The biggest investment in our railways since Victorian times – some forty billion pounds – is currently being rolled out across the UK rail network, bring benefits to millions of passengers across the country. It will mean more trains, more seats and better stations.
Here in the Brentwood and Ongar we’re all too aware of the disruption and the ultimate benefits of these works, as the final tweaks to the Crossrail project conclude. It’s been a long haul, but the Elizabeth line will link the country's largest airport with our largest financial district, and transform the network from Shenfield to Reading.
However, on day-to-day commuting experience, I am all too aware that we suffer from intermittent track faults and problems with Greater Anglia trains (caught short by the effects on engines of the Beast from the East snow and ice, and the bankruptcy of one of their main parts suppliers).
Last week I met representatives from Network Rail, Greater Anglia and TfL at Shenfield Station to discuss our local rail system. These three organisations are responsible for the tracks, trains and stations from Ingatestone, through Shenfield and Brentwood and in to London. It was a chance for me to communicate some of the displeasure commuters express to me when journeys to work are disrupted by track and train faults. All three companies admitted they have experienced problems with train reliability and ongoing maintenance and infrastructure work but have assured me they will be ironed out as the ongoing investment in our railways continues, and they are committed to improving the rail experience for all commuters.
Replacing overhead power lines and cables from Liverpool Street out to Essex has seen weekend rail travel severely disrupted for years. I’ve been assured by Network Rail trains that for the rest of the year, trains will be running on all but a few weekends.
The beleaguered residents of Hunter Avenue in Shenfield, who have been most adversely affected by the Crossrail work, seem finally to have had most of their complaints addressed. Following a sustained campaign by residents and myself, an acoustic fence has been installed to muffle the noise of trains being stabled overnight in new sidings, and lights for those sidings have been shielded to stop sleep being disturbed by glaring light pollution.
In good news, the problems with disabled access at both Shenfield and Brentwood stations are being addressed, although they are largely dependent on being financed through Access for All funding. I will be writing to the Department of Transport to highlight the grave inequality of access to both stations for people with disabilities, and hope bids for future funding will be successful.
As always, if you have something to say about the rail services in this constituency – or anything else at all, do let me know at www.alex.burghart.org.uk.