Proposals for "Northern arc": linking north Oxfordshire (Banbury) with Northampton and Peterborough

[8H]

Network Rail East West Arcs

Network Rail is exploring the merits of three new east-west rail arcs in central southern England.

They are:

• Northern arc: linking north Oxfordshire (Banbury) with Northampton and Peterborough
• Central arc: the Oxford to Cambridge East West Rail alignment but potentially extended to Swindon and Reading in the west and to Ipswich and Norwich in the east
• Southern arc: north of the M25, connecting the Chiltern lines with the West Anglia Main Line (London to Stansted/Cambridge)

Network Rail is working with the non-statutory sub-national transport body England’s Economic Heartland, local authorities, and the Rail Delivery Group on the study.

Looks big, but is it realistic or likely or planned ????

 

[The Planner]

Fag packet at best currently.

 

[fgwrich]

Interesting, there are a number of lines which could be re-used for some of this, however there is no former formation available to take you from Blisworth to Northampton itself.

As the planner says, It's fag packet at best.

 

[mr_jrt]

Hmm. I'm intrigued by the southern arc. There are obvious candidates are Rickmansworth-Watford-St Albans-Hatfield-Hertford-Broxbourne, I wonder if that's what they mean by the "Chiltern Lines", or if they mean the line through High Wycombe?

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

Hmm. I'm intrigued by the southern arc. There are obvious candidates are Rickmansworth-Watford-St Albans-Hatfield-Hertford-Broxbourne, I wonder if that's what they mean by the "Chiltern Lines", or if they mean the line through High Wycombe?

Also the article says for three Northern Arc Banbury to Northampton and Peterborough so are they hoping to reopen the line via Market Harborough.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Probably won't result in any spades in the ground for at least another 20 years...

 

[A0wen]

Fag packet at best currently.

That good?

Waste of a perfectly good fag packet then.

 

[A0wen]

Also the article says for three Northern Arc Banbury to Northampton and Peterborough so are they hoping to reopen the line via Market Harborough.

How do you work that out?

If you wanted to do Northampton to Peterborough there are 2 better options - the old Northampton to Peterboro line or Northampton to Wellingborough and then onto Corby and a south curve at Manton Jnc.

Not advocating either and certainly don't believe they are viable.

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

Three new east-west rail arcs explored for EEH geography

Network Rail is exploring the case for creating three new east-west rail arcs across central southern England, the geography of the England’s Economic Hea

www.transportxtra.com

Network Rail is exploring the case for creating three new east-west rail arcs across central southern England, the geography of the England’s Economic Heartland (EEH) grouping of local authorities.

The investigations are part of the ‘England’s Economic Heartland passenger rail study’ overseen by a steering group comprising representatives of the EEH, local authorities, the Government’s East West Railway Company, the Rail Delivery Group, and Network Rail.

The arcs are:

• Northern arc: linking north Oxfordshire (Banbury) with Northampton and Peterborough

• Central arc: linking Swindon and Reading through Oxford to Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich via Milton Keynes and Bedford. The core part of this arc is the East West Rail corridor, which the Government is supporting between Oxford and Cambridge

• Southern arc: north of the M25, connecting the Chiltern lines with the West Anglia Main Line (London to Cambridge/Stansted) through Buckinghamshire and southern Hertfordshire.

In all, the first phase of the study has identified ten corridors for in-depth analysis in phase two. They are a mixture of existing rail corridors where direct services are non-existent or infrequent, and corridors where there is currently no rail infrastructure to support a journey.

The other seven corridors are:

• Oxfordshire to Swindon: cross-Oxfordshire links and a link between Oxford and Swindon (the infrastructure exists for a direct service but there has not been one for years)
• Chiltern Main Line: the area covered by the two routes from London Marylebone (High Wycombe/Aylesbury), improving connectivity between intermediate stations and to Oxford, Banbury and the West Midlands
• East Midlands-Thames Valley: linking Old Oak Common in west London through the Chilterns to Aylesbury, Milton Keynes, and Northampton towards the East Midlands
• Milton Keynes and Peterborough: currently not linked by direct rail services
• East Hertfordshire-Cambridgeshire: improving connectivity between the towns on the West Anglia and East Coast Main Lines, such as Hertford, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield and Cambridge
• Peterborough-Cambridge-Stansted Airport: improving upon the existing hourly service
• Peterborough-East Midlands-West Midlands: improving upon the existing hourly service

In the second phase of the work, Network Rail will look at the monetary benefits of improving connectivity in each corridor.

The phase one report was presented to the EEH’s strategic transport forum last week.

Discussing the northern arc, the report says: “A rail corridor in the north of the region would make significant connectivity improvements to communities.” It would reduce reliance on travel via the West and East Midlands; provide a rail alternative to the A43; improve access to places of high population growth not on the rail network, such as Daventry; provide Corby with more journey options; and provide a route into the West Midlands via Leamington Spa, avoiding Leicester.

“The concept of the southern arc is similar, but with the benefits of potentially relieving pressure on the orbital road network in this area, most notably the M25 and A414, promoting modal shift and decarbonisation,” says the report. “Linking the radial main lines at this point creates the potential for a London orbital route.”

On connecting Milton Keynes and Peterborough, the report says this could be a direct service “facilitated by running a service via East West Rail rather than needing a completely new railway”.

Discussing the relationship between the rail study and the EEH’s own connectivity studies (see below), EEH officer Anthony Swift told the strategic transport forum: “The majority of corridors identified in the passenger rail study are within the same corridors as those identified and prioritised for a connectivity study. In these situations we will align activity on rail with the work to be taken forward as a connectivity study, thereby ensuring a truly multi-modal approach. Where passenger rail corridors are not obviously linked to a connectivity study, further economic analysis will be undertaken separately to understand the value of improving connections along those corridors.”

More info

 

[Dr Day]

High level crayoning, but at least starting from the premise of improving connections between certain places for economic reasons, regardless of whether there happened to have been a historic railway there or not.

As discussed on other threads, maybe the types of routes where an high quality 'train on tyres', integrated into the railway timetabling and fares systems would work, rather than the competing and completely independent coach and bus services.

 

[Minstral25]

Bit Disappointing - The Southern arc doesn't go South of London, surely they should be considering an Arc made up of the North Downs line, Redhill - Tonbridge then up to Strood or across to Ashford.

 

[coppercapped]

Bit Disappointing - The Southern arc doesn't go South of London, surely they should be considering an Arc made up of the North Downs line, Redhill - Tonbridge then up to Strood or across to Ashford.

The original quoted article states that:

Network Rail is working with the non-statutory sub-national transport body England’s Economic Heartland...

As the 'sub-national transport body England’s Economic Heartland' is concerned with that swath of country best described as Wilts, Berks, Bucks, Oxon, Beds and Cambs it is hardly surprising that the area south of London was ignored.
See its home page at <http://www.englandseconomicheartland.com/Pages/home.aspx>.

 

[squizzler]

I used to live in Towcester and it would have been a dream to have had that Norther Arc then, but all we had was the lame A43 so-called upgrade to appease the local motoring community who had sway because it was Silverstone nearby.

It is great to see all these new projects (HS2, NPR,East West Rail) but it leaves a bitter taste that these new routes are only being built now, not in the 1970s or 1980s when other countries were putting in their new lines. Two lost generations of network development, IMO.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

I used to live in Towcester and it would have been a dream to have had that Norther Arc then, but all we had was the lame A43 so-called upgrade to appease the local motoring community who had sway because it was Silverstone nearby.

It is great to see all these new projects (HS2, NPR,East West Rail) but it leaves a bitter taste that these new routes are only being built now, not in the 1970s or 1980s when other countries were putting in their new lines. Two lost generations of network development, IMO.

And of course the greatest loss of all being the fact that they managed to get stuff done for probably a tenth (if that, inflation adjusted) of what it costs us nowadays

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

Study link is here: http://www.englandseconomicheartland.com/Documents/Agenda Item 7 Passenger Rail Study.pdf

 

[A0wen]

I used to live in Towcester and it would have been a dream to have had that Norther Arc then, but all we had was the lame A43 so-called upgrade to appease the local motoring community who had sway because it was Silverstone nearby.

It is great to see all these new projects (HS2, NPR,East West Rail) but it leaves a bitter taste that these new routes are only being built now, not in the 1970s or 1980s when other countries were putting in their new lines. Two lost generations of network development, IMO.

You're entitled to your opinion but the longer overdue A43 upgrade offered and provided far greater benefits to far more people than a Northampton to Banbury railway line ever would.

EWR will offer a sensible Northampton to Oxford journey. Banbury isn't a key destination from Northampton and that line closed long before Beeching.

 

[QueensCurve]

Also the article says for three Northern Arc Banbury to Northampton and Peterborough so are they hoping to reopen the line via Market Harborough.

I was always surprised the line from Northampton to Market Harborough closed.

 

[BrianW]

Study link is here: http://www.englandseconomicheartland.com/Documents/Agenda Item 7 Passenger Rail Study.pdf

High cost Crayonists paid for by you and me ... how much?
The 'officers' of 'England's Economic Heartland', and the 'Strategic Transport Forum' to who they report for instruction or information -who knows?
I quote from the Transport Extra report:

Discussing the relationship between the rail study and the EEH’s own connectivity studies (see below), EEH officer Anthony Swift told the strategic transport forum: “The majority of corridors identified in the passenger rail study are within the same corridors as those identified and prioritised for a connectivity study. In these situations we will align activity on rail with the work to be taken forward as a connectivity study, thereby ensuring a truly multi-modal approach. Where passenger rail corridors are not obviously linked to a connectivity study, further economic analysis will be undertaken separately to understand the value of improving connections along those corridors.”

Yeah, right, right on ...

Three arcs, seven Corridors ... and that's without considering such as Banbury to Bishops Stortford or Wellingborough to Ware or many another random 'connectivity' or 'corridor of uncertainty' (maybe a 'corridor connection'!)

I agree with the EEH officer: further economic analysis required. I'm glad you have a job.

 

[mr_jrt]

I would presume given the recent work they would have to plan on joining the MML south of MH...could create a bit of a bottleneck.

 

[squizzler]

Out of the proposals I am most familiar with the route of the Northern Arc, I can confirm that there has been a substantial amount of housing earmarked in Towcester and Brackley, and it is disappointing that this scheme seems to be coming so late to the party.

There is also the matter of Brackley's grievance with HS2 which in the minds of its residents imposes a railway upon them without the benefits of their own services. Local politicians might well argue that the Northern Arc is necessary compensation for being made to accept HS2 and all that housing.

Last, but not least, it might be worth considering the impact of HS2 on the legacy network, and the opportunities this capitalises upon. The old mainlines no longer need to guard their capacity for north-south express traffic, and new linkages such as those proposed in the document unlock their potential within strategic cross country routes. This is what makes HS2 so exciting - the opportunity to totally reimagine the legacy network thus bypassed.

 

[Camden]

But it really doesn't though, does it? Nowhere in this arc is going to have any direct or indirect benefit from HS2. They don't find it exciting, because it isn't, and as HS2 is a political project not designed around need, the pressures on their own services will remain.

 

[si404]

Study link is here: http://www.englandseconomicheartland.com/Documents/Agenda Item 7 Passenger Rail Study.pdf

While that's the link that's supposedly the study, the real thing is this document (billed as an Appendix):

http://www.englandseconomicheartland.com/Documents/Agenda%20Item%207%20EEH%20Passenger%20Rail%20Study%20%20Appendix%201.pdf

 

[Verulamius]

There are some interesting comments on electrification towards the end of the "Appendix"

While that's the link that's supposedly the study, the real thing is this document (billed as an Appendix):

http://www.englandseconomicheartland.com/Documents/Agenda%20Item%207%20EEH%20Passenger%20Rail%20Study%20%20Appendix%201.pdf

 

[si404]

In answer to the OP: here's what the study has on the Northern Arc:

The Northern Arc A rail corridor in the north of the region would make significant connectivity improvements to communities in the north of the region. Potential benefits of such a northern arc: • More direct connectivity across the northern Heartland reducing reliance on travel via the West and East Midlands • Provide a rail alternative to the A43 corridor • Ability to provide services to high growth sites that are currently not on the rail network such as Daventry. • Provide options for services other than southwards from Corby. There is potential for an additional route into the West Midlands via Leamington Spa by avoiding the Leicester area. This could be provided by additional services to locations off the core East West Main ine or by extending the proposed Oxford-Cambridge services to destinations further afield. In whichever way the output is achieved, increasing the range of destinations that can be reached directly by trains using the new infrastructure will improve the ability to reduce GJTs across the region.

(p83 of the document I link to in #22)

England's Economic Heartland is the lovechild of the Stop HS2 Coalition and the E-W Rail Consortium. This gives two reasons why it doesn't talk about released capacity - it institutionally doesn't like HS2 (it does talk about access to it, mostly to point out how HS2 is pretty useless for most of the region to directly use) and is institutionally keen on E-W links.

A third reason is to be found in the study itself (p81)

EEH rail passengers generally experience good levels of rail connectivity when they make journeys along a single main line. ... This is something that EEH does very well, as each Main Line is typically served by fast and frequent services that run directly into London, which enables passengers to travel easily to and from destinations along each arterial route. The negatives start to emerge when EEH based passengers must make changes across the region from one main line to another, regardless of overall distance. ... Passengers can easily travel up and down the Heartland, but they have a limited number of options available for journeys that go across the region, i.e. east and west.

It is a massive gap, and E-W Rail doesn't fix it easily.

 

[si404]

This gives two reasons why it doesn't talk about released capacity

I was wrong - it does talk about released capacity near the end. But as they feel current capacity on radial routes is mostly rather good, they aren't that bothered about it and don't really say much other than it exists.

 

[si404]

There are some interesting comments on electrification towards the end of the "Appendix"

The only lines in the area not proposed for electrification are the top ends of the Henley and Marlow branches (almost certainly because they forgot they existed) and north of Corby (ditto, though that doesn't have frequent trains). That, in and of itself, isn't that interesting, but they do make cases for all the bits rather than just go "electrify everything!"

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

The only lines in the area not proposed for electrification are the top ends of the Henley and Marlow branches (almost certainly because they forgot they existed) and north of Corby (ditto, though that doesn't have frequent trains). That, in and of itself, isn't that interesting, but they do make cases for all the bits rather than just go "electrify everything!"

I don't think Corby-Manton Jn will be electrified this side of 2050, if ever. Bimode 80x's, or else battery packs, can be used on Melton Mowbray etc. services.

 

[A0wen]

Out of the proposals I am most familiar with the route of the Northern Arc, I can confirm that there has been a substantial amount of housing earmarked in Towcester and Brackley, and it is disappointing that this scheme seems to be coming so late to the party.

There is also the matter of Brackley's grievance with HS2 which in the minds of its residents imposes a railway upon them without the benefits of their own services. Local politicians might well argue that the Northern Arc is necessary compensation for being made to accept HS2 and all that housing.

Last, but not least, it might be worth considering the impact of HS2 on the legacy network, and the opportunities this capitalises upon. The old mainlines no longer need to guard their capacity for north-south express traffic, and new linkages such as those proposed in the document unlock their potential within strategic cross country routes. This is what makes HS2 so exciting - the opportunity to totally reimagine the legacy network thus bypassed.

Brackley's about 13,000 and Towcester is about 9500. You could increase both by 50% (which is nothing like the scale of proposed development) and they'd still be small towns. And an E-W rail link probably isn't going to be that attractive when places like MK or Oxford are key destinations from both of them.

 

[BrianW]

Am I missing something? I don't seem to be seeing masses of support for anything in this study, but then I wouldn't expect to. An area 'left over' between London and the Midlands is unlikely to have a lot of call for 'internal focus'. Why did the lines close? Table 61 of my BR timetable of Summer 1964 has five trains Northampton to Peterborough, timed at 80-90 minutes. What call is there for a service sixty or more years on shown on p56 of this study with a 'Generalised Journey Time' (GJT) as 220 minutes currently. What evidence is there of how many make such a journey now, or might? I certainly find it hard to imagine thousands of pent-up demand to travel Swindon to Cambridge, Ely or Norwich. I guess a crayonist could show that Swindon- Norwich could be done in just 2 hours at 100mph. So what?
I can just about see that maybe someone could be attracted to base themselves in Bletchley or MK to have a population of 5.1 million in 'the area' as defined by 'EEH'. I fail to see how this area means anything to Swindon or Ely, or any of the other 'key nodes' let alone Towcester or Faringdon or Thrapston.
Even East-West rail seems to be taking an age, so I'm not holding my breath, other than to gasp at the expenditure on this vanity 'study' when revealed.

 

[Midnight Sun]

Am I missing something? I don't seem to be seeing masses of support for anything in this study, but then I wouldn't expect to. An area 'left over' between London and the Midlands is unlikely to have a lot of call for 'internal focus'. Why did the lines close? Table 61 of my BR timetable of Summer 1964 has five trains Northampton to Peterborough, timed at 80-90 minutes. What call is there for a service sixty or more years on shown on p56 of this study with a 'Generalised Journey Time' (GJT) as 220 minutes currently. What evidence is there of how many make such a journey now, or might? I certainly find it hard to imagine thousands of pent-up demand to travel Swindon to Cambridge, Ely or Norwich.

The A43 Between Northampton, Kettering and Corby, A45 between Northampton, Wellingborough and Thrapston, A605 between Thrapston, Oundle and Peterborough. The A14 between Corby, Thrapston and Huntingdon. What do all four roads have in common, all are very busy with long distance traffic.

As for Manton Junction, this needs a new South to East curve. Which would greatly inprove travel time between Kettering. Corby and Peterborough over the slow X4 bus.