Arundel chord should not proceed

Not having attended the meeting, I have no knowledge of other comments made other than those you have mentioned, but there are several reasons why this should not proceed.

Most infrastructure projects of this nature do not produce an overall benefit to the community at large and serve only to prolong existing sillinesses and subsidise big business, here train and construction companies – and banks, of course.

Such things are too often promoted with a pile of statistics bent towards green credentials, etc., but there is another pile of statistics which will show that the best bet is probably to concrete over the railway and run a dedicated bus service instead.

I do not see a mass of people who might be tempted to go to Arundel actually making the journey when they realise the distance of the town centre from the station – which they would have to walk! Or is Arundel proposing a highly-subsidised bus service? Any increased income in Arundel would be at the cost of Worthing, Brighton, etc., probably causing financial hardship in various forms there, instead.

I do not see how the chord would enable more train paths on the London/Brighton route – the Arun Valley joins the London/Brighton line at Three Bridges. The only way that can be achieved is to send more trains from Horsham via Dorking and Epsom, which possibility has already been ruled out as Network Rail has refused to rebuild, on cost grounds, the embankment alongside the Capel bypass, necessary to take any increased traffic (the embankment is sinking into mud since the trees alongside were cut down to save on maintenance – these trees were absorbing a lot of water). Hence the downgrading of the Gatwick Express dedicated service recently.

But can the existing track layout not be used more effectively?

Littlehampton will soon be resignalled, to be controlled from the new signal box at Barnham, which will also be controlling the southern end of the Arun Valley line.

Given a slick turnaround, it should be possible to route trains via Littlehampton, with little time cost. This has been done quite frequently for weekend engineering works in the recent past. Then, perhaps a relatively quick and cheap reinstatement of the third platform at Arundel would be the answer, enabling a shuttle-type service.

John Morris

Maltravers Drive

Littlehampton

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