Expanding The Railway: Today I attended this very useful seminar in York, with speakers from Department For Transport, Network Rail, Transport for the North, and Nexus. Most speakers were very positive and my own contribution during the Q&A session was to say that the Network Rail GRIP process is too long, too expensive, and needs to change. It is interesting to note our campaign to re-open the Ashington Blyth & Tyne Line is taking approximately 2 years to progress through each GRIP stage. That means 10 years to get to GRIP 5, the point at which final costs are presented and the local authority proceeds. It’s all very well for the DfT to talk about needing to get contributions from developers, but what developer can wait 10 years before he knows whether a re-opening will go ahead? Since we started campaigning for the AB&T re-opening, the former goods yard at Seaton Delaval station has been sold to a developer, the houses built, and people now living in them. And we’re only at GRIP 2. Further, the GRIP process was started under a Lib-Dem lead Council, which then changed to Labour lead, and has now changed yet again to Conservative led. We’re fortunate that all 3 parties have been committed to the scheme. But the process must be quicker, so that any political administration can see they would have a sporting chance of delivering it within the lifetime of their authority.
