Better Transport

In each region, there are many places where money should be invested to grow the rail network. We’ve listed a few; do contact us if you think there’s a journey we should highlight. We've also listed lines and stations should be reopened and poor stations that should be improved.

South West
South East and London
East of England
West Midlands
East Midlands
Yorkshire & the Humber
North East
Wales

South West
Bristol Parkway
- This line needs extra platforms.

South East and London
Henley
- This branch needs increased train frequency.

King's Cross Station
- Access to the north east side of Kings Cross station should be maintained.

The Medway Towns, Hastings and Portsmouth
- These towns need high frequency, regular-stop, urban metro services.

Southampton Tunnel
- This tunnel should be opened out to facilitate the transport of larger freight containers from Southampton to the Midlands, thereby reducing heavy lorry traffic on the A34.

West Ealing
- This line should have a bay platform added to facilitate the Greenford Shuttle without interfering with main line capacity.

Hampshire
- Alresford-Four Marks-Alton line: The commuter service on this line should be restored.
- The Mid Hants Railway between Alresford to Winchester should be reinstated.

East of England
Cambridge
- This station needs an extra platform. This station is almost at capacity and is operationally difficult because there is only one main platform.

East Suffolk Junction
- This junction needs to be upgraded. Currently two freight tracks from the north and two passenger/freight tracks from the East Suffolk/Felixstowe branch converge into one track, leading to a serious pinch point.

The East-West project
- This project needs to go ahead. Cross-cutting improver links from Ipswich/Felixstowe/Yarmouth/Norwich/Cambridge are needed to link with Bedford, Bletchley, Oxford and Swindon and then with all radial routes north of the Thames. These are essential for freight and intra and inter-regional rail travel, possible only via London at present.

Ely
- Ely needs resignalling. Here there is a single track, usable in one direction only. It needs to be redoubled and resignalled to restore capacity and flexibility, and then linked to Ely North Junction.

Ely North Junction
- This junction is a major pinch point needing to be sorted. Two tracks from Ely Station northwards, continuing towards March and Peterborough. A single lead then gives access to two tracks to and from King’s Lynn and two more to and from Norwich.

Ipswich to London
- This line needs improved infrastructure.

Peterborough Station
- The station needs increased capacity.

Witham to Braintree
- Passing loop urgently needed at Cressing to increase frequency of service on the line.

West Midlands
Bromsgrove
- Bromsgrove needs a decent station, which would double or even treble passenger numbers.

The Cotswold Line
- This line needs signalling, track and services to be improved. Good connections at Hereford and Worcester are needed to attract current car users travelling between Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire and the South East.

Walsall
- The station needs another platform. This could allow the terminal platform to become a through route.

East Midlands
Corby
- This large Northamptonshire town needs rail service restored.

Trent Junction
- This junction needs to be resignalled to enhance capacity in the region by clearing a key bottleneck.

Leicester to Burton upon Trent
- The passenger rail link needs to be restored. At present the line only supports freight journeys.

Yorkshire & the Humber
York to Harrogate
- This line needs a facelift – an upgrade of rolling stock and extra stations.

York - Harrogate - Leeds
- Currently running at 213% capacity this line needs new rolling stock and electrification.

Airedale and Wharfedale lines (Leeds)
-More stations are required on these lines.

Leeds-Castleford
Runs overcapacity and therefore requires new rolling stock and electrification.

North East
Ashington, Blyth and Tyne line to Newcastle
- Passenger services should be introduced on this line, currently freight only, to reduce car traffic into Newcastle and help regenerate this former mining area.

The Grand Central Railway open access scheme
- Providing direct trains from Sunderland to London via Hartlepool and the Durham Coast would provide a much-needed inter-city service.

Middlesbrough/Darlington and Newcastle
- Through-trains should be introduced to improve connectivity between the main centres of the region.

Tees-port
- The loading gauge to Tees-port should be increased to support the development of a deep sea container terminal.

Wales
The Cogan to Queen Street line
- This line needs capacity increased.