Protesters huff and puff over steam railway extension
Farmers fear fields will be cut off while motorists say level crossing over A-road will add to congestion
WITH the promise of thousands of visitors bringing jobs and income to the area, a plan to reopen a stretch of steam railway across East Sussex would normally attract enthusiastic support.
The Rother Valley heritage line has won the support of several benefactors for plans to build a two-mile extension linking its tracks to the national rail network, with one anonymous donor contributing £4 million to the project.
But in its path stand two farming families who say they are not prepared to give up the fields they have tended for generations in order to allow the new stretch of line to be built.
They face the prospect of having the land compulsorily purchased in order to make way for the track linking the villages of Bodiam and Robertsbridge.
Added to the complication of reopening a line that shut in 1961 is the fact it would require a level crossing to be erected across the A21 linking the M25 to Hastings and Tunbridge Wells.
Emma Ainslie, who runs Moat Farm, near Robertsbridge, with her husband Alexander, said the line would cut through their meadows. “It would cut us in half, with only one small crossing into the meadow, stranding our ani- mals when it floods,” she said. “On top of that it’s utterly ridiculous for it to cross the A21. It would cause all sorts of problems for motorists. It’s madness.”
Also opposing the scheme are the Hoad family, who say that the new stretch of line would eat up 12 acres of their land at Parsonage Farm and make other fields difficult to reach. Andrew Hoad told local councillors it would have a serious impact on the viability of the business. “We can remember when the line was in operation and know of the difficulties it presented to our forebears,” he said.
The project was given planning permission by Rother district council last year, in the face of opposition from Amber Rudd, the former home secretary and MP for Hastings, and Greg Clark, the MP for Tunbridge Wells.
If the Department for Transport approves the plan, work will begin on reinstating a short stretch of line, allowing passengers on the main network to change on to steam trains from Robertsbridge to Tenterden.
The plan’s supporters reject the claim the line would lead to an increase in congestion. Trevor Streeter, of the Rother Valley Railway, said: “The level crossing would be near to an existing pedestrian crossing, which stops the traffic far more frequently, 365 days a year, than the train ever would. We would only run 10 round trips a day, with the level crossing operating for two minutes for each one, and none of the trips would be during rush-hour.”
The railway said completing the route would lead to an influx of thousands more visitors. It estimated the line would carry 50,000 passengers a year. According to an independent assessment it would generate £4.1million for the local economy and create an estimated 70 jobs.