Rother Valley Railway

All that happens when I click on the picture is that the whole page alternately gets bigger and smaller. I see no arrows. (But then I never do get on with this electronic flip-books. Why not a simple PDF that anyone can read on any platform?)

Correction! (before posting) I have managed once to get to the next page by clicking in the bottom corner, but I can't make that work again.

Edit: I have now found the tiny faint arrows at the top right corner.

 

I believe there is also a link to a pdf.

 

I thought it was nicely put together...and I really look forward to visiting the line once ut is easy by public transport

 

The K&ESR by public transport is actually easier than most people imagine now.
Charing Cross/ Waterloo East/ London bridge to Headcorn 2 tph, walk to end of station Road cross road. Bus Service 12 to Tenterden, Mon to Sat 2 buses per hour, Sun BH 1 bus per hour. Alight at Tenterden The Vine (this is the terminus of the bus service it U turns and goes back to Maidstone here so you can't miss the stop). Walk 400 yards down station road to Tenterden Town Station.
Coming from the coast takes a bit more planning as the bus from Rye (service 312) only runs every 2 hours Mon to Sun. It leaves from stop c outside Rye Station and also terminates at Tenterden, the Vine. On this route Tenterden is the Rye Plusbus boundary.
Both bus services are rural passing through villages and oast houses.

 

The RVR website has remined us that the TWAO come into force today - or maybe yesterday given when the item was posted.

I would imagine that the environmental studies/work will commence shortly.

 

Further to this, does this mean that the date for any (potentially expensive) judicial review has now passed?

 

Yes - that deadline expired round about the end of June. The RVR now have the statutory powers they need to carry out surveys, acquire land, construct level crossings - and build & operate the line.

 

Here is a link to the 'made' order The Rother Valley Railway (Bodiam to Robertsbridge Junction) Order 2023 (legislation.gov.uk)

 

Thanks Harold. I have skim-read most of this but cannot find anything referring to a judicial review. I assume (?!) that now the Order has come into effect that the time to request this has passed. I seem to remember reading somewhere that the time-period to request a review was three or four weeks only and that the only grounds for review were that the legal decision was somehow flawed. If that is so, then it is time to start the environmental and other assessments of the land in question.Do you know if this has started?

 

No objections/request were recieved so the order was 'made'. I know that environmental work is planned but have not heard or seen anything as yet. Most of the updates on the RVR website are concerned with work at Robertsbridge to prepare for the Engine shed.

 

Thanks for that. I do look at the RVR website regularly. Trevor Streeter does a good job.
Mike Hart posts here occasionally, so I suppose he might add something when it eventuates.

 

The deadline was mentioned in the SoS decision letter. Now that the Order is in force I’m sure RVR’ll be contacting the landowners, through their legal reps, about entering the land to carry out surveys and any matters (including accommodation crossings) either side might want to discuss before the land's taken and the works commence.

There’s no need to tell anybody, except the landowners, when surveys'll be taking place or when it is planned to take posession of the land. Simply as a matter of good faith, and future neighbourly relations, it may not be wise to say anything much about this in public until the process is concluded, whether by agreement or exercising the TWAO powers.

No doubt RVR’ll announce construction activities when they’re ready to start, and there’s plenty they may be able to do earlier on the lands they already own.

And, of course, fundraising.

 

A straightforward post that some posts on the L&B thread might take note of.

 

Well Said! No need to widely advertise what you are doing unless it impacts the Public. I would expect a lot of advance notice when level crossing are installed.

 

Exactly. The L and B thread seems to be occupied by amateur GDPR, Planning and legal experts at the moment.

 

Including ourselves I'd say

At least in the last dozen years or so RVR’ve always been pretty clear both to their members and the public what their strategy was, including that compulsory-purchase might be required as a last resort. At the same time they were able to negotiate confidentially with any landowners willing to engage with them. They also won the enthusiastic support of the local councils, MPs, Network Rail and others and engaged properly with the rightful technical concerns of the Environment Agency, National Highways, ORR etc. until it was clear (and independently confirmed by the public inquiry) that all technical issues could be resolved and that compulsory purchase was in the public interest.

Despite many delays and setbacks along the way the RVR maintained the confidence of their members & supporters and now have a well deserved reputation for competence and professionalism. The L&B Trust do not.

 

Thank you all for your kind comments posted on here and your support for the RVR project. Yes, its been a long and expensive road to get to where we are with the TWA Order now in place and having come into force gives the necessary powers to complete the railway. Preparations are well underway for an early start to the environmental survey on the yet to be built missing two and a bit mile central section of the line. The environmental investigation is an ongoing process over a period of time that, along with the arising mitigations, must all be in place before physical construction work can get underway. Meanwhile our engineers are also busily working away behind the scenes with their detailed designs of bridges, structures, etc. Plus loads of other essential preparatory stuff. Believe me with all the processes that have to be followed and executed the actually building of a railway nowadays is the 'easy' bit. Oh, and lets please leave comments concerning land issues to one side if you could please and which in are any event fully covered in detail in the published TWA Order for anyone who would like to read up on that. Mike Hart

 

Thanks Mike: brief, clear and encouraging. In the immortal words of Mr. Punch,'That's the way you do it!'

 

Thank you Mike for your very comprehensive reply. I think we all forget all the work which has to be done in the background in preperation for construction work. The TWAO documentation is very interesting reading.

 

Indeed the laying of sleepers and rails then ballast is the end bit, theres the ground surveys, the preparation, fencing, ground clearance, making good of the formation, the making good, of drainage, in some cases having to renew every bit of it to cope with modern conditions, theres far more that goes on that isnt seen on the ground, underground cable runs, and of course the background stuff, done in an office somewhere,