Yes but getting results is another matter.

Rail reopenings may tend to involve, among other things, a partnership approach
with local authorities, and work with the train operating companies, who have
very short franchises and little incentive to long term investment. Perhaps
there is often little awareness from all sides that rail has anything to offer
a local transport structure plan, which despite paying lip service to rail, may
allow reusable trackbeds to be usurped for road alignments, or whatever,
without regard for provision of a corridor for rail use. This is coupled with
lack of resources/willingness from the players in the rail industry to get
involved, and the woeful economics of some of these marginal lines whose
benefits would be felt in their catchment area though not reflected in the
income that many would generate.

For the present, Railtrack is preoccupied with making the present system work,
building the CTRL and taking on LUL and I don't think that there is much
horsepower in the system to get involved with local reopenings or providing
input to local authority transport planning ... the thought of new track on
disused alignments overstretches the resources of the industry even when the
benefits are half rosy, apart from the cultural about-turn involved in even
considering it.

Which of course is a crying shame.

It does leave one with the feeling that there's just a few hundred miles of
railway across the country, sixty three miles here, eleven or so there, which
could be reinstated to vastly improve the cover, credibility and resilience of
the current network, this option has been 'locked out' for cultural reasons,
and there are now no resources or will to grasp the nettle (literally in one
respect) and promote the growth of the system. Perhaps this would be an area
for the Strategic Rail Authority to wade into (in a better world) before the
possibilites here are further eroded by redevelopment.

Even small easements in the present constricting infrastructure, with the land
in railway ownership, are problematical. This is Great Western Trains in 1998
on something called Bradford North Junction - the lifting of a few hundred
yards of track and associated junctions here as late as 1991 substantially
reduced the flexibility of the local rail network and its ability to cope with
crisis ... the local train operating company knows all about the problem but no
one will pick up the tab: a small example but it makes one wonder if the
industry is functioning at a level which merits serious consideration.

"GWT view the reinstatement of Bradford North Junction as a worthwhile
infrastructure enhancement, but dependent of course on it not being cost
prohibited. This would enable us to divert services to avoid problems in the
Box tunnel area. There still remains significant mileage between Swindon and
Bath where we would be unable to divert services and still serve all stations,
this includes a number of major slip sites which require ongoing work. The
decision on Bradford North Junction re-instatement would be up to Railtrack who
will want an appropriate commercial case."

Hope this helps

Best wishes

Mark

Richard Marshall wrote:

> Is it possible to lobby OPRAF [Rail Franchising Office], and Railtrack into
> the feasibility of re-opening a rail line?
>
> Whom should I contact, and would they be able to indicate if they still own
> the land, and whether it has been built on at all?
>
> Richard Marshall,
> Lincolnshire - Part of the East Midlands Region.
>
> [log in to unmask]
> [log in to unmask]
> [log in to unmask]
>
> Phone: 08707/401509



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