ERTA London-wide Pamphlet now available.

The ERTA 8 page London pdf pamphlet is available on request to richard.erta@gmail.com - all welcome/open to all.

Please give it and us your support. 

Together we can make some progress! 

ERTA Newsletter May-June 2021 and Volunteer Opportunities

Despite the gloom around Covid, we had a positive meeting on Zoom yesterday about rail links to and from Northampton. Positive action and moving things forwards on a number of fronts courts Government tiers of all kinds to play ball and reciprocate and ideally give more leadership, direction and targeted policy and resources to nurture modal shift through choice for the benefit of people, communities and the environment. Clear choices exist, it is either more roads with time-wasted congestion and parking conflicts or re-railing and enabling rail to do more beit freight and/or passenger as well. ERTA is playing a key role in seeking to bring people of all walks together and find common ground, work together and nurture those choices we all may wish for on and off the rails. Development and impacts should be a concern to us all and striving to get balances right beyond mere ascetical considerations, should be a top priority. We can't just go on building platforms dependent on the car for everything, we must nurture choice to such lifestyles and make amenities accessible with walking, cycling, bus and rail incentives more.

I attach our newsletter showing what we are doing and have done as well as our summer programme of zoom meetings. Physical meetings may commence with our stall at St Paul's on 5th June in Bedford and unroll as unlock may permit. See: https://www.antiques-atlas.com/antique_fair/bedfordshires_antiques_collectors_fair_st_pauls/af2055 and https://ertarail.co.uk/events/ and register to join our zoom meetings.

On a note about being Bedford-centric, we are reliant on people elsewhere to help make things happen and send us news and captions/photos for us to use on social media and newsletter potential. We can only input what others help to inform, campaigning is about making news, not just passively following it! But with East-West Rail debates - remember in 1986 when we met at Centre Com Milton Keynes and 1987 when we met at The Bell Sandy, no-one was organising rail reopening of an Oxford-Cambridge railway beyond talk individually. Then 1995 the East West Consortium was formed after years of us pleading Councils and Government to protect routes and keep options open. 1997 the Bedford-Sandy part was fully worked up and evaluated and positive to go ahead, but stalled. Now we have a new route which is not as we may wish and indeed have suggested an alternative using the old route can be identified which fits in with a Tempsford orientation rather than Sandy which is screened off with development now. Cambridge likewise, pleaded with Councils not to build Trumpington Meadows Estate across the old railway route, but they have anyway. So we are left with a derivative set of options and dynamics and sadly, the pattern repeats elsewhere too. We want to rebuild a Westminster Team to pursue a national rail route protection legal obligation with incentives to reopen and protect and sanctions if development is allowed to blight strategic corridors. 

For the Brackmills Brochure, Newsletter or Rail Reopenings pdf docs please request email via richard.erta@gmail.com. Hard copies also available. 

Yours sincerely,

Richard Pill

ERTA Chairman

Notes from ERTA Northampton Area Meeting

 Notes from ERTA Northampton Area Meeting

30-04-21 15.00 hrs Hosted by Ms Sara Homer

Present: Ms Sara Homer, Owen O’Neill, Cllr Phil Larratt, Colin Crawford, John Harrison and Richard Pill (Chair).

1. Apologies for absence: None had been received.

2. Brackmills Branch Re-Railing: A statement from Sara was issued as follows:

“Brackmills industrial Estate Branch Re railing Project.

All is quiet at the moment with town Elections and Unitary happening.

I have recently had a meeting with Delapre Abbey, Jonathan Nunn, leader of the Council, the university and a gentleman that works on setting up BIDS across the country. The difference being with this is we are looking to set up a Green Improvement District which incorporates the whole of Brackmills, Delapre Abbey, the university, A new leisure facility which is under wraps at the moment. If this status happens for the area, it will incorporate the Railway line and it may well give us some avenues of funding that we can tap into.

I have sent out the electronic version of our Brochure to all of the businesses on the estate and I have been giving it out to interested parties on and around the surrounding villages around the estate.”

This was welcome news and we wish it success. It was discussed the coming together of interested people and organisation. Special Status and Green Improvement District may leverage special funding which otherwise may not have been available. Key issue is the growth of traffic on the main road feeds to/from the area A45-A43, M1 and A428 which serves Brackmills. A bid for the Railway Study Fund for Bedford-Northampton had been received by the DfT and Bedford Borough may be interested. Some new route between Castle Ashby Estate and Stevington area needs construction anew as old route via Olney is obliterated now. Likewise, the route could be added to the Oxbridge East-West Rail route and be useful for passenger and freight connectivity. Brackmills is a local scheme, serving local need, Bedford-Northampton is an inter-regional scale and amalgamating the two may be a challenge in the future. However, examples of where local services and regional services coexist can be looked at and applied surely. Keeping the corridor clear of obstruction, overcoming the issue of London Road access and elsewhere also needs to be looked at and what special dispensations may be available.

We postponed item 3 until later so someone could join us.

4. Northampton-Leicester via Market Harborough. Some support. Network Rail had done a study a couple of years ago. However, project seems to have stalled and issues like North Westbury Road link lands on the old route near Boughton Level Crossing. The preserved group interest also has a claim as well as utility leisure use like walking and cycling. Maybe a wider definition of the trackbed could accommodate more. New development along the route, without the railway, will exacerbate traffic on A508 and M1 respectively commuting into Northampton and northwards. Freight could also use the line as well as passenger links with Leicester and south of Leicester/East Midlands to Northampton, Milton Keynes and the Oxford links. A new ½ mile section south of Market Harborough would need constructing to link to the Midland Main Line as old route is blocked at the Market Harborough end. However, support from councils and rail industry as well as carrying public with us is required. It offers significant connectivity* (see notes below)

3. Northampton-Leicester via Rugby: Owen O’Neill has pioneered this project and has both received good media coverage and courted MP support. However more Local Council support is wanted and being courted. Owen has met various councils. John Harrison raised the issue of better connectivity and freight as well as Blaby Council potential interest. He flagged up a Nuneaton – Midland Main Line via the Wigston/Leicester direct south curve being utilised. Other discussion was a direct line under the West Coast Main Line for freight and passenger use to avoid Nuneaton and enable faster Coventry-Leicester and vice versa end to end competitiveness with roads for example. * (see notes below)

Richard raised the idea of a direct curve from south of Kenilworth to run direct to Stratford upon Avon from the Coventry direction and vice versa celebrating the regional Shakespeare links and heritage.

5. Northampton-Wellingborough: It was felt challenges were formidable but would link in with MML and Welland schemes. However, priorities it was felt should be Brackmills, Bedford-Northampton and Northampton-Market Harborough. If extra all well and good, but these priorities need our support and interest to keep options alive more.

6. Welland Valley Railway: The project has courted successfully local council interest and support. It would link Kettering with Peterborough via Corby. Peterborough-Leicester and the Melton Mowbray-Nottingham scheme all tie in extra passenger operations and demand feed to each other potentially.

7. Remodelling Northampton Station for trains off the Brackmills Branch. It was felt restoring the bays on what is currently a car park just south of the road bridge south of the station would be one solution and reconnecting the junction with twin tracks to link with the Northampton Loop Lines for further afield business should be looked at and taken into design consideration. Bridges may need renewal and possibly some remodelling.

8. AOB et al: Brackmills Report (above in quotes) downloaded to add to notes. Thanks.

9. Day, Date, Time and Place of Next Meeting is June 25th 15.00 hrs

Contact host: Ms Sara Homer: sara.homer@brackmillsindustrialestate.co.uk

All welcome/open to all. Please encourage interested and supportive to attend. Richard Thanked all present and meeting finished 16.06

cc. Simon Barber/David Ferguson.

Notes:

1. A north-west curve could run into DIRFT to/from the Leicester direction

2. Leicester A46 road upgrade and bypass scheme has stalled, but other schemes and development are in the pipeline. We must keep an eye on such threats where they may impinge on rail reopenings like St James’-London Road Northampton road link which assumed old railway land/Brackmills Branch and scuppering access off GC/new build railway to link with Leicester-Nuneaton lines in the west of Narborough area for example.

https://ertarail.co.uk/events/

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.

The East-West Rail Conundrum - can we learn from the experience of the HS2 Campaigns?

#StopHS2 The campaign against has been long and hard, but last February 2020 before Pandemic was 'public', Boris Johnson gave the go ahead to construction. It is happening, like it or loathe it. Before the go ahead there was a load of quasi judicial argument and lobbying for and against but after the opposition seems to have reverted to digging tunnels, inhabiting tree houses and fauna/flora and tree hugging emotive expressionism, but seems to me it is as chalk v cheese. The vested interests and subservient jobs worthy employed talk a different language, think and assume a different reality and with exceptional dispensations on their side; what is to stop the will and way of their dominant power prevailing? Speak truth to power by all means, but I am less than sensing the tree hugger brigades have much chance here? Prove me wrong by all means, but the next step is Extinction Rebellion and then Terrorism surely, whereby if you don't get what you want, by that time your beliefs and sense of cause so dominates all lifestyles and mentalities that anything seems fair game, fair cop for a chance to make a score, challenge a norm and upturn convention. I would say stop! Think! This is the wrong way to go. You have to turn around, have a shower, get dressed and argue the case, accepting due process of some you may win, others you may lose and not hang-on painfully against all reason and the odds. Some will rebuke what I am saying, taking either side of the fence, but I believe in terms of lessons learnt, we can all learn from the experience of oppositing #HS2. One is knowing how far to go, when to stop. There's no panacea on winning, but if losing, lose gracefully. Ultimately it is the country as a whole responsibility. Mass voted for Boris, like him or loathe him. The country therefore gets the goods, the bads and the ugly's. If we destroy our planet, we ultimately destroy ourselves. A catalogue of misery, suffering and premature death, just like austerity and to think the instigators like with the War for Iraq are people who call themselves 'Christian' in some cases, shows broad church is a euphemism for 'laissez-fare when it suites' and 'draconianism' and many a 'straining at gnats and swallowing camels' also. Hypocrisy as well as intrinsic goodness are both human traits. Pragmatism and discernment is needed to decide what is what and when and where and act accordingly, not necessarily conformity or rebellion per se.

On East-West Rail, I am flaberghasted by the current consultation and its prescription of what is required. The old route with select new build, even taken to an extreme was a lesser evil (actual good!) than the current proposed Northern Route 'E'. Yet ploughing through, knocking down about 100 houses and then impact on Northern Bedford quasi rural landscapes all adds up and then how to tackle Black Cat Roundabout which does not make passive provision for any East-West Rail, shows it is out of sync with development and varied agendas overlapping. Chaos in simple terms. That for a decade, hellish if in the cross-fire or a casualty of the upheaval.

For me, I've advocated an east-west rail for 35 years. I want the old route via St Johns with passenger trains reversing in and out of Bedford Midland with new bay platforms provided. Alas, I am sidelined, am told can't be done, dismissed, cancel culture abounds and yet... is the price of that which is proposed justified? Differing weights and measures -hmmm Proverbs Chapter 11 verse 1 in The Bible comes to mind - have a look! But evil happens it was said when good men cease to do good. That lack, that absence and dearth of advocacy for a Plan B, specific, focused and inviting Bedford Borough to sign up and act as one team for project Bedford (unity based on sustainable platforms) is lacking. We have plauralism instead. It is all over the place and as a result, I fear no-one will be satisfied for, against or nuanced on east-west rail. There will always be winners and losers, but at what cost, we think of WW1 and trench warfare, the tip of the iceberg amidst a load of bodged decision making over years before and brinkmanship treating young men as canon fodder to be gambled with. We have to say no to such theatres and advocate the best option we may. Do nothing is no option. Burying head in sand merely passes responsibility to others. But as a new generation arises followed by their successors, will they thank us for HS2 and its followers or say "why?" in searching and critical terms? What of legacy? History repeats itself because no-one ever listens was once said on the streets of #Bedford in 1984. Have we learnt anything in the last 35 years? Been up hill and down many times, and one politician said "I never believed it would happen...but here we are" and that about sums it up! https://eastwestrail.co.uk/consultation

In response to a Bedford Borough Councillor I wrote:

I am unsure what houses you are referring to.

1. Cardington Road Road Bridge: There was one until about 1971, I am unaware of any new housing since then that has either blocked the old route there or aside to it. Fenlake Road could be made one way slipe off the east-west road and made one way to London Road. But solutions come easier if someone like you wanted the old route in preference to the Northern Route. Rather than toing and froing which gets us nowhere, default Northern Route creates as many if not more loss. I am unaware of any losses needed in the Cardington Road area unless of course you know of new housing to be developed either side of the sweep of the bridge?

2. Priory Marina Entrance. Again, it is a pain as a level crossing would suite it perfectly, but again I have seen no housing off Barkers Lane blocking the rail route or which would have to be demolished. Which ones are you referring to?

3. Riverside Drive: these people have traditionally objected to the rail link east of Bedford on noise grounds, even though they are about 150-200 metres away at the very nearest perimeter, they are separated by a perennial flood area.

4. So, as far as I am aware - by all means be specific - there are zero houses which would have to be destroyed to reinstate this former rail route. Bridging and visual impact needs looking at, but with a view to want the railway as a better solution to what is currently on the table. If merely for opposition, it defeats the object.

5. Reversing services: A few which come to mind are:

a. Birmingham - Barmouth reverses at Shrewsbury

b. Maidenhead - Marlow, reverses at Bourne End.

c. Plymouth - Gunnislake reverses at Calstock.

d. Some Nottingham-Skegness trains reverse into Grantham

e. Guildford-Gatwick reverses at Redhill

f. Bedford-Bletchley to Milton Keynes Central had £20 million spent on track and signalling to reverse out of Platform 5 to MK Central from Bedford, capacity has defeated it.

g. Brighton-Ashford, reverses out of Eastbourne.

These are just a few off the top of my head. But of course, the Oxbridge X5 is truncated from Oxford at Bedford with a change from a coach with a toilet, bike and luggage compartment to a double decker to Cambridge (905) which lacks those things and whereas took merely 1 hour Bedford-Cambridge direct, now 1.5 hours all round many other places in between. * Below.

A criticism of the former Bedford-Cambridge service is that it did not connect with Bedford Midland and suggestion was it used the former Hitchin bays, swept away with the late 1970's reconfiguration of the Bedford Midland Station. If tracks from Bedford-Bletchley to Bedford Midland are straightened and speeded up, turn around would be minimal delay and breaking journeys is not unknown.

5. On "The consultation, which is out now, proposes a rebuilding/movement of the midland station to make it better in dealing with capacity and better for the town of Bedford, an international hub station in Bedford with connections east west south and north, a new southern station around Kempston Hardwick on route and realignment at St Johns with a new station at St Johns to make it a faster piece of track." I agree with straightening tracks off the Bedford-Bletchley line to speed things up, but disagree a. with closure of existing Bedford-Bletchley stations, b. believe Kempston Hardwick could be upgraded to do more. I have also advocated a station for the Retail Park and Kempston Town, population upwards of 18, 000 population. Our proposal for the reversal of passenger trains does not detract from your goal of making more of Bedford, rather it takes out unnecessary freight movements enabling more passenger trains to serve it.

6. I can agree "Being bold is what we need to be to improve the viability of our town centre, house single people in the town centre, to solve the homelessness crisis and give them something attractive in relation to a place to live where they can use infrastructure, which will hopefully be carbon neutral and electrified, to commute to places of work with 2 of the best universities in the world and be able to travel in any direction while enjoying Bedford as their home." and our view is that. Whereas the Northern Route creates as many problems as it may be supported to cure? I'm all for helping the homeless, I see them littering around our town and whatever services are overwhelmed. Meanwhile the holes in the net of high sided absolute death row social services acceptance criterion, means many who need help do not get it/fall through and that compounds the situation. Build social housing by all means - Biddenham doesn't smack of that particularly (north side of Bromham Road), but don't build on the former station site at St Johns, keep that railway route open = our call for a number of years.

I hope this addresses your concerns. Clearly you see northern route as the way to go, but it need not be.

End.

Please join ERTA and help us get Bedford on the right lines! https://ertarail.co.uk/become-a-member/

* Add Norwich-Sheringham via Cromer and Glasgow-Mallaig via Fort William.

Consultation on East-West Rail - act now and demand inclusion of options missed out in 2019

Consultation on: www.eastwestrail.co.uk 

I don't think as many people oppose the railway per se, but the Northern Route 'E' presents particular issues, problems and practical challenges. ERTA has preferred that consultations include the original route out of St John's with realignments at Willington and north of Blunham (new build on embankment) to cross River Ivel and A1 to enter the Tempsford Flood Plains from the South West. Route E Northern Route puts all through Bedford Midland 

(has capacity issues already), 

has a flood plain and blockages getting off the Midland Main Line to the foot and incline up hills, has a load of residential areas to compulsory purchase and get through or tunnel under (cost) and then negotiating the new model Black Cat Roundabout with getting over the River Great Ouse and entering the Tempsford Flood Plain from the north westerly direction. Again, we want physical rail connectivity with rails linking physically with the East Coast Main Line so that diverse trains from Peterborough, Stevenage, East Bedfordshire and Cambridge can link to Bedford and beyond to the whole Oxford corridor. The original route flounders on these issues:

a. Getting across Cardington Road

b. Getting across Priory Park Marina Entrance

South of Blunham and North of Sandy is screened off with more housing. 

But you have to pit those issues and costs with the Northern Route. The original route with deviations as we have suggested, is flat, builds partly on original built railway formation, apart from bridges, may be less cost, does not intrude on built environment and in any case much less than Route E, Northern Route. It may well be cheaper, less upheaval and less opposed as a result, making delivery quick and enabling any freight to go east-west, not put all through the Bedford Midland Station platforms, taking capacity needed for other services on a north-south axis. ERTA has suggested twin bays bolted on to the current 1A bay platform at Bedford MIdland for passenger trains to turn around. Our view is that at least the two route options should be worked up and presented and 'let the people decide'. 

Has anyone seen any intended map or diagram of Bedford Midland with new tracks, platform reconfiguration? Again, it should be in the public domain by now, so everyone can dissent or sign up to the changes. This dearth is at the heart of any ignorance, naivety or real opposition. 

Please support ERTA where you think you may.

Bedford Borough Council/ Dave the Mayor, please include us in your output loop on East-West Rail, Bedford Midland and associated issues. Bedford does not need cheaper petrol, it needs public transport alternatives that link up and add up!

Yours sincerely,

Richard Pill

ERTA Chairman

Please join or donate to ERTA: 

https://ertarail.co.uk/become-a-member/

Check this article out: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/east-west-rail-bedford-demolition-northern-route-versus-richard-pill/

Our thanks to Mr Iain Sear for assisting with working up our diagrams. We are not perfect, but give an rough idea of what we advocate if only some with power would listen and work with us more please. You can help us by joining ERTA: https://ertarail.co.uk/become-a-member/

ERTA Great Central Progress Update 28-03-21

Going forward these things are in our consideration:

1. Horsham-Guildford* for links to Reading and Gatwick and Heathrow. Heathrow link from Woking to extend to Old Oak Common (interchange) and a tunnel to physically link with the Chiltern Main Line. *Currently under threat from a dual canal application.

2. Rebuild Grendon-Calvert.

3. New stations at Calvert (new town mooted) and Claydon (growing satellite settlements) whether served by east-west rail trains and/or GC/Chiltern or both, we don't mind. Getting Chiltern and other operators on board would be a major step forward and any help to that end is a job in itself we welcome any offers to manage.

4. New domestic lines alongside the HS2 new corridor which assumes the old GC corridor to south of Brackley and deviates around the extended town to the east to head north-westerly, whereas our domestic line would a. provide a domestic Parkway Station adjacent to lands near A43/bus link to Silverstone b. rejoin old GC formation north of Brackley for Woodford Halse, which we are looking at carefully, as industrial style units have encroached the old trackbed and unsure on parish's view of a railway now with NIMBYISM rife v poor public transport and a dire need regionally for modal shift choices from road to rail, north-south and east-west. A document out of the quango called England's Economic Heartland (EEH) called for a Banbury-Northampton cross-country rail link serving Daventry, and that could link in with GC north-south feeding both accordingly.

5. South of Willoughby to go via North Barby to join WCML into Rugby. New construction. Needs studying carefully.

6. New build rail link out of WCML Rugby via old Midland formation/corridor serving Magna Park and Lutterworth and joining existing Nuneaton-Leicester lines at Narborough as the old route into Leicester is heavily built on. Our colleague Owen O'Neill is covering that project which we support. 2 MP's have given support to that section being rebuilt/with new interpretations.

7. Therefore our focus is on south of Rugby - Calvert and links to east-west rail into Oxford and beyond (passenger and freight) Southampton/Bristol split for example/could be part of extended Cross Country Network too.

If you feel keen and interested and/or willing to help assist with the project that is welcome. I have one man tackling councils and MP's to build consensus around the general idea and another looking at ground level at the old route today doing a list of blockages and where and his reports will be put on our website in coming months.

Please feel to join ERTA anyway, when lock-down is lifted we hope to hold meetings again. Meanwhile we do Zoom.

Here's our membership page: https://ertarail.co.uk/become-a-member/