News archive 2000-01

News stories going back to the site's launch in April 2000

13 December 2001 - Uckfield-Lewes rail bus to be axed

The campaign has learnt that the rail bus link between Uckfield and Lewes, which was inaugurated by Connex in the summer of 2000, is to be withdrawn in late January next year. Although the service had wider objectives than simply restoring a rail-operated link between the two towns, it was seen by many as the precursor of restored train services. Running from station to station, the service was far more convenient than other buses, and with rail tickets being honoured, it re-integrated the Uckfield line with the coastal routes for the first time since 1969.

Campaign Director Brian Hart said: "While this is obviously disappointing news for those who have come to rely on the service, it is yet another demonstration of the fact that many who might use a train are not prepared to use a bus."

10 December 2001 - Meeting at Uckfield Civic Centre

Rail chiefs, representatives from several local authorities, the Rail Passengers' Committee, transport consultants and the Wealden Line Campaign met for private discussions on the future of the Wealden Line project. In wide-ranging talks, which lasted until nine o'clock that evening, broad areas of agreement emerged and the meeting ended on a very positive note. One of the key themes was that effective transport links were vital for the local economy.

Sharing in the optimistic mood, Campaign Director Brian Hart said: "Although this was a 'closed' meeting, I can certainly say that the talks we have had today have been useful in laying the groundwork for further developments." He is now preparing for a series of fresh meetings carrying on into the new year, which the campaign hopes will maintain the present momentum.

31 October 2001 - Campaign takes its case to SEERA

Accompanied by a delegation that included representation from several local authorities and Wendy Toms of the Southern England RPC, Campaign Director Brian Hart put the case for the Wealden Main Line in a presentation to the South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA) Regional Transport Director Martin Tugwell.

Mr Hart said: "I was extremely grateful to have the opportunity of meeting Mr Tugwell, who had specifically requested a presentation by the campaign on its objectives for improving rail services across this part of the South East Region.

Having outlined the reasons for the line's destruction in the 1960s by the road builders in Lewes, I put forward strong arguments for the regeneration of the whole line from the Sussex Coast at Newhaven to London. This includes both routes - via Tonbridge/Sevenoaks and Oxted/Croydon. Support for the initiative is growing among councils on the route, not only for Lewes and Wealden District, but also centres like Tunbridge Wells.

I have grave concerns that the SRA, Govia and Railtrack still do not recognise the importance of this route, which is why the support of SEERA is going to be so critical. Unless the line is extended, upgraded and integrated back into the regional network, I'm afraid the prospects for rail travel in the South East - and the quality of life generally - will to deteriorate even further."

Following the meeting, there are now hopes that the Wealden Main Line proposals will be incorporated into SEERA's Strategic Transport Plan, whose publication is expected in January or February 2002.

13 September 2001 - South Central chiefs meet the "committee"

A team of South Central managers have attended the latest meeting of the new "steering committee" (see below). They confirmed that South Central would be pursuing electrification of the Uckfield line at top speed, with a view to completing the work in 2004. In a new development, they also indicated that they would contemplate obtaining fresh diesel units as an emergency stopgap, though they stressed that in no sense was this to be seen as an alternative to electrification plans.

Although we have been critical of Govia's (South Central's parent company) bid for the South Central franchise in the past, now that the new franchise holder is in place, we are ready to work constructively with them. In this respect the meeting was very encouraging since the South Central team emphasised that they too are prepared to "wipe the slate clean" and develop the route. It is clear that this includes taking an open minded approach to the wider issue of the Wealden Main Line proposals.

Other points of note were:

- The current four local authorities (East Sussex County Council, Wealden District Council, Lewes District Council, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council) on the committee will soon grow to six, with the participation of Malling and Sevenoaks District Councils.

- Steps are also being taken to involve Kent County Council and local authorities in Surrey.

- Four local MPs have agreed to work together to support the Wealden Line project for the first time. They are: Norman Baker (Lewes), Charles Hendry (Wealden), Archie Norman (Tunbridge Wells) and Sir John Stanley (Tunbridge and Malling).

- The committee is considering the employment of a paid secretary, to work exclusively on the campaign.

- A further meeting has been scheduled for October.

26 August 2001 - Govia takes over

After several false starts, the new franchise holder Govia took over from Connex. Initially it will operate under the temporary brand name "South Central", which will tide things over during the transitional period before the company is ready to launch its "definitive" brand name: "New Southern Railway".

25 July 2001 - Strategy meeting at Uckfield

The Rail Passengers Committee convened a strategy meeting that brought together the Wealden Line Campaign's (WLC) Brian Hart, local authorities from Kent and East Sussex, other interest parties and the RPC itself. Although it has not been formally named, the move represented the formation of a new "steering committee" which will act to promote the Wealden Line. The meeting provided a useful opportunity to review the current situation and raise a wide variety of issues.

Particular points to note were:

- With the current rolling in very poor condition and no replacement diesels available, early electrification is essential, a fact fully recognised by Govia.

- Govia will only proceed with electrification of the Uckfield line on a single track basis. The resignalling required for a double track scheme is "too costly". However, the "committee" will be writing to the SRA and Railtrack requesting that nothing be done to preclude redoubling in future.

- Govia's projected service on an electrified Uckfield line would provide more frequent trains off-peak, but the same frequencies in peak times due to the lack of capacity on the single track.

- All parties at the meeting supported the WLC's concept of a restored Wealden Main Line including both the Lewes-Uckfield and the Eridge-Tunbridge Wells sections. Such a route should be built to main line standards, rather than as a branch line or light rail scheme.

- The benefits of linking with the Seaford branch were particularly noted. It was recognised that by providing Newhaven and Seaford with a direct link to London and creating a variety of new travel opportunities, local people would enjoy substantial economic, social and environmental gains.

- There was general support for the idea of broadening the campaign by involving more local authorities along the route of the projected Wealden Main Line.

- The "committee" will be seeking a "high-powered champion" to help involve MPs in the campaign and ensure that ministers are fully aware of the issues.

- A further meeting was agreed for 9 August.

12 July 2001 - Bypass bombshell

Plans to build two bypasses for Hastings, East Sussex, have today been rejected by the government as a result of the UK's first "Multi-Modal Transport Study". Instead, transport minister John Spellar indicated that backing would be given to a package of rail and bus improvements for the area.

One possible development is an Ore-Bexhill metro rail service; another is a new station a Glyne Gap, between St Leonards and Bexhill. At the same time, Mr Spellar drew attention to the fact that Govia has agreed to proceed with electrification of the Ore-Ashford route and to study "the scope for further improvements".

"Although no new public money is being made available and the government denies that the decision indicates a general shift in policy," said Campaign Director Brian Hart, "it would be nice to think that it does mark a new awareness that road schemes are not always the answer."

5 July 2001 - Work continues behind the scenes

Intense behind-the-scenes campaigning has continued in the wake of the June elections. In addition to working closely with local councillors and MPs, Campaign Director Brian Hart has written to the SRA, with proposals that could yet allow the best parts of Connex's South Central bid to be saved. In particular he has called for serious consideration to be given to allowing Connex South Eastern to extend Tunbridge Wells services to the coast via Uckfield and Lewes.

In a separate development, Toby de Burgh of the SRA recently conceded that initial cost estimates put forward by his organisation for a rebuilt Wealden Line were likely to have been excessive. In a letter to Brian Hart he stated that "a fair price for the reinstatement works would fall between your estimates and those worked up by Railtrack".

"We hope that there will soon be a robust set of figures that all parties can agree on," said Mr Hart. "Once we have those, it will much easier to get the project moving forward again."

7 June 2001 - National and local elections held in East Sussex

Norman Baker was returned as MP for Lewes with an increased majority and Charles Hendry became the new member for Wealden, replacing Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith, who has retired. Both these MPs support the Wealden Line Campaign and we look forward to working with them in the new parliament.

The elections for East Sussex County Council held on the same day saw the council change hands, with control passing from the Liberal Democrats to Conservatives. One of four Liberal Democrats who lost their seats was Uckfield's Mike Skinner, who was narrowly defeated after a closely fought contest. Although he will continue to be active on Uckfield Town Council, he will be sorely missed at Lewes and we pay tribute to the support he has given the Campaign over the years.

26 May 2001 - Govia may seek early electrification

Unconfirmed reports from sources close to the rail industry suggest that Govia has decided to begin work on the electrification of the Uckfield Line as soon as possible after it takes over the South Central franchise on 23 June. This appears to mark a radical change of direction by the company, which had previously put a "1-7 year" timescale on the project, with the implication that a longer timescale was more likely.

We understand that the move has been prompted by the poor condition of the present DEMU stock, combined with the difficulty of finding suitable diesel replacements. To facilitate the rapid completion of the project, plans to restore the route to double track have been shelved; electric trains will use the present track layout, including Uckfield's single track terminus.

So as not to prejudice future improvements to the route, however, the electrification works will be constructed clear of the double track formation. Substantial modifications will be required to the existing signalling on the route, which is not presently compatible with electric traction.

Reacting to the reports, Campaign Director Brian Hart said,"while it is disappointing that we will still only have a single track railway, at least this move should help to dispel much of the uncertainty over the future of the Uckfield line."

22-23 May 2001 - RPC holds public meetings

The Rail Passengers Committee (RPC), Southern England held two public meetings at Lewes. Guests included representatives of Govia, Connex, local authorities, Railtrack, the SRA and Brian Hart of the Wealden Line Campaign.

Predictably, high levels of public interest meant that the campaign for a new Wealden Line was a prominent theme over both days, despite the fact that the evening session on the first day was intended to focus on current train services. On the second day, wider issues, such as the future for rail in East Sussex were explored and Brian Hart delivered a short address - full text available - outlining the Wealden Line Campaign's position. The warm reception this received demonstrated the strong public support for the campaign.

One particularly frustrating aspect of the meeting was the suggestion that had the South Central franchise come up for renewal this year rather than last, improved performance in recent months by Connex would have seen the decision go their way - with the implementation of their 20:20 Vision plan (see January 2000, below). One of the key feature of this was a completely restored Wealden Line.

Another snippet to emerge was the possibility that the present DEMU stock (classes 205 and 207) will not now be modified with "cup and cone" anti-overriding equipment. If this is the case, then it will have to be withdrawn from service well before 2004 and replacement diesel stock introduced. Although the scrapping of the present fleet would be very welcome in itself, it is important to ensure that the advent of new diesel stock does not become an excuse for electrification plans to be delayed or even abandoned.

So far as current thinking on this project is concerned, there are disturbing indications that a single track solution is currently the most likely. With the serious pathing problems inherent in any such scheme, this would effectively rule out the prospect of the Uckfield stump even having a decent service to London.

Although the fact that the meetings took place at all must be viewed as a positive development, very little that was concrete emerged. Indeed, both the SRA and the rail companies appeared noticeably cautious and non-committal on the Wealden Line issue.

Needless to say, when the forthcoming elections are over, the Wealden Line Campaign will be resuming its lobbying with renewed vigour.

"We owe it to our supporters in the community", said Brian Hart. "When you see the backing we had from local people at those meetings, you know that you've got to keep on fighting."

11 May 2001 - Campaign Director Brian Hart attended a meeting in Uckfield which brought together the Wealden Line Campaign, East Sussex County Council, Councillor Mike Skinner and transport consultants Mott MacDonald.

The meeting had been called for by Mott MacDonald who are investigating the costs of reopening for both the County Council and train operator Govia. They were particularly interested in looking at a new financial study carried out on behalf of the Campaign. This has cast serious doubts on the validity of earlier SSRA costings for reopening the two closed sections of line.

The fact that the County Council has engaged Motts to carry out a detailed study of the project must be seen an encouraging development, albeit still a tentative one. During the course of the meeting it also became clear that the County Council has begun to realise the potential of a new Wealden Line as a gateway to a revived Port of Newhaven. This has assumed new importance with the final agreement on the renewal of year-round ferry services to Dieppe.

While stressing the need to remain cautious, Brian Hart welcomed what he described as the "positive and constructive atmosphere" of the meeting.

14 April 2001 - Newhaven Harbour has finally been sold. On 11 April the Seine Maritime region and Sea Containers subsidiary Ferry and Port Holdings Ltd reached agreement on the sale after protracted negotiations.

Under the terms of the agreement, Seine Maritime's Societe d’Economie Mixte Locale de Cooperation Transmanche ("Transmanche") takes over ownership of the ferry port and becomes the new port authority. This will open the way for an all-year freight and coach service by the ferry Sardinia Vera which will also carry car and foot passengers when the seasonal Hoverspeed service is not running.

Newhaven has been without a year-round link with Dieppe ever since P&O Stena pulled out of the route in early 1999. The resumption of regular cross Channel services strengthens the case for giving the port a direct rail link to London - but the lack of capacity on existing local routes means this cannot be achieved without the Wealden Line.

4 April 2001 - The Wealden Line Campaign has learnt of a possible new threat to the Uckfield station site. Rail industry sources have suggested that the present owners, Rail Property, may transfer the site to Railtrack which could then attempt to sell it for non-railway development.

Clearly this could seriously prejudice the prospects of reopening. We are investigating this issue urgently, and will vigorously oppose any plans of this nature.

13 March 2001 - The Strategic Rail Authority launches its "Strategic Agenda", welcomed by transport minister Lord Macdonald as "an important milestone". According to the minister, the document sets out how the SRA is "taking forward the task of developing a safer, bigger and better railway" in line with the government's "10 year plan".

There is little comfort in the report for those interested in the future of the Uckfield line, however, which is mentioned on page 74. Not only is it wrongly described as the "East Grinstead - Uckfield" line, something which has never existed, but the electrification timescale is now put at between "1-7" years. In the worst case then, the line could remain diesel operated until 2008!

Dualling the route and reopening from Uckfield to Lewes are both classified as topics "for study" in conjunction with Govia, with possible completion within "7-10" years.

Reacting to the news, Campaign Director Brian Hart said, "this news is disappointing but not surprising. Unfortunately, it's becoming clear that the SRA is either unable or unwilling to provide the vision needed to make the Wealden Line a reality."

15 February 2001 - As planned, Campaign Director Brian Hart met local authority transport planners, Southern England Rail Passengers Committee and Govia representatives and Councillor Mike Skinner at Uckfield Civic Centre on 13 February. Although we had hoped that this meeting would help to establish a framework for progress on reopening, it ended without agreement.

However we did learn from Govia that:

1) They will probably take over from Connex in June this year.

2) The prospective date for the completion of electrification is still (mid) 2004.

3) It has not been decided whether it will be double or single track, although the latter is believed to be the narrow favourite.

4) They do not have any plans for interim diesel rolling stock to replace the present trains before 2004.

5) While they plan to consider the merits of Uckfield-Lewes reopening, they have no interest at all in restoring the link from Eridge to Tunbridge Wells.

Brian Hart commented that: "Whilst we feel that this approach is overly cautious and frankly, disappointing, at least we now know where Govia stands - even if we don't like it."

There was also disappointment at the stance of the local authority transport planners, who were not able to endorse the Campaign's proposals to regenerate the route.

On a brighter note, Councillor Skinner challenged the figure of £100m which the SRA (Strategic Rail Authority) had put on the Uckfield-Lewes reopening. He stated that the true figure, based on "robust estimates" was nearer £15m. Needless to say, we welcome his comments.

Attention will now focus on the planned meeting at Westminster.

30 January 2001 - Campaign Director Brian Hart will meet local authority representatives and other interested parties at Uckfield on 13 February, to seek ways to move forward with electrification of the Uckfield line and the establishment of a Lewes - Tunbridge Wells through-route. The meeting, organised by County Councillor and Mayor of Uckfield, Mike Skinner, is in addition to earlier plans to meet with local MPs at Westminster.

17 January 2001 - Through industry sources, the Campaign has learnt that Govia is not now prepared to finance a double-track electrification scheme for the Uckfield - Hurst Green route without further SSRA funding. In turn, they require guarantees that this would be justified. Naturally, we believe that the best - perhaps the only - way to make the case for double-track electrification is to restore the line as a through-route, reopening the section from Uckfield to Lewes.

In conjunction with the Southern England Rail Passengers Committee (RPC), the Campaign is now working to organise a meeting of all interested parties. Hopefully taking place at the House of Commons within the next few weeks, it will bring together MPs, councillors and local transport groups and serve as a launchpad for a renewed high-profile campaign to secure a long-term future for the Wealden Line.

1 December 2000 - The former Uckfield station site is again at risk from inappropriate development. The latest threat comes from plans to squeeze a doctors' surgery, an engineering workshop, sheltered accommodation and a new road into the former station and goods yard area.

Needless to say, these plans are completely at odds with current proposals to reopen the Uckfield - Lewes link. If they went ahead, any future rail development on the site would be severely restricted or even completely impossible: the new road, for example, would require a extra level crossing cutting across the present platforms!

The planning application is currently with Wealden District Council. Anyone who wishes to object to it has until 27 December to voice their concerns. If you would like more information, call the council on (01892) 653311.

25 November 2000 - Despite bad weather, the Campaign's AGM at Uckfield Civic Centre was well attended. Over 50 members heard Campaign Director Brian Hart give his report on the past year, which had begun with a highly promising initiative from Connex and ended with new obstacles being placed in the way of reopening. Although he acknowledged that much work now lay ahead, Mr Hart remained optimistic that the campaign would achieve its goal of seeing both the Uckfield - Lewes and Eridge - Tunbridge Wells routes rejoin the national rail network.

The meeting also heard local County Councillor and Mayor of Uckfield Mike Skinner's views on the latest developments. He particularly stressed the importance of reopening the Eridge - Tunbridge Wells link as part of any scheme to revive the Wealden Line. Once Eurostar trains moved to the new Channel Tunnel Rail Link, much trackspace on their present route into London would be freed up; the Eridge link would allow Wealden Line trains to use this, thus avoiding the congested Brighton line altogether.

Councillor Skinner also told the meeting that East Sussex County Council would be challenging the latest costings from the SSRA. In his view, the quoted figure of £100m for Eridge - Tunbridge Wells was far too high.

23 November 2000 - Demolition of the former Uckfield station is under way. After 10 years of disuse and many more of neglect before the trains stopped running, the building was in very poor condition. The target of constant vandalism including arson, it was also infested with dry rot and would have required £250,000 of repairs.

Whilst the Campaign regrets the loss of this local landmark, which was twice unsuccessfully proposed for listed building status, its demolition does NOT have any implications for the reopening of the Lewes - Uckfield link.

October - November 2000 - We now understand that Govia is proposing an electrification date for the Uckfield line of 2004 rather than 2002, with the possibility of double track now merely under consideration. This means that if the present trains continue in use until that date, the oldest of them will be 47 years old.

The Campaign has also received information that the SSRA has put the cost of reopening just 4.5 miles of track from Eridge to Tunbridge Wells at £100m. Needless to say, we are highly sceptical of this figure and will be raising serious questions as to exactly how they arrived at it.

24 October 2000 - The SSRA announces that Govia has won the new franchise for the South Central area. Although the company states that it will consider the case for reopening the Uckfield - Lewes link, unlike Connex, Govia has made no commitment to do so.

While we are naturally disappointed by the result of this bidding process, our campaign will continue. Over the forthcoming weeks and months, we shall be working with local leaders, the SSRA and Govia itself to put the case for the Wealden Line.

"We are not going to let this project be kicked into the long grass again," said Campaign Director Brian Hart.

20 August 2000 - Based on reliable reports from industry sources, we can now confirm that plans are underway to restore the Uckfield line to double track and electrify it.

The projected completion date for the scheme, which will provide for full 12-car trains, is May 2002.

As soon as further details are available, they will be posted here.

19 August 2000 - 44 people took part in our annual Uckfield to Lewes walk, following the route of the dormant railway. Entitled "Uckfield to Lewes - On Track for Reopening" the walk started from Uckfield Old Station at 10.15, arriving at Lewes around 4.30. This year, for the first time, participants had the convenient option of returning to Uckfield on the "Coach Connex" bus link.

As in previous years, our walk formed part of East Sussex County Council's guided walks summer programme, "Exploring East Sussex". A leaflet giving full details is available from libraries and Tourist Information Centres across the county.

12 August 2000 - Unconfirmed reports indicate that Railtrack intends to upgrade and electrify the Uckfield line with sufficient power being available for full 12-car trains. According to these reports, completion of the project is scheduled for late next summer.

We will investigate whether this information is correct.

4 July 2000 - Campaign Director Brian Hart officially launches this site.

23 June 2000 - In an adjournment debate in Parliament, Lewes MP Norman Baker expressed his strong support for the reopening of the Uckfield-Lewes link and called for Connex's bid for the new franchise to be taken seriously.

Though he accepted that Connex was "far from perfect", he warned that without any commitment reopening, the rival Govia bid contained "nothing much for East Sussex". He also contrasted the openness of Connex with the extreme difficulty of getting information from Govia , which he said was like"getting blood from a stone".

14 June 2000 - The campaign learns that the SSRA will be seeking a commitment by the new South Central franchise holder to apply for a Transport and Works Act order providing for the reopening of the Lewes-Uckfield line. We applaud this decision.

Because of the need for this legislation, it is not possible for a direct commitment to be made to reopen the route. Why is this? In short, because there is no absolute guarantee which way members of Parliament will vote.

5 June 2000 - Connex introduces "Coach Connex" bus link between Uckfield and Lewes, connecting with Uckfield line trains. The service is hourly with a journey time of 40 minutes. Rail tickets are valid on the buses which are fully accessible to people with special needs.

April - May 2000 - The Campaign learns that the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority (SSRA) is not insisting that the Wealden Line be revived as part of new franchise agreement for the Connex South Central area.

Our Director, Brian Hart, calls for the SSRA to reconsider its decision in the light of the favourable studies already carried out on the route. He receives strong support from Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith MP (Wealden) and Councillor Mike Skinner (East Sussex County Council, Uckfield).

16 April 2000 - The Wealden Line Campaign launches this new website.

19 January 2000 - Connex announces "20:20 Vision", a £1bn, 20 year investment programme which would see the Wealden Line restored as major through route.