We are in the final stages of waiting for a decision on HS2,
although all the leakages suggest that it will be approved in principle. Well,
I believe the idea is right, in principle – it’s just some of the details which
appear far from sensible or satisfactory. One hopes, if it is approved, that in
the long years ahead, until eventual completion, opportunities will occur to
improve on some of the obvious deficits and absurdities – like having the Birmingham
terminus at Curzon Street rather than within walking distance of connecting
trains at New Street, and of having the East Midlands hub too far north relative
to Nottingham and Derby; it should be at East Midlands Parkway, not Toton. I
hope that some sense will be seen before it’s too late.
When Boris was returned to power in December 2019, with a
massively increased majority, I wrote to his Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps,
with some thoughts on HS2, but so far I’ve received not so much as an
acknowledgement, which is disappointing.
Never mind. Whatever happens with HS2 it is obvious that
improvements to the railway network in many parts of the country are desperately
needed immediately, as part of an overall environmentally friendly and socially
supportive transport policy that includes regional airports – not just those
around London. Among the issues that need to be fixed urgently are:
(a) inadequate capacity for commuters on
certain routes in and out of several of our major cities, including London,
Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham;
(b) capacity on the East Coast main line
restricted by the Welwyn viaduct, which needs in some way to be doubled;
(c) the need for faster services linking
Manchester with South and West Yorkshire, possibly involving reinstating the
Woodhead Tunnel or a new TransPennine line entirely;
(d) the congestion centred on the
Manchester Piccadilly – Oxford Road axis;
(e) the strategically important provision of
an alternative route between Exeter and Plymouth, given the vulnerability of
the sea wall at Dawlish.
And others, best summed up as a need for more trains, more
staff, better customer service – a network to be proud of rather than
embarrassed and made angry by. One obvious – probably too obvious - idea for
pinpointing locations for improvement is to ask frequent travellers living in
major rail centres around the country, where it is that they habitually
experience problems or unnecessary delays, and what imaginative but probably
small scale changes they believe could be made that would make all the
difference to their journeys.
Well, here goes. I’ve asked myself! Writing from the perspective of Nottingham,
very central and once very well connected, but less so post-Beeching, I suggest
the following three improvements for starters. None of them are original, and
some are already under active consideration, but all would be relatively easy
and inexpensive (in the scheme of things) to undertake. They just need to be
got on with, pronto:
(1) Reinstating the Dore south curve, which
would permit trains from Nottingham to reach Manchester without the detour into
Sheffield and back, probably shaving 30 minutes off the journey time. In my
experience, over many years, Sheffield is a repeated cause of delays. Nottingham
to Manchester in not much more than 1 hour 15 minutes should be feasible. As far as I can tell, all that is needed is
relaying a short length of double track. Passengers going from Nottingham to
Sheffield would use Leeds trains; passengers from Chesterfield wishing to go to
Sheffield could also use mainline trains on the southwest-northeast route. This
is a both-and, win-win proposal.
(2) Using the existing freight line from
Long Eaton through Castle Donington.to Willington, to provide non-stop through passenger
services from Nottingham to Crewe and Birmingham. The track exists, although
presumably it will also be used by the freight companies serving the new distribution
depots near East Midlands Airport. Local stopping services could still run via
Derby, but surely a non-stop Nottingham to Birmingham time of well under an
hour is possible. Another both-and, win-win. A grade separated junction at Willington would
be even better (but expensive).
The Derby-Crewe line needs upgrading to
take proper trains, not the poxy one or two car sets currently in use. Keep the stopping trains for all the little
stations but upgrade to a cross-country trunk route, allowing direct onward services through
Crewe to Chester and North Wales, Manchester Airport, and to Liverpool Airport
and Liverpool Lime Street.
(3) It is difficult to travel from Nottingham
or Leicester to Coventry or Birmingham Airport by train – so much for “Midlands
Connect”.
To start with, the Nuneaton fly-under
scheme needs to be achieved (cost estimates are less than £120 million) to
allow through trains to run easily between Nottingham, Leicester, and Coventry.
Having reached Coventry, using the West Coast Main Line, access is possible to
Northampton and Milton Keynes, and also to Birmingham International. Also from
Coventry, via the link to Leamington Spa, direct access is feasible to Banbury,
Oxford and Reading, and points beyond. None of these places are currently
easily accessible by train from the East Midlands.
If a short chord could be built west of
Coventry station it would be possible to run trains from Nottingham and
Leicester directly to Birmingham Airport and the NEC. Nottingham to BHX in
under an hour, bliss ! Without the torture of New Street, its crowds, fumes,
narrow passageways and stupid unnecessary ticket gates, when in a hurry with
heavy luggage.
Oh, and one other thing: if a rail spur is
too expensive, a proper, integrated free shuttle bus service between East
Midlands Parkway and East Midlands Airport would be most welcome.
We now have a Prime Minister who
demonstrates a sense of drive and energy and a desire to get things done. I
hope that, whatever his ultimate decision on HS2, the powers that be will get
their collective fingers out and rather than projecting vague and waffly
visions into the next decade or two, just get on with it. Preferably starting
with the above: options (1) and (2) could be completed in months. When oh when are we going to get our act together in this
country !
