Mr Iain Coucher
Chief Executive
Network Rail
90 York Way
London, N1 9AG
Dear Mr Coucher
Campaign To Re-Open Ashington Blyth & Tyne Line
I would like to bring to your attention the campaign to re-open the Ashington Blyth & Tyne railway line in South East Northumberland to passenger services. This is a fully operational, maintained freight line and some of the former stations such as Bedlington and Ashington remain virtually in tact (Ashington with level access to both platforms) and would require very little rebuilding.
The campaign now has a very high profile locally. It has been the subject of a parliamentary Adjournment Debate (10 Jan 2007), Early Day Motion (no 1248 13 Dec 2005) and our own online petition to 10 Downing Street. On 7th June 2008 SENRUG chartered a passenger train to run round the line to demonstrate its potential, and the first service of the day was reserved for local stakeholders. Over 40 local councillors participated along with our MP and MEP, representatives from 6 local authorities, North East Assembly, One North East, Government Office North East, SENNTRI, and of course senior managers from Network Rail. Major press coverage was achieved with the campaign featuring on BBC’s The Politics Show the next day (see video links below). Subsequent to the charter, the former Rail Minister Tom Harris visited the area to tour the line. The enclosed brochure was produced to commemorate the event and sets out the reasoning for the re-opening campaign, along with current status as of time of printing.
The North East Assembly have already commissioned a study into re-opening the Morpeth – Bedlington section of the line which has now reported, and a separate GRIP 3 study is currently underway by your own company into re-opening the main section from Newcastle to Ashington via Newsham.
I am astonished therefore to discover that whilst one part of Network Rail is involved with a GRIP 3 study to determine the cost of re-introducing passenger service, another part of Network Rail is moving ahead with plans to mothball Ashington North Signal Box.
SENRUG is not against network modernisation and rationalisation but we understand that mothballing the signal box includes withdrawal of the crossover to the north of Ashington station. This will eliminate the possibility of reversing passenger trains at Ashington, as successfully happened during our 7th June 2008 charter, and as would be needed if a permanent passenger service should be re-introduced. Withdrawing the signal box also reduces the capacity of the line as it limits the number of trains that can be on each track simultaneously north of Bedlington.
We don’t accept the argument that mothballing allows facilities to be re-instated at no extra cost. There is a high incidence of vandalism in this area and it is clear, based on the fate of the Leamside Line and that the North East is your worst area for copper cable theft, that once facilities are mothballed they will be neglected and there will be a significant cost in subsequent re-instatement.
I fail to see how Network Rail, a public company, can on the one hand take money to investigate and cost the restoration of public services whilst on the other hand withdraw infrastructure that would have the result of increasing the cost to the public purse of re-opening the service.
I believe that no infrastructure should be removed or mothballed until your GRIP 3 study is completed, and stakeholders are given the chance to determine if they wish to proceed with re-introduction of passenger services
Perhaps you could investigate what is going on and give me your assurance your company is not and will not take any action that could increase the public cost of restoring passenger service to the line.
Kindest regards
Dennis Fancett
Chair, SENRUG: The South East Northumberland Rail User Group
cc
Denis Murphy MP
Fiona Hall MEP
