Stratford line thwarted

Further to the mentioning of Stratford Parkway underperforming ( Analysis, RAIL 834), it comes as no surprise to those of us who live in Stratfordupon-Avon.

When the idea was put forward by Warwickshire County Council, many said that the station was neither necessary nor wanted. At a packed meeting in the town hall, all bar one person spoke out against it, stating it would be a white elephant to cover up another council blunder in the form of the northern park and ride scheme.

Despite extensive research stating that it would be a great success, the passenger figures speak for themselves - it’s a total waste of public money, and at a cost of over £8 million there is very little to show for it.

At that town hall meeting, a member of the public mentioned the Stratford-Honeybourne railway line and was promptly slapped down.

Fast forward to a recent edition of RAIL, and an article on that very subject described the reopening as a no-brainer and Warwickshire County Council’s lack of support as inexplicable.

The council has thwarted every attempt made to try and get this scheme up and running. It even signed off a 50% reduction in through trains between Stratford and London, so that Chiltern had the capacity to run new services to Oxford - it seems Warwickshire County Council is more concerned about Oxford getting a better service than Stratford.

With over 4,000 new homes to be built at Long Marston and a new green village, it is now planning yet another road. Any other local authority would be working flat out to get this link restored - is there a hidden agenda? Steve Price, Stratford-upon-Avon