4.5.1
Original Document
The number of trips made by rail to and from Birmingham has increased notably in recent years. Growth could be heading for 100% by 2035. Additional services and longer trains will handle some of this growth and the New Street Gateway redevelopment will provide a better arrival experience. Improved rail frequencies will be provided to the Airport through double tracking and, in addition, improvements to the Bordesley Chords will allow new services to access central Birmingham. These improvements may not be able to handle all the predicted growth.
Plain English Translation
More and more people are travelling to Birmingham by rail. We think the number of trips could have doubled by 2035. This could mean longer trains or extra services. The redevelopment of New Street will make it much more pleasant for passengers arriving in the city. Two tracks rather than one will improve the service to the airport whilst improvements to the Bordesley Chords will allow new services to access central Birmingham. However this may not be enough.
Improvements to the Bordesley Chords means, I believe, to build a viaduct at Camp Hill, so that trains from Kings Heath could travel up the old Camp Hill line to Moor Street (rather than New Street where it currently goes, which is full to bursting). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Hill_Line
This sounds like a very good idea to me.
Yes, that's what it is — although it would mainly benefit those living in Moseley, KH etc it would be a great boon to the City Centre — as transport problems down the A435 and Inner Ring Road traffic would be reduced.
Actually the Bordesley Chords plan would open up lots of option to relieve congestion at New st. and would also reinstate passenger services to new stations on the Water Orton line. The plans are outlined in the Rail Development Strategy (look down the list of publications on the Centro site).
I think that's one of the disappointments of the BCP. It needs to more clearly reference existing strategy documents in the text so that people are aware that these things have already been examined or already dismissed (re: underground). It should point us to them – it doesn't exist in a vacuum.
There are lots of opportunities to re-open disused train lines to ease commuter congestion – lets think service rather than cost and do the right thing that provides sustainable opportunities to grow urban commuter volume.
Sorry to disappoint about the Bordesley chords. What Birmingham people want is for a short piece of railway at Bordesley so that trains from new local stations including King's Heath would be on the rail network and connected to Birmingham Moor Street. The 'people having spoken', under the Railways Act 2005 (that gives Network Rail no strategy role), the proposal should be processed. What actually happened is that Network Rail in Birmingham makes up its own strategy and wants the connection at Bordesley to push out some existing train services (such as to Cardiff) that make remodelled Birmingham New Street Station over-full.
You have to have sympathy for Network Rail as they have so little money. If they followed the 2005 Act and had some more money, they could put in other measures such as train laybys at Tipton so fast trains could pass the stoppers – and link Sutton Coldfield and intermediate places with Wolverhampton. Also it is time for the Benson Road curve.
What Centro does is good, but we do not have a network.