedfordshire and St Neots are both linked to the County Town of Bedford by rail again. That translates to one route, curves and chords onto and from it and sharing of tracks with east-west trains, Thameslinks and freight. That is why we need extra platforms and tracks through Bedford Midland and I welcome to chat to leading planners or politicians as to how best that might be done, it can, we have windows of opportunity but existing plans need revising to cater for it. After electrification and dust settles, we're locked-in to a straight jacket and will have less wriggle room unless we get other councils like Corby to think ahead and cater for relocation of train serving depots for example. I attach a map of what we were considering in 2006.

ERTA secures Matlock Forum and consolidates support for reopening the railway.

Matlock Forum -Three ERTA members (Tony Bush, David Ferguson and I) had travelled up to Matlock on Friday 29 June and had spent two nights at a B & B in the town where we all attended the ERTA Matlock Forum which was held in the afternoon of Saturday 30 June at the Crown Pub (a Wetherspoons) in Matlock. Eleven people altogether came to the meeting, including the three ERTA members.

Practically all the attendees who were not ERTA members lived in or around Matlock and had seen our Press Release which had appeared in the Matlock Mercury. We chiefly discussed the Peak Rail, and it emerged that there are about six disused tunnels along that route, of which one contained a disused private halt for Haddon Hall (the Duke of Rutland's seat near Bakewell); also at least one of these tunnels is now used for a cycle-path. The chief problem with the tunnels is the vibration which had been an ingredient for track subsidence suffered by that line during its last few years prior to closure. Another ingredient for that line's track subsidence was that the ballast consisted of millstone grit, which was (and still is) an important locally-produced material. Other issues include replacing a bridge over the A6.

One of our Matlock-based attendees planned to organise another Matlock meeting later in the year, and also another attendee will be a useful contact since he works for the railways specialising in tunnels. We had all agreed that collaboration between people such as businesses (particularly quarry companies), landowners, local authorities, and transport pressure groups  is essential.

Over the whole week-end both David Ferguson and I had distributed a stock of ERTA flyers relating to the re-opening of the Matlock – Buxton railway, and among the places we had both distributed included the Peak Rail bookshop at Matlock Station, our very good B & B and several shops/restaurants etc. in the town and, of course, all our meeting attendees. On Sunday both David and I travelled on the Ecclesbourne Railway where we had also distributed some of these flyers. However, Tony had to go home on Saturday after our meeting.

Anyone interested please contact Simon Barber: T 020 8940 4399 

E. simon4barber@gmail.com

Let's reopen the St Albans Abbey to Hatfield Rail Link

The English Regional Transport Association is a voluntary membership based organisation seeking select rail reopenings. St Albans - Hatfield would link west coast and east coast with St Albans in the middle and provide a handy link for services to and from the corridor of the Abbey Link. A housing estate needs partial relocation to clear the way for a railway, most of it is a cycle cum footways which has held the corridor in reasonable stead. There is also a proposal for a St Albans south station and ERTA calls for Napsbury to have the underground extended from Barnet via M25 (new Park and Ride Station), London Colney (has no rail service) to Napsbury, ducking under to emerge to a new link into both St Albans Abbey and across direct to Bricket Wood for termination sharing at Watford Junction. These links will provide more options, new commutes, flexibility and help de-congest many busy roads, cut air pollution - all the things touted we need to cut global warming, but unless it is local rail, we fail to address the core and systemic issues of closures 50 years ago x growth ever since and subsequent impact on movements and environments, health and peoples lives. ERTA want to cut stress, enable self determinism in mode of transport more and break a London cnetric cycle which is overloaded and price managed and isn’t coping very well. There is a proposal to have a new freight by rail depot south of St Albans and maybe this link could also serve that adding revenue to the passenger services. Contact: Mr David Ferguson, 25 Virginia House, 19 Kingston Lane, Teddington, TW11 9HL 

T. 020 8977 4181 E. daferguson1212@gmail.com

Olney Conundrum - answers on a postcard!

We need more volunteers to carry on.

Olney is a major issue because:

a. Old route lost

b. Handley Alignment compromised

c. Further outer route as yet un-proven

d. Olney people and town look north-south not east-west

e. Olney people are satellites of Milton Keynes, not Bedford and Northampton so much

f. A509 is busier than A428

g. People are sceptical and cynical/they lack faith

h. They want/have unrealistic expectations, all singing and dancing on a plate or it isn't a credible proposition

i. They are either hostile or indifferent to the rail proposition

j. Town Council seems at sixes and sevens with resignations, re-elections and chaos on the local plan/getting consensus

k. ERTA has neither the people, money or expertise to do business cases, commission £40k upwards studies and court other professionals beyond intrinsic interest in the strategic value of what if we re-railed a link between Brighton/Cambridge-Bedford-Northampton/West Coast Main Line and the West Midlands - only 21.5 miles of rebuild/new build could do it.

If interested in exploring further please email Richard richard.erta@gmail.com or join ERTA: https://ertarail.com/membership/

The only thing I can think of is to issue a question asking flyer which David could lead on delivering asking opinions on a cross-section including the railway and maybe, just maybe an odd new person more conciliatory may emerge for the next forum? The Bull Meeting Room is a good cosy venue, food was good quality and right opposite the local main bus stops.

Bedford-Northampton appeal

Phil Haigh in Rail Magazine Edition 849 page 6 said "[Market Led Proposals (MLPs) could be developed or promoted by ports, train operators, freight operators, housing developers, financial investors or consortia of the above." [  ] mine. Our Bedford-Northampton rail link project needs investors to seize the bull by the horns and invest in studies, make the case and grow consortia with a view to funding rebuild and reopening for income generation of passenger and freight over a new strategic missing link rail asset. Thameslink Brighton-Birmingham arc and scope in connectivities, 3 airports, Eurostar with Bedford and Northampton at the centre of the network and also linking with the proposed East-West Rail at Bedford for cross-country links between Oxford and Cambridge, Bristol and Felixstowe for example as well as Stansted Airport-South Midlands sub region. If you or your company feel they would like to explore further, our team stands ready to meet and entertain offers. The project stands on it's own feet and regardless of others can go it alone. All enquiries to Mr Richard Pill richard.erta@gmail.com Thank you. 

Bedford-Northampton Film

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSa9H_WEdgQ&feature=youtu.be

What people need to understand is that campaigns are only as good as people are willing to join and help out, pool talent and make contributions respectively. ERTA has an open membership and can facilitate talent applied to progression. Olney is the big issue, needs - must dictates a further north arc to the Handley Alignment, but reconciling that with steep slopes, crossing A509 and Lavendon Road and Great River Ouse and reconciling with old trackbed eastwards at Clifton Reynes area needs a study to evaluate engineer and other aspects and once confirmed, for a commitment from MK Council to be responsible and incorporate consideration of the railway into it's plans going forward which means tailoring development applications surely? Northampton Councils are on skid row/disarray and Bedford looks south with a London centric obsession - yes needed but must not put all eggs in one basket, we need diversity and other options too. Please help us, it would make a critical difference. https://ertarail.com/membership/ Ironically, Northampton, Olney and Bedford are very different and have different outlooks. Olney from a Northampton perspective is seen as an outback. Olney looks to Milton Keynes and Bedford has it's own focuses. Yet the missing link would link East-West Rail and Thameslink at Bedford serving the 3 airports (Gatwick, Luton and Heathrow) with Northampton-Birmingham services and vice versa, putting these places at the centre of a  wider network and flow of people, spend and goods. Do we plan Bedford Midland track and platforms to facilitate growth and options or do we follow piecemeal planning whereby blinkers are on and those doing A4280 Bromham Road Bridge can only provide for a status quo and act as if the rest like growth with EWRL doesn't matter? This is exactly what is being locked-in and basically unless we keep options open, we create restrictions, bottlenecks, deterrents on new flows of trains going forwards. Not just a matter of past glories or nostalgia, but the question of what do we build and invest in today for future generations? If the last trumpet, then I am quite sure we have time enough to do it in a ethical and sustainable manner, not ruin-nation/races to the bottom and cheating others by guzzling irresponsibly by models locked in without choices for people to vote with their feet?!

2018

NORTHAMPTON MARKET STALL
EVERY THURSDAY IN JULY

10.00am – 3.00pm

Market Square
Northampton
NN1 2DL
http://www.northamptonmarkets.co.uk/

For further information contact Mr Richard Pill
e. richard.erta@gmail.com or T. 01234 330090.
Donations of Bric-a-Brac and any railway publications welcome to entertain.

Another chance to give us your support and vote with your feet and wallets!