West Northants Strategic Plan (Warning! Crayon risk)

[A0]

I worked in north northampton for a bit. What you say about Kingsthorpe and surrounding area is true. Main roads gridlocked and residential streeets as rat-runs.Maybe a better investment would be a tram from the centre partially using the old rail line then branching east up boughton rd to the uni.

The Kingsthorpe problem is a consequence of local authorities meddling with the traffic and allowing housebuilding (particular thanks go to Daventry & South Northants on this, who keep approving schemes on Northampton's boundary without having to worry about the impact) without actually dealing with the root cause.

If you look at the A508 corridor or the A5199 corridor (the old railway ran between the two) and say you want to head to the M1, then you're forced to go into Northampton - which is why places like Kingsthorpe, Dallington and Kings Heath are gridlocked now, because they're no longer handling just local traffic. And before anyone says 'well reinstating the railway will fix that' - guess again, people may be heading for the M1 to then head on the A43 (towards Oxford) to the A45 (towards Daventry) or for Bedford or Luton which a link from Leicester to Northampton won't touch.

 

[Ken H]

The Kingsthorpe problem is a consequence of local authorities meddling with the traffic and allowing housebuilding (particular thanks go to Daventry & South Northants on this, who keep approving schemes on Northampton's boundary without having to worry about the impact) without actually dealing with the root cause.

If you look at the A508 corridor or the A5199 corridor (the old railway ran between the two) and say you want to head to the M1, then you're forced to go into Northampton - which is why places like Kingsthorpe, Dallington and Kings Heath are gridlocked now, because they're no longer handling just local traffic. And before anyone says 'well reinstating the railway will fix that' - guess again, people may be heading for the M1 to then head on the A43 (towards Oxford) to the A45 (towards Daventry) or for Bedford or Luton which a link from Leicester to Northampton won't touch.

I used to go on the lanes towards long buckby, watford, kilsby then across to the daventry-rugby road to get to A45. Luckily, I will probably never go there again as I have moved far away.
But many small towns are gridlocked. Warwick, Ilkley to name 2

 

[option]

A County Council that's bankrupt, & a county that's full of incoming Tory voting retirees who don't live in Northampton itself.
By the time they've finished spaffing money on the consultants for this 'strategic plan', they won't have the money to pay the utility bills, let alone do anything new.

 

[A0]

A County Council that's bankrupt, & a county that's full of incoming Tory voting retirees who don't live in Northampton itself.
By the time they've finished spaffing money on the consultants for this 'strategic plan', they won't have the money to pay the utility bills, let alone do anything new.

All the authorities involved in this report will be gone in 2 years when the unitary authorities are set up. Not before time too - it's not just the politicians that are useless, most of the council officers are too in my experience of dealing with them.

 

[InTheEastMids]

All the authorities involved in this report will be gone in 2 years when the unitary authorities are set up. Not before time too - it's not just the politicians that are useless, most of the council officers are too in my experience of dealing with them.

West Northants will be one of those 2 unitary authorities, which is why the existing LAs have got together to do this strategy, so West Northants cab hit the ground running when it's established

 

[InTheEastMids]

Anyway, looks like someone at Network Rail has just got a new packet of crayons out of the stationery cupboard.

https://harboroughfm.co.uk/government-backing-to-re-open-railway/

I'm not getting excited. Unless there is already a feasibility study, I reckon this will be a £10k piece of work using Google Earth and a spreadsheet, probably to help the regional strategy get to a benefit:cost ratio. The reason it's popped up on parliament has more to do with a way of creating good vibes ahead of an election.

Expect we are at least 20 years from the first train.

 

[HSTEd]

Well I can sort of make a post-HS2 case for a reopening from Northampton to Market Harborough, to relieve capacity on the southern MML by allowing some trains to Leicester etc to be diverted into the released platforms at Euston.
Best guess journey time for a ICWC train running to Northampton is probably something like 46 minutes, whereas best time I can find to Market Harborough is 58 minutes.
So if a Pendo can sustain 60mph average on the line.... you don't lose anything.

Doubt you can make an investment case for the likely cost of reinstatement on that basis though.

 

[muddythefish]

Anyway, looks like someone at Network Rail has just got a new packet of crayons out of the stationery cupboard.

https://harboroughfm.co.uk/government-backing-to-re-open-railway/

I'm not getting excited. Unless there is already a feasibility study, I reckon this will be a £10k piece of work using Google Earth and a spreadsheet, probably to help the regional strategy get to a benefit:cost ratio. The reason it's popped up on parliament has more to do with a way of creating good vibes ahead of an election.

Expect we are at least 20 years from the first train.

I think you've hit the nail on the head here. With a looming election, ministers will say anything that might sway voters. Post-election, Shapps or his successor would most likely backtrack. Rebuilding Northampton - Mkt Harborough is questionable in any case when most of the population growth in Northants in the past 20 years has been eastwards. Reviving the Nene valley line to connect growing towns such as Wellingborough, Irthlingborough, Rushden, Higham Ferrers and Thrapston with the main centre of employment in Northampton makes much more sense.

 

[JKF]

A few barriers to reopening:

a) sustrans do not give up their cycle routes willingly and will need an alternative to be provided if the line is opened.
b) Northampton & Lamport, whilst not a big preservation operation, will also need some kind of payout to vacate.
c) the northern end of the route has been obliterated with new housing etc.
d) pretty sure the tunnel(s) is/are single bore which may be difficult operationally if relaying the route as double track.
e) Several level crossings will require expensive replacement with bridges.

Unlikely to give a decent cost/benefit for these reasons, also it’s blatantly a bit of pre-election kite flying so no serious intent anyway.