East-West rail link views sought (BBC News)

[RF News]

Proposals costing up to £300m for a new East-West railway line go before a regional assembly.

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[klordger1900]

I live close to Stanstead Airport and use it whenever possible but the pending development there would mean the potential for a lot more road traffic in my area. A purpose built East-West rail route must go somewhere near Stanstead to give more people north of London the best option of avoiding Heathrow and Gatwick plus direct rail access would speed up a lot of peoples journeys (have you tried parking there lately or picking up someone from a flight!!)

[Pesmo]

I absolutely agree, If you want to get to Stansted and live more than about 15 miles east or west of it then you have to go via London which is crackers. There are several new towns with quite large populations immeduately to the west of Stansted and these could do with an east west line nearby.
The current East-west proposal is very much a case of doing it on the cheap and is too far north .

A line that went Oxford, Aylesbury,Dunstable, Luton airport, Stevenage,Stansted airport, Braintree would be great. The Stansted Braintree (and then to Norwich) bit was in an earlier plan and that is apparently why Stansted platforms were designed for through running rather than as a terminus. A new East West line would also have good freight potential to the container ports of Harwich/Felixtowe. Additionally you would also then have a strategic link line just North of London for all the main North south routes that could make diversions and rolling stock movements in the london area far easier

There is a long term plan to extend the A120 west to the M1 anyway so if we could have a bit of joined up thinking and do both with the same earthworks like they often do abroad there could be major cost synergies.

[Pesmo]

Seemingly I wasn't too far wrong about the Braintree Stansted bit as there have been more rumblings in the local press.

http://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/4...ort_link/#show

They would also need stations at Felsted and Dunmow as well as Rayne and possibly Takeley. A good part of the old route earthworks still exist hence the 'only' £100m price tag

[Gandalf]

Maybe the bit about a high speed bus is more to the point,
It's not that far from Cambridge and our Wonderful (?) Guided bus could be extended to Stanstead and beyond and in the process swallowing up any vacant track bed left.
John (G)

[klordger1900]

Light tramways are about the only option for this kind of rapid transit system over the sort of distances needed (dont forget that all important new link around Shenfield that brings in Southend passengers via Chelmsford and Witham - call it Shenfield East and tie it in with the Cross Rail route!).
There, thats that sorted - no more heavy traffic round Chelmsford then!