Trains Back on the Tracks - Briefing Paper

BACKGROUND BRIEF:

Please could you consider using your position and influence to help to re-open the Black Country inter-city Rail Line?

Could you help to re-open our Dudley borough's, mothballed, 13 miles (21 Km) inter-city and local train line and, to stop the present plan to use one mile of it to shuttle passengers' to the inter-city line in the neighbouring borough?  The present plan will destroy forever, what was, for about 100 years, a successful passenger line!

SUMMARY:

Did you know that in 34 years, the West Midland councils have opened only one Metro tram line out of a dozen or so that they wanted and spent much taxpayers' money trying to get?  Did you know that that one line finally gets completed this year?

Did you know about the 72 Km of freight lines in Brum and the Black Country that all had passenger trains for 100 years until 50 years ago?

Do you not think that they need top priority over tram lines with which the councils have failed to deliver any (apart from the one on a rail line they should never have closed) over these last 34 years?

Do you not think that chronic road and rail congestion at and around New Street Station could be alleviated by re-opening the Black Country Rail Line for inter-urban and local trains through the heart of three Black Country boroughs?  Ideally, extending it to Lichfield, of course, on National Cycle Route 5.

Why not take some of the pressure off Grand Central/New St Sta?  In this way, the councils would improve the passenger experience in giving us the choice, in the Black Country, of going to London and Scotland by either the Black Country or by Brum.  We would have a direct connection to the south and north of the UK by going via the Black Country boroughs on our own reinstated inter-city line!

Did you know that all of that continues to be lost with 34 years of light rail Metro trams (never achieved) and, now VERY light rail trams being introduced as a shuttle service on only 2 Km of the 21 Km Black Country Line?  Below is a map to show the 72 Km of freight only lines and missing stations in our congested conurbation.  Read more in my 'Horrible History ...'.

 Absent trains, stations.JPG

 One horrible history ...

Increasing rail capacity does not need to wait until 2026 and HS2!

Many thanks if you feel able to help - and, to help us all to get around with a little less congestion on our road and rail networks!

Tim

ANOMALY, ABERRATION, ABSURDITY!

PLEASE COVER THIS TRANSPORT ANOMALY, ABERRATION, ABSURDITY:

Capacity on our West Midlands rail network is still being denied and road and rail congestion is deliberately worsened, because:

50 years of 72 Km of double track rail line in Birmingham and the Black Country but NO passenger trains and stations.  The previous 100 years saw passenger trains and stations on ALL these lines.

Now, 21 Km (of the 72 Km) of a fast and local train line are to be destroyed to shuttle passengers for all of 2 Km on this line, from Dudley Castle Hill, to the next inter-city line in the neighbouring borough.  We are STILL not allowed to use our own nationally vital line but can only be shuttled to the nearby one that crosses ours at Dudley Port in the borough of Sandwell!  Our 21 Km Black Country inter-city Line runs from Stourbridge Junction, in the borough of Dudley, through the demolished Dudley Castle Hill station, onto the West Coast Mainline station at Dudley Port and then to Walsall.

We, in Dudley are STILL not allowed to have our own direct connection to London, Bristol and Scotland!  We are being forced to go via either rail and road congested New St Station in Birmingham or to go via Wolverhampton.  What IS the sense in that?

PLEASE COVER THIS SCANDAL!

Inter-city and commuter Black Country Rail Line now has another obstacle placed in its path!

​

Dear Mr Ian Austin - and copied to a few of the decision makers and people of influence

The unused, nationally important Black Country Line is the only north-south rail line between New Street Station in the east and the Hereford-Shrewsbury line in the west.

I am attempting to see all the MPs on the Black Country Rail Line to show how advantageous it would be for their constituents.

Thanks very much for your prompt reply that came this morning.  However, you are not on my side at all, as the fine letterhead would have me believe!

In addition, you need to intervene not on my behalf but on behalf of your constituents who might like to have a direct rail connection to all parts of Britain, now.  Do you not feel able to make representations on behalf of the Zoological Gardens, the Castle, Canal Trust and Black Country Museum who might like to be connected, once more, to the national rail network in this decade rather than the next?  And, in this life rather than the dreams of the next!

For about twenty years I have been working, from time to time like you, in trying to get "Dudley town connected to the wider transport network, for businesses to locate here and to bring jobs to the area."  You write, "that the plans are finally making some progress."  They are not, in my opinion.

These are the obstacles:

1. The plans are still to put light rail Metro trams on a heavy rail double track line.  But, now, the latest plan is to put very light rail tram trains as well as the light rail Metro trams that have failed to turn up even late, in 34 years!  This is absolutely absurd.  The 13 miles is reserved for freight, only and never for poor passengers - and, for only a little matter of 50 years, too!
2. Only one tram line in 34 years of fruitless endeavour is a truly shocking and laughable record.  'Private Eye' would have a field day, if they knew!
3. Don't you think that putting existing passenger trains back on the 45 miles of heavy rail lines they were designed for, would be more sensible - economically and ecologically and improve capacity on the rail network in Brum and the Black Country?
4. At least, the light rail Metro was fully developed, tried and tested before it was put on the Snow Hill to Wolverhampton Low Level rail line.  The ultra light tram train is under development by the Warwick Manufacturing Group.  How many more years will have to creep by before the tram train is sufficiently safe and reliable for the public to use?  For the Parry People Mover, it was getting on for twenty years.  It is now on the Stourbridge Jct to Town branch line - ideal for light rail.
5. In the meantime, why not put existing diesel trains and stations back on the Black Country Rail Line that would also include inter-city trains from London and Glasgow?  More capacity is urgent - now!
6. Would you support the Innovation Centre being built at Trindle Road/Castle Hill and using the mothballed line out to Wolverhampton via a new rear entrance to the Black Country Living Museum and directly to Dudley Canal Trust?  Could the Museum and Trust contribute funds?
7. Alternatively, would you support the Innovation Centre and its ultra light rail, tram train being developed on the flattened Brierley Hill Steel Terminal site at Moor Street (opposite Lindsey Place)?  There is a 2Km line there that could be brought back to test the tram train, instead of the 50 year old, mothballed inter-city line.
8. Would that not be more sensible than preventing inter-city and commuter trains being returned to 13 miles through the very heart of three Black Country boroughs?
9. How very strange that passenger numbers and robust business cases all confirm that it is economically viable to have light rail Metro and, now at the same time, an untried, very light rail tram train but, never for run of the mill, inter-city and commuter trains on our unused Black Country Line.  The simple solution is all too obvious!
10. Are you not intrigued that, including our forgotten inter-city and commuter Black Country Line, there are 45 miles of double track freight only lines in our densely populated and congested urban conurbation of Birmingham and the Black Country?  WHY?  Not just intrigued but pretty livid would be a more appropriate reaction!
11. ​
    ​To the best of my knowledge and belief, in our six council areas out of the seven in the West Midlands, ​
    Network Rail has never allowed passenger trains and stations to return to what are now, freight only lines.  Did you know that?  Is there anything you can do to stop this piece of complete idiocy, please?
12. In summary, in my opinion, stop all light rail plans until the heavy rail network in Brum and the Black Country is fully used, open and is at least as good as the average on the mainland of Europe.  And, until additional tunnels are built on both approaches to New Street Station - "the UK's rail congestion bottleneck", according to the BBC's Peter Plisner from very many years ago.  This applies, even more, after £600 million has just been spent/wasted in dealing with, not rail and road congestion but passenger congestion - to improve the passenger experience while we all wait for our delayed or non-appearing trains!!

Having just listened to a wonderful and amusing Radio 4 programme on 'Archive Hour' about complaining, is there anything here that you think, Mr Austin, might be a justifiable cause of complaint over the work of our transport experts and professionals; officers and members?

NOT Second City but Tenth Rate City!

ABOLISH THE CITY COUNCIL AND RUN BRUM FROM ANYWHERE BUT BRUM - like in my backyard in dismal Dudley! 

It started with two out of the three city centre Birmingham rail stations being demolished; only to be rebuilt to make for fewer lines and platforms, certainly at Snow Hill.  The third, Moor Street, was closed.

In the 60s and 70s we had the wholesale closure of rail lines as road congestion slowly grew.  More stations were demolished and sites used for other purposes, as we foolishly put all our eggs in the one basket of fine new ring roads and road transport.

In 50 years of urban rail closures, Longbridge to Four Oaks rail line re-opened across the city and the Jewellery line via a re-opened Moor Street Station that was foolishly closed but, wisely was never demolished - thankfully!

Since the 1980s, some of the rail lines have been left unused or underused for Midland Metro trams to further fragment the once unified rail network that once saw only trains.  Trams are now unnecessarily replacing not only trains but buses!  No evidence of even one car commuter switching to trams who could not have switched to the train, if trains had been left on that urban rail line now used by trams.  (The line was closed, presumably, under Beeching and, after some years, eventually re-opened for trams.  Utter incompetence and idiocy!)

In 34 years of fruitless endeavour, only one out of a whole network of tram lines has been opened!  More failure, more negligence and more incompetence.  And, that one line went on a perfectly good rail line, apart from a short section on road!

Trams instead of trains on 11 miles of our crowded rail network, desperate for more capacity (but not even trams on 45 miles of empty, double track rail line in Brum and the adjoining Black Country - I exaggerate not!).

Your city council and PTA/Centro have plumped for Snow Hill Sta to link with New St Sta using trams instead of the nearer Moor St Sta.  This is a piece of idiocy, when all the trains that stop at Snow Hill also stop at the much nearer Moor St!  You could have spent a tiny fraction of the money now being spent linking Snow Hill and New Street stations with trams, on a simple travelator (or moving pavement) to help bridge the distance for passengers travelling between Moor Street and New Street Stations.

Safer movement for all road users, including cyclists - and freeing up the road network - by making:

1. all the existing bridleways, towpaths and cycle/walkways fit for purpose ie - free of mud, puddles and overgrowing vegetation;
2. completing white lines on pavements for cyclists by dropping the kerbs;
3. dropping all the kerbs on access/egress points on the Harborne Line Cycle/Walkway; STILL NOT BEEN DONE!
4. completing the Bourn cycle/walkway by doing the excellent job that was done there by doing exactly the same with the two rights of way in Woodgate Valley CP - one side of the stream for walkers and horses with a soft surface and the other side for walkers and cyclists with a hard, free draining surface (preferably, a convex rough tarmac surface);
5. promote walker friendly, super-courteous and responsible cycling on shared routes;
6. re-open the 38 miles of existing double track, unused or under-used rail lines in Brum and the Black Country to make for more people being able to use the much safer rail network instead of the car or bike - many miles are alongside commuter congested roads, too.  For many decades, this has been totally stupid transport policy by the city council and PTA/Centro who should know better.
7. fund the Canals and Rivers Trust to help them make all their urban towpaths available for buggies, wheelchairs, cyclists and walkers so that the towpath network is seen as the alternative to the road network for these users that it should be.

All of this really should not need spelling out - yet again!!

Sir Bob Kerslake wrote in a key report on Birmingham City Council, "Get the basics right."  Even the basics are all to pot, as I have shown, here.