Rail link has many benefits

I WOULD like to contribute to the debate on the Arundel chord, which, if built, would make an extremely positive contribution both locally and regionally to the non-car based travel options in West Sussex. It is about far more than allowing people to travel between Arundel and Worthing by rail without changing.
By The Newsroom
Published 4th Feb 2010, 09:35 BST
Updated 4th Feb 2010, 09:35 BST

Firstly, the Brighton line RUS (route utilisation strategy) has shown that the Brighton line is "full" at peak times, yet demand continues to grow. Options to expand capacity are hard to come by, as many trains are already 12 coaches and full, and expanding the line from two to four tracks would be extraordinarily expensive because of the many tunnels on the route and the Balcombe viaduct.

However, many passengers at peak times originate from stations between Worthing and Angmering and their journey times would not be worsened by diverting up the Arun valley. Running trains from Worthing, calling at all stations to Angmering and then Arundel, Pulborough and Horsham and on to London would take a lot of pressure off the Brighton line without adversely affecting (and possibly improving) passengers' journeys to London.

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Secondly, everyone who has travelled between Sussex and London at the weekend knows how awful the situation is when faced with either a bus replacement or a diversion because of engineering works. Being able to route trains via an Arundel chord would save at least 20 minutes per trip, benefiting both passengers and the railway company, who would be able to use crews more efficiently, and save money.

Thirdly, running regular services on the chord would open up many new journey possibilities, potentially removing many cars from the A24 and allowing access to the coast.

Fourthly, a cost of 25m is relatively modest when contrasted with the costs of new roads and other infrastructure. Contrast Southern's miserable "can't do" attitude to that of Chiltern Railway's "can do" attitude. They are building a similar chord in Bicester, funded over 20 years through projected icreases in passenger numbers. Surely, with modest contributions from West Sussex County Council, Southern, Network Rail and the Department for Transport, similar funding could be arranged here?

Finally, why, if money is so hard to come by, is Network Rail spending so much on replacing perfectly good signals between Littlehampton, Barnham, Bognor and Chichester?

Stuart Nicholls

St Valerie Road

Worthing

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Related topics:ArundelWest SussexBrightonLondonAngmering