Press Release BRTA ‘disgusted’ at recent Chancellor’s Statement withdrawal of Rail Reopenings Fund

 

                                                                            31 July 2024 

 Press Release

 
BRTA ‘disgusted’ at recent Chancellor’s Statement withdrawal of Rail Reopenings Fund
 
Whilst BRTA is supposed to be strictly non-party political, we do praise and criticise any political outlet we may disagree with.
 
BRTA is particularly ‘disgusted at the recent decision by Rachel Reeves MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer to cut the Local Rail Reopenings Fund, a mere £500 million for the whole of Great Britain. In times when Government is charged with putting the environment first, to cut emissions and traffic on our roads, chopping this pro-positive local rail expansion budget seems to fly in the face of environment ‘centre of all we do’ and is a petty ‘tit-for-tat’ cut a road Scheme (Stonehenge) with a nationwide cull on local rail expansion? This means all the scattered development expansion ambitions of government are more likely to be unsustainable with green aesthetical window dressing, but not modal shift without sweating the existing rail network which has glaring gaps in it and which leaves large urban and rural communities, thanks to the 1960’s closures, without local rail access in a modern context.
 
BRTA calls for Government and Treasury to think again on this matter and put land use and the environment first in transport and planning sequestrations and integrations, not just ad hoc sprawls.
 
End of Press Release

 

Contact Richard Pill BRTA Media Spokesperson: 

07706600062 richard.brta@gmail.com

 

BRTA Sheffield Forum Saturday 29th June 2024 by Simon Barber of BRTA:

20-07-24

re: https://www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/p/time-for-a-rail-revolution

This article makes a good case for expanding the rail network in the Sheffield area. Obviously we want the Sheffield Victoria open and Don Valley Rail and Stocksbridge. Sheffield needs an orbital railway to enable more freight coming through the area not to take up paths which passenger services need. Personally, LRT should be on road space as per Manchester i.e. it is extra!

Electrification of the Midland Main Line to Sheffield and Leeds with a seamless service cutting out some of the changes to get south and north. So for example Luton Airport, Leicester, Sheffield and Leeds. They should have choice to ECML and MML could make more of a contribution. 

I hope you will respond to the article and encourage these things and keeping medium long term options open like route protection, like studying to explore modern cases in the modern context, not floundering on past glories and constantly putting off until routes are lost and other priorities take over. We need an optimal rail reach and range if model shift is to be realised in a generation. Campaigns which endure are well organised, peopled and delegate to ensure more.

BRTA Sheffield Forum Saturday 29th June 2024 by Simon Barber of BRTA:

I attended the Sheffield Forum which was held at the Benjamin Huntsman pub (Wetherspoons), and there were also our members David Ferguson and Christopher Hyomes. Four other attendees came (as per our Attendance List) - Andy Faulkner (Minsters Rail), Chris Bell (Don Valley Railway), Nigel Kavanagh-Brown (MEMRAP) and Dr Jonathan Coghill. The following matters were discussed:

Don Valley Railway and Woodhead - One freight train every day to Stocksbridge steel works and the line is in very good condition. However, tram-trains could be up-graded for Stocksbridge, and heavy rail in the long-term also from Stocksbridge to Penistone. There is pressure to re-open Sheffield Victoria, since Sheffield MIdland is heavily congested.

Peak Rail (Matlock - Buxton/Chinley) - These could be used for both fast and slow trains, plus stone traffic. The new East Midlands mayoralty covers both Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire (but not Leicestershire) and they are now in favour of Peak Rail. The Peaks and Dales Railway (MEMRAP campaign) now has links with local universities.

Minsters Rail - This seems to be high on the lists, whilst the Humber estuary often gets flooded - also some of the East Yorkshire communities will be reconnected to the rail network and the A1079 York-Beverley Road suffers from traffic congestion.

Harrogate-Ripon-Northallerton: The Harrogate-Ripon should be the first stage of the reopening since many Ripon residents commute to both Harrogate and Leeds. The 1 mile of a Ripon bypass has taken track and then work on a diversion to Thirsk, since there were some developments at Northallerton - both Thirsk and Northallerton would de-clutter York.

Christopher Hyomes our BRTA Northern/Yorkshire Area Rep: had suggested that our next meeting should take place in a church hall for which Chris will search one out and then will pay for it. To keep in touch, contact Simon via T: 0208 940 4399 E: simon4barber@gmail.com and Chris Hyomes T: 07971 766207   E: chris.hyomes@hotmail.co.uk

BRTA calls for any new government of whatever shade, to switch priorities from roads to rails more!

BRTA calls for any new government of whatever shade, to switch priorities from roads to rails more!

 

BRTA is concerned that the track-record of previous governments over decades has left the existing rail network depleted, rationalised and run-down and poured £billions into new roads and upgrading roads (A27/A24) which attracts increasing volumes of traffic, makes for more rat-runs across country to join other queues, increasing pressure on land use allocation for endless parking spaces, when we need environmentally and socially to make using public transport (especially more rail journeys) more amenable, affordable and accessible.

 

Key Rail Projects we want support for:

1.      Guildford-Cranleigh-Horsham, the Arundel Curve and a Phase 2 look at the direct line to Shoreham from Horsham with linking bridges and curves included in modern designs.

2.      Polegate-Stone Cross direct line reinstatement/realigned new build to shave 20 minutes end-to-end Brighton-Ashford transits by trains giving more capacity for Eastbourne specific services and challenging the appeal of endless road use.

3.      A new curve from the Tonbridge line towards Gatwick which could link to a host of existing services more than having to change at Redhill all the time.

4.      A study to look at linking Tonbridge with the Guildford Line direct at Redhill and

5.      Electrification of the North Downs Line to enable semi-fast Thameslink services into Guildford and possible Reading as they do likewise to access Horsham.

BRTA believes these projects need a switch from £27 billion new roads fund to pep up the Rail Reopening Fund which was pitted at a mere £500 million for all Great Britain, which is, given a need to cut emissions and congestion, a meagre and unequal recognition of what rail can offer.

6.      A rail link corridor from Tonbridge-Brighton via Eridge, Uckfield and the Lewes area.

End of Press Release

Further Comment: Richard Pill, BRTA CEO 07752 096392 

e. richard.erta@gmail.com  https://ertarail.co.uk/events/

BRTA Election Special - whoever wins, will face significant choices with consequences.

Whoever wins the General Election will be consciously aware that the matters pertaining to the environment, land use and transport matter to the public at large and are associated with issues, urgent to address from early on in a new Government. As some have said, on the one hand the situation of overheating and severe extremes of weather, can be devastating from floods to excessive heat to other side-effects like food production and costs spiralling on the back of uncertainty as social, economic, environmental and moral are linked. If we play thrift with planet earth, we gamble with our very selves. 

BRTA is voicing the rail agenda in terms of local rail solutions more, local conventional rail reopenings too. This not haphazardly pluralistic 'anything goes' but specific, targeted region by region identification of gaps, communities disenfranchised and these can be urban and inter-urban, but also rural clusters without rail access. The Borders Railway is a good example of a mainly rural context raising doubts whether it could sustain a railway, and yet carried over 4 million people within the first 2 years. In other part of Britain, like the densely population South East, East-West and Northern England for example, it is highly likely that even greater patronage would result as people and goods flock back to the rails when given a chance. 

So we enter this period with a renewed desire to see a coming together as one nation to work towards the common interest of the people, places and land use the rail agenda offers. Unless we do, congestion, waste and pollution is the order of the day and that from whichever view you take, is unsustainable short, medium or long term. Give support to re-railing now please and donate time, money and interest to BRTA to that end. Thank you.

Lots of pluralism abounding in the transport discussions. From P.R. to ribbon cutting to Hyperloop to High Speed to conventional rail people can actually use. The list goes on.

What gives, what takes is 'it'. It is BRTA's conviction that we need more local rail solutions upwards and outwards and local rail reopenings for a plethora of reasons needs to be approached on a nationwide year-on-year commitment plan basis, regional.

This may not mean new money, but rather a conviction and policy by any new government to switch from a road to rail emphasis and growth for the planet, land use stewardship, cut inefficiencies of congestion and boost productivity on the back of more and better local rail links and accessibility. The folly of the 1960's closures was that once the tracks no longer exist, rail potential is out of the game.

Now, we need some of those tracks back, the complication and cost of rectifying routes or new routes is a risk-liability-cost headache, which politicians need convincing of. It is no use sweating what we have, we need more and better rail capacity. All eggs in one basket 'HS2' is one approach with default, but that still leaves communities, intermediate places and a swathe of new flows un-addressed by rail.

At best we need both, at least incremental rail progress enables more for more and that would be a better direction than hitherto. Join BRTA and help volunteer to advance these critical matters where decisions can be made.

BRTA has the Sheffield Forum tomorrow (Saturday 29th June) and our AGM and Public Meeting in Berkhamsted (on the local Euston line) on 13th July. All welcome, admission free. Bring cash to join, donate, peruse our stalls when and where we have them please.

BRTA is soon to change its URL to include 'b' not 'e' for brta! We need a new webmaster to manage the website, it is all voluntary, so please make us offers to consider - maybe a team of people with a coordinator could share it out? Likewise, we want to grow a team who can work up our rough drawings to be aesthetically helpful diagrams - we have used Microsoft Provisio - any interest and offers, please for any and all these voluntary roles contact Richard Pill, BRTA CEO via richard.erta@gmail.com

Newsletter out next week and the General Election - still time to ask about rail and better, affordable and accessible public transport for all and vote with your ballot paper, feet and wallets accordingly. That is a fine start!

Brigg Line support - add your voice!

" Please support The Independent Brigg Line Rail Group. 

The Brigg Line, formally on the Manchester Sheffield and Lincolnshire railway line between Manchester and Cleethorpes via the Woodhead Route.

The Brigg Line which represents the 72 miles between Sheffield and Cleethorpes, to say has fallen on hard times if the understatement. 

For 30 years, the passenger service via Brigg ran just on a Saturday with mainly 3 round trips. 

Due to COVID, the passenger service was withdrawn altogether with the train operating company refusing to put on a replacement bus, this incredibly lasted for 54 weeks ! 

Services returned in January 2023, in May 2024 the service was reduced to a 1 round trip Monday to Friday one. 

The present timetable is attached below, as is details how you can support this group via social media " 

Wixams news and wider local rail considerations - what is common and what is peculiar?

re: https://www.bedfordindependent.co.uk/wixams-station-costs-have-increased-by-30m-since-2018-and-be-only-13-years-late/

Local on-line paper had this news article about Wixams, I believe Soham was £20 million, so these costs would seem in order. 

Ampthill exact same model of 2 8-coach twin platforms on Thameslink served slow lines with modest bookinghall, basic facilities like toilet and coffee shop and a large car park (west side/off Fordfield Road) and kiss and ride by relocations at the Industrial Estate (east side). Wixams has other development around it, it will be a squeeze to fit it in, but I very much hope that it can be done - developers owe the town a debt out of profits?

Then Stations North of Bedford and a new electric service to Leicester (seamlessly) needs a study and to get under way if congestion into Bedford from A6 is not to be a problem as development sprawls without infrastructure?

In an ideal world, North Northants Council and Leicestershire would look at Irchester, Desborough and Kibworth similarly model-wise. 

Labour's New Towns need the rail connection as part of crucial apriori infrastructure needs flagging up, north-south, east-west, the heart of England at least, needs more and better rail links. 

With Conservative's 14 year track record, even lines which want reopening and tick the required boxes have not happened and again building housing without seeing which is the longest queue for type of housing e.g. maybe social housing to help students, young people and first time buyers more and avoiding clustering, rather sharing to sustain a bus, a shop, a pub and other services.

On East-West Rail, if it goes via Northern Route, currently there's 4 tracks north of Bedford, x2 fasts and x2 slows. Fasts discount, 100mph are not going to want more trains crossing over and off them on the flat. So you are left with x2 slow lines north of Bedford. Will more Midland Main Line trains and East-West passenger and maybe some freight additionally all fit into 2 slow lines and get through a busy Bedford Midland Station? That is the question.

Personally, I think an extra 2 tracks will be needed in such a scenario and if East-West Rail Co. themselves say that is what they operationally need, why do some politicians and others think they do not? Or rather, play 4 tracks existing, secretly knowing the x2 slows which would be used, will be inadequate with growth and demand as the years ahead unfold? 

Thus, whilst our call for 'rails east of Bedford via St John's' needs lobbying for it to enable more by rail, it is not perfect but with some flexibility, can be done, less cost, less hassle and more traffic taken off roads and back on rails. Willington objects. It could be bypassed rail-wise if speed is not the only consideration. Everything costs, but I think out of £4.5 billion, our shorter route to Tempsford (north or south of Station Road) makes sense and could do more, if development does not impinge on physical linkages with the ECML (north-south main line).

The loss of the Amsterdam to Basel route

https://nltimes.nl/2024/04/12/netherlands-losing-direct-train-switzerland-last-amsterdam-basel-train-july-15

"

Netherlands losing direct train to Switzerland; Last Amsterdam-Basel train on July 15

After almost 100 years, the daily train connection between the Netherlands and Switzerland will come to an end. The last day-time train from Amsterdam to Basel will run on July 15. The German rail company Deutsche Bahn no longer wants to operate the ICE to Basel, sources at NS told the Volkskrant.

The companies that operate the ICE - NS and Deutsche Bahn - had until Tuesday to re-register the train with ProRail so that the connection can be included in the railway timetable for 2025. They did not do so, NS confirmed to the newspaper, so the high-speed train will not be part of next year’s timetable. The ICE was already scheduled to be stationary for a few months from this summer due to railworks, so its last trip will be on July 15.

NS employees told the Volkskrant that the Dutch rail company didn’t want to scrap the train, but Deutsche Bahn no longer wanted to operate it. While both rail companies formally operate the ICE, Deutsche Bahn supplies the equipment for the train connection. Instead, the German rail company wants to run a high-speed train between Amsterdam and Munich from December.

Day-time trains between the Netherlands and the Swiss Alps have been running for at least 96 years, first under the name Edelweiss in 1928 and then renamed to Trans Europe Express in 1957. In 2024, the ICE is the last remaining day train. Once it disappears, the only direct train connection between the two countries will be the Austrian railways’ Nightjet night train.

According to the Volkskrant, the disappearance of the Amsterdam-Basel train proves how much NS is dependent on foreign rail companies. The Dutch rail company has “neither the equipment nor the ambition to independently operate international lines,” the newspaper wrote, pointing out that only the international train to Brussels is run with NS equipment. "

I hope the route can be reinstated!

https://www.change.org/p/reinstate-the-direct-ice-train-link-from-amsterdam-to-basel