Norman Baker MP Member of Parliament for Lewes constituency

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2004 press releases

MP Calls on Transport Secretary to Reconsider Opening of Lewes-Uckfield Line

Lewes MP Norman Baker has reiterated his call for the re-opening of the Lewes-Uckfield railway line. Speaking on the floor of the House of Commons, Norman challenged Secretary of State for Transport, Alistair Darling to use the new Community Rail Strategy to achieve the reopening of lines, including Lewes-Uckfield. Small schemes such as this proposed reopening which already has the necessary infrastructure in place, would require relatively little capital expenditure, and would bring substantial relief to both existing rail and road capacity.

Speaking during the debate Norman said:

“The scheme makes absolute sense. An independent study commissioned by the county council recently established that the trackbed has been largely maintained, so it would be very easy, comparatively speaking, to reopen that line. Yet it seems impossible to achieve anything with the rail industry that would make progress towards that end. Why is it so difficult to secure the reopening of a railway line which is supported by everybody in the local community, which is relatively low cost and which would bring tremendous economic, social and environmental benefits?”

After the debate, Norman said

“Reopening these seven miles of railway between Lewes and Uckfield would come at low cost, yet would yield high returns, both for local people and for the environment. Ding nothing makes absolutely no sense.

“The Strategic Rail Authority has spent too much time trying to deliver just one or two large and expensive projects instead of making real progress on a variety of smaller scale projects such as the Lewes-Uckfield line which would bring real and achievable benefits and at a fraction of the cost. Moreover, with climate change representing the gravest threat to the planet today, and with transport emissions contributing significantly towards this and threatening to run out of control, the government cannot afford to ignore the imperative of making a clear modal shift from the roads and internal flights to cleaner and greener forms of transport such as the train.

“The reinstatement of the Lewes-Uckfield line represents one of my greatest ambitions. I’ve been fighting for this for 15 years and I intend to continue to press for it in my capacity as the area’s local MP until I see a bottle of champagne wetting the head of the first train to travel down the line since 1969.”

 

A relevant section of Norman’s debate is attached

Norman Baker (Lewes) (LD)
 
25 Nov 2004
In principle, the Government's community rail strategy is sensible. It has to be right to try to encourage greater use of branch lines and it is right to involve the communities that those lines serve to try to increase patronage. The famous example is the Carlisle to Settle railway. There had, over many years, been an attempt to cut that line by closing stations and winding down the operation, but it was successfully turned around. Perhaps that is the model that the Government have in mind. I say to them, however, that I hope that this is not Beeching by the back door, a last chance for communities to demonstrate that their lines can make a fist of it economically. If it is Beeching by the back door, the Minister will face a mountain of resistance from local communities. This country wants an expansion of the rail network, not a contraction, and I hope that that message will be heard.

The community rail strategy should not simply be defensive, identifying existing lines and stations that might be boosted by being given greater patronage. A strategy worth its salt would also seek to reopen stations and lines. The Government ought to be identifying, say, 100 cheap schemes—cheap in railway terms—which could be implemented, bringing significant benefits to local communities. I can give the Minister a couple of examples from my constituency, with which, obviously, I am more familiar than elsewhere. There are three stations at Newhaven, all of which are run down, untidy and unwelcoming. They are an embarrassment for people who come from France on the Dieppe ferry. They have no car parking; they have no proper public transport interchange. It would be possible to have one brand new station, realised, to a large extent, from the disposal of assets from the other stations, so it need not even cost a great deal. However, our atomised rail industry seems incapable of delivering that. That is the sort of small scheme, which would benefit not many people but a lot of my constituency, that the Government should be promoting up and down the country.

There are many such schemes. There is a head of steam—no pun intended—building up for the reopening of the Lewes-Uckfield railway line, which is supported by the hon. Members for Brighton, Pavilion (Mr.   Lepper) and for Brighton, Kemptown (Dr.   Turner) on the Labour Benches, by the hon. Member for Wealden (Charles Hendry) on the Conservative Benches—he has been very active—by myself, for the Liberal Democrats, and by all local councillors, irrespective of political party. The scheme makes absolute sense.

An independent study commissioned by the county council recently established that the track bed has been largely maintained, so it would be very easy, comparatively speaking, to reopen that line. Yet it seems impossible to achieve anything with the rail industry that would make progress towards that end. Why is it so difficult to secure the reopening of a railway line which is supported by everybody in the local community, which is relatively low cost and which would bring tremendous economic, social and environmental benefits?