The Wealden Line Campaign has reacted swiftly to the news that Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) chief Richard Bowker proposes concentrating maintenance and track renewal resources on Inter-City routes and "commuter lines", with 50% less work on "branch" lines and "regional" railways.

Seeking "urgent clarification", the Campaign's Director, Brian Hart said "We need to know into which category the Uckfield branch falls. Does the SRA view it as a commuter route, or a rural branch line, simply because it currently terminates in the middle of East Sussex?"

"I hope it is the former, as this line was brought to its knees by neglect in the 1980s". He added. "We are right to be alarmed because we recall how, in 1977, British Rail tried saving money by putting the Uckfield branch on what it called a 'maintenance holiday' when Labour was last in power."

This eventually led to severe speed restrictions of 20 and 30 mph being imposed on decaying sections of track, until the only choice was to axe the line completely or rationalize parts of it to a single track. Although the Wealden Line Campaign strenuously fought this proposal, BR eventually singled sections of line in 1990 which led to the fatal head-on train collision at Cowden four years later.

"We need to know exactly where we stand on this" said Mr Hart. "Although the Uckfield branch is busy early morning and evening, throughout the day it is hardly used because it no longer offers the public destinations on the South Coast, or busy commercial and shopping centres like Tunbridge Wells. Coupled to this, the SRA clearly has no idea how the area has expanded in the past 30 years -- hence our apprehension".

Mr Hart has written to Wealden MP Charles Hendry urging him to wrest a straightforward answer from Mr Bowker about the line.

"With the fast new Turbostar trains coming in this autumn, the last thing we need now is the threat of speed restrictions hanging over us. It's high time the SRA began taking the Uckfield route seriously and appreciated its strategic potential. We need the development and extension of this line, not cut-backs and more people forced onto heavily over-crowded Sussex roads." said Mr Hart.

5 August 2003