The government has announced that the railway lines between London and Bristol/Cardiff are to be electrified along with the route from Didcot to Oxford. It is keen also to push on with the High Speed 2 rail route from London to the north via Birmingham.
The problem is that neither of these schemes will ameliorate the excessive overcrowding on many lines into cities, or indeed the lack of lines into cities. Consideration should be given to re-opening the Todmodern Spur which would slash journey times between Burnley and Manchester, developing the routes from Cardiff to the valleys and improved services in West Yorkshire.
If we are serious about reducing the use of the car it is essential to reopen lines betweensome major centres of population. A consequence of the decisions governments took after the Beeching Report is that it is impossible to make a journey within a reasonable time between population centres. West Kent to Brighton, an hour in the car, two hours by train. Peterborough to Northampton is via London!
There are a couple of time-bombs developing south of the Thames. The London-Brighton route is almost at full capacity as is the route between Orpington and Tonbridge. The nettle has not been grasped, but it will have to be. As passengers stand in grossly overcrowded trains it will be little comfort to know that High Speed 2 will be whizzing people between Birmingham and London.
Kent County Council published a transport strategy recently. No mention of the problems to come on the Orpington-Tonbridge route, nor of the woeful public transport services between West Kent and Brighton. Unfortunately Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, whose residents are in the firing line, has not come up with any proposals to pressure ministers. My regular reader will recall that the Council commissioned a report which stated that Staplehurst was on the Hastings line!.Doesn't give one much confidence that the transport strategy is in safe hands.
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