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Category: NABO Responses
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Network Rail is proposing to upgrade the rail lines to the east of the town of Huddersfield to Westtown (Dewsbury). The scheme is a key part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade, which consists of targeted upgrades to the rail network to increase capacity, improve reliability and accessibility and reduce journey times, both within this corridor and between Manchester, Leeds and York.

The Transpennine Route Upgrade is part of the Great North Rail Project.The scheme is known as East West Rail Western Section Phase 2

The scheme is focused on 13 kilometres of railway between Huddersfield and just west of Dewsbury, most of which is currently dual track. Currently, this dual-track status limits the number of trains that can run between the two towns, with significant operational constraints throughout the scheme.

The intent of the scheme is to upgrade 11.5 kilometres of this stretch of the railway to four tracks. To accommodate the additional tracks, there is a requirement to improve the stations at Huddersfield, Mirfield and Deighton and relocate and rebuild the station at Ravensthorpe. The scope of the scheme also includes full electrification and an upgraded signalling system.

The scope includes a rebuild of the existing bridge over the Huddersfiled Broad Canal, and the rebuild of the exisiting viaduct span over the Aire and Calder navigation and Calder River.

The consultation can be viewed here:

The NABO response is here

As a statutory consultee, NABO is asked to comment on the proposals.

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Category: EA and others
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This was held yesterday, 10th October 2019, at the Henley River and Rowing Museum. The first issue was the approval of the proposed RTA Annual Report for the previous year. It was felt, however, that this concentrated too much on the problems RTA had been experiencing and failed to highlight some of the positive work undertaken, especially that relating to moorings and the Thames All Party Parliamentary Group. The latter, chaired by John Howell OBE the MP for Henley is well supported by the relevant MPS and is sponsored and serviced by RTA. The meeting agreed to ask for the annual report to be re-drafted by the RTA Directors and sent around RTA members present at the AGM for approval.

Read more: River Thames Alliance 2019 AGM

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Category: NN Chairman's Column
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Chair, Stella Ridgway, has had an eventful time in the High Peak.

Since my last missive, it all started with rain; lots and lots of rain. On July 29th, we noticed a video on Facebook of Toddbrook reservoir overtopping - hardly surprising considering the amount of rain we’d experienced. The canal was so full that the water was level with the bank and CRT opened sluice gates near us to feed water into the River Goyt. On Thursday morning, 1st August, the local news said that Whaley Bridge was being evacuated; all excitement and apprehension. Toddbrook reservoir supplies the Peak Forest canal and is the top feeder for the Cheshire Ring. If it flooded, it would take out the Whaley Bridge shops, the railway station, the school, houses, the basin and any boats in Whaley Bridge, plus Tesco, the new B&M near to the aqueduct on Bugsworth Arm and the one at Furness Vale. Although the police advised boaters to leave their boats, we studied all the projections and, while there might have been a slight surge, the river and floodplain would have taken the full impact. Videos on local Facebook groups showed the river at 14-15 feet above its normal level on the Wednesday and there had already been evacuations due to the river flooding. But on Thursday this had dropped seven or eight feet as the Environment Agency managed levels further upstream and downstream. All traffic was stopped going through New Mills, the A6 was closed and there were no Buxton trains; it was quiet.

Read more: Keep your chinook up

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Category: Other Live Issues
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Shepreth Wildlife Park and the online rope company, Buy Rope, are requesting donations of natural fibre rope for the Park’s two Sumatran tigers, Kelabu and Ratna. The Park has been home to the two tigers, since they were transferred from Chessington World of Adventures in March this year. The park is also home to meerkats, macaques, emus, caiman and lynx. With numbers of Sumatran tigers in the wild estimated at between 300 and 500, Ratna (aged 16) was part of a breeding programme to keep the critically endangered tigers alive in captivity. Now retired from breeding, she lives at Shepreth with her daughter Kelabu (aged 11).

Rope is used to keep the tigers stimulated and encourages natural behaviour, which has a positive effect on their physical and mental health. Buy Rope was first approached by Shepreth in May and has since donated two large coir boat fenders, which have been a big hit with Kelabu in particular. Donations of old boat rope will help the park to continue to provide innovative enrichment, including the creation of a tiger-sized cat scratch-post!

Read more: Tigers need your old boat rope!