East Anglia region by 2050 (realistic not utopia)

[dk1]

I’ve never seen a serious proposal for it in that time. Certainly no development work of any kind.

Me neither. Just a pipe dream.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Feb 2023 ==

What are our chances for Braintree - Bishops Stortford reopening within 50 years? A Stansted Airport via Witham service would connect east with western part of the east as an alternative to driving and be great for engineering diversions. Let me guess - close to nil.

Think your guess is spot on

 

[A0]

What are our chances for Braintree - Bishops Stortford reopening within 50 years? A Stansted Airport via Witham service would connect east with western part of the east as an alternative to driving and be great for engineering diversions. Let me guess - close to nil.

The only two 'large' places it would improve connectivity for are Colchester and Chelmsford.

South of that it's just as quick to go via London. From Ipswich via Cambridge would be more obvious.

And whilst Stansted is a traffic destination, I don't believe it's enough to justify that rebuild.

 

[Bald Rick]

What are our chances for Braintree - Bishops Stortford reopening within 50 years? A Stansted Airport via Witham service would connect east with western part of the east as an alternative to driving and be great for engineering diversions. Let me guess - close to nil.

Closer than that, actually nil. Some of the route never existed (east out of the airport itself) and some of it is built over and would need new route (at Stansted itself, and Great Dunmow).

 

[Mikey C]

What makes you think Ely to Norwich is more important to Norwich than the Ipswich route?

Electrification of the Breckland route has been mooted for the last 35+ years & we are still no closer to achieving it.

Because Cambridge is a technological powerhouse, and more economically important that Ipswich. If we're building EWR to improve east west connections to Cambridge, then links between there and Norwich are an obvious next phase.

 

[dk1]

Because Cambridge is a technological powerhouse, and more economically important that Ipswich. If we're building EWR to improve east west connections to Cambridge, then links between there and Norwich are an obvious next phase.

Lots of doubt EWR will be built in full but even then there is no way that the Ely route will be more important than the GEML is to Norwich.

 

[zwk500]

Because Cambridge is a technological powerhouse, and more economically important that Ipswich.

The line to Ipswich goes to London though, and London is far more important to Norwich than Cambridge is.

If we're building EWR to improve east west connections to Cambridge, then links between there and Norwich are an obvious next phase.

Believe EWR published plans showing links to Ipswich not Norwich at one point! Also lots of doubt about EWR to Cambridge at all, and if it does happen it will terminate there.

 

[Magdalia]

Lots of doubt EWR will be built in full

The Government reaffirmed their commitment to EWR in Mark Harper's speech earlier this week:

The largest single investment ever made in our railways will take HS2 from Euston to Manchester. Northern Powerhouse Rail across the Pennines. East West Rail between Oxford and Cambridge. And that has the Chancellor’s full support.

Indeed why not run some London to Norwich trains via Cambridge in the future.

In steam days the routes to Norwich via Ipswich and Cambridge were considered equally important, though the through trains were slower via Cambridge. There was an attempt to revive through running via Cambridge in the early 1980s but it didn't last long. Now that Kings Cross is the primary London route for Cambridge I can't see it happening again.

I can’t see a justification for a second station in Lynn when the existing one is so underserved. We would do better to hope for improvements at Ely North and the re-dualling of the track between Littleport and Downham Market, allowing the Kings X-Ely service to be extended to King’s Lynn so we can have the long-promised half-hourly service to London.

Quite a bit of Fen Line traffic is de facto parkway already, from all over Fenland and North West Norfolk, with pick ups and drop offs at all the stations along the line, each with their advantages and disadvantages. I can see the benefits of a Parkway station with easy road access from the Hardwick interchange.

What are our chances for Braintree - Bishops Stortford reopening within 50 years?

How would you get from the Airport station to the old trackbed?

 

[Mikey C]

The line to Ipswich goes to London though, and London is far more important to Norwich than Cambridge is.

But Cambridge is more important than Ipswich and there's a growing tech corridor along that route, driven by the A11. It's not all about London, and I'm not suggesting they abolish the mainline via Ipswich, but that the current service between Cambridge and Norwich is grossly inadequate for a fast growing part of the country, specialising in the NEW technologies of the future.

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