The Handley Partnership Contents

1.0 Introduction 1.1 Instruction and Scope 2

2.0 The Station – Location, Access & Cost 3 2.1 Historical Context 3 2.2 Operational Layout 3 2.3 Site Constraints 3 2.4 Access 3 2.5 Cost of Construction 4

3.0 The case for re-opening station 5 3.1 Present work-related travel patterns in the Ampthill area 5 3.2 Why choose the train? 7 3.3 How much extra time is required for the Ampthill stop? 8 3.4 Ampthill station as a public transport hub 9 Route 1 Ampthill Town – Ampthill Station. Route 2 Ampthill Town - Ampthill Station – – Ridgmont Station. Route 3 Ampthill Town – Ampthill Station – Millbrook Proving Ground – Millbrook Station – Marston Moretaine. Route 4 Ampthill Station – Ampthill Town – – – Shefford – Clifton – – Station - – Baldock Station – Baldock Town 3.5 How many people will use the station 12 3.5.1 Existing Rail Users 11 3.5.2 New users commuting from Ampthill 11 3.5.3 Commuting to Ampthill 13 3.5.4 Total usage 12

4.0 Conclusions 14 4.1 Physical Matters 13 4.2 Service Frequency 13 4.3 Potential Usage 15 4.4 Bus Links 13 4.5 Foot & Cycle Access 14 4.6 Potential Local Transport Plan Implications 16

Appendix 1 – Photographs 17

 The Handley Partnership, 2004

The Re-opening of Ampthill Station – Pre-feasibility Study 1 The Handley Partnership 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Instruction and Scope

The following report has been produced following an instruction from

Ampthill Town Council.

The scope of the instruction was that an assessment of the potential usage of

a new station in Ampthill should be assessed and that potential sites and

costs of construction for the station should be established. At this stage of

the assessment of the project, no particular sites are to be identified and,

therefore, the general feasibility or otherwise of the proposal only is to be

investigated.

In addition to the reinstatement of the station, options for connecting bus

services have also been assessed.

Should it be decided that the project should proceed, then the next stage in

its development would be to carry out a far more detailed assessment of

potential sites and costs of construction. This would need to be done in

partnership with landowners and other interested agencies.

The Re-opening of Ampthill Station – Pre-feasibility Study 2 The Handley Partnership 2.0 The Station – Location, Access & Cost 2.1 Historical Context

Ampthill is a small town with a population of around 7000. Its station on the

Midland Main Line was opened in 1868 and closed in 1959. Since the closure

of the station, the former site has been redeveloped as a light industrial site

and the access road from the station to the town centre has been breached

by a new alignment of the (Ampthill bypass).

2.2 Operational Layout

At Ampthill the railway comprises four tracks - two fast lines and two slow

lines. The tracks are aligned with the up and down fast and slow tracks being

adjacent to each other. This means that to adequately serve all options a

platform face is required for each track.

2.3 Site Constraints

To the north of the original station site the line passes into a tunnel and to

its south it is built on a substantial embankment. These constraints mean

that reconstruction of the station in any location other than its original site

will be very difficult and will add very considerably to the cost of the works

and the potential disruption to rail traffic. It is therefore recommended that

any new station should be located on the site of the original facility.

2.4 Access

As noted above, the road to the station from the town has been severed.

Further work is required to determine the best ways to access the station and

to prevent undue disruption to the existing users of the land adjacent to the

station site. A range of options exist to provide alternative accesses and land

for parking and other station facilities, but the investigations of these does

not form part of the scope of this study.

The Re-opening of Ampthill Station – Pre-feasibility Study 3 The Handley Partnership

In determining the most effective access point for the station and its

facilities, the following points should be considered:

1) Efficient bus access between the station and town will be required (the

bus route suggestions set out in this report assume that linkage along

the former station road will be possible)

2) The location of new car parking facilities is less critical in terms of

accessibility than that of bus facilities. Links between the

redevelopment of the station and the release of other land for

employment uses may present options.

2.5 Cost of Construction

Given that site selection is not part of the scope of this study, it is difficult to

make estimates for this for the cost of the works. However, based on analysis

of other similar developments and the potential benefits that the project

could bring in terms of the development of other land, it would seem

reasonable that the station could be rebuilt for between £5m and £10m. A

more detailed assessment of the cost of construction can be made following

further analysis of the siting options and operational requirements.

The Re-opening of Ampthill Station – Pre-feasibility Study 4 The Handley Partnership

3.0 The case for re-opening Ampthill station

3.1 Present work-related travel patterns in the Ampthill area

Table 1 Active Works no more than Works in nearby town Works mainly in Works more than working 2km from home or village or 20 km from home population Ward area Number Number % Number % Number % Number %

Ampthill 3,458 950 27.47 490 14.17 1,143 33.05 875 25.30

Flitwick 7,012 1,832 26.13 946 13.49 2,362 33.69 1,872 26.70

Maulden 2,322 471 20.28 499 21.49 758 32.64 594 25.58 and Clophill

Shefford, 3,842 1,282 33.37 598 15.56 1,089 28.34 873 22.72 Campton and Gravenhurst

Detailed analysis of 2001 census data was undertaken to establish the

distance travelled to and mode used for journeys to work in the Ampthill

area. Table 1 shows detailed analysis for work journeys under 20 km. One

clear conclusion is that only around ¼ of the active resident workforce travel

more than 20 km to work, with roughly the same proportion working no

more than 2 km from home. Further analysis of the census data for Ampthill

reveals that of the 950 who work no more than 2km from home, 344 work

mainly at home and 606 travel less than 2 km to work, i.e. they live and work

in Ampthill. Table 2 shows the method of travel to work for Ampthill

residents.

Table 2

Active Works mainly Train Bus, Car Car Bicycle On foot Other working at or from minibus or driver passenger population home coach

Ampthill 3,460 344 238 63 2,284 157 49 281 40

If the assumption is made that all those using the bus, walking or cycling to

get to work live and work in Ampthill, a total of 393 out of the 606 travel

within Ampthill to get to work. The implication is that there are around 425

The Re-opening of Ampthill Station – Pre-feasibility Study 5 The Handley Partnership

commuting car journeys that are entirely within Ampthill, requiring the

provision of over 200 parking spaces.

Table 3 shows the number of economically active residents and the

workplace population for Ampthill and nearby settlements. It can be seen

that Ampthill has a higher proportion of local jobs than nearby settlements.

This is largely due to two employers, Mid District Council and

the Millbrook Proving Site (the latter of which employs around 300 people at

a location remote from public transport). Further analysis of the distance

Table 3 Economically active Workplace population Jobs per economically active resident population resident Ampthill 3,458 3,055 0.88 7,012 3,784 0.53

Maulden and Clophill 2,322 1,085 0.46

travelled to places of employment in Ampthill is shown in Table 4. The

discrepancy between the number for numbers living and working locally

between Table 1 and Table 4 is accounted for by the fact that a large

employer (Millbrook Proving) is located on the very western edge of the

Ampthill ward.

Table 4 Area Workplace Lives locally Lives in nearby Lives from 5km Lives mainly in Lives more than population town or village to less than Bedford and Luton 20km away 10km away % No. No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %

Ampthill 3,055 1,17 38.59 556 18.20 303 9.92 762 24.94 255 8.35 9

Table 5 shows the method of travel to work for some of the wards around

Ampthill. The reason that the proportion using the train from Flitwick is 35%

greater than from Ampthill is probably due to the fact that Flitwick residents

can readily use the train to commute to either Bedford or Luton.

The Re-opening of Ampthill Station – Pre-feasibility Study 6 The Handley Partnership Table 5 Area Economically Train Bus, minibus Driving a car Passenger in Walks or Other active or coach or van a car or van cycles residents that travel to work No. No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %

Ampthill 3,116 238 7.64 63 2.02 2,28 73.3 157 5.04 330 10.5 44 1.4 4 0 9 1 Maulden 2,047 123 6.01 28 1.37 1,64 80.4 110 5.37 102 4.98 38 1.8 and 6 1 6 Clophill Flitwick 6,421 667 10.39 93 1.45 4,55 70.9 350 5.45 651 10.1 104 1.6 6 5 4 2

Table 1 shows the distance travelled to work by residents of Ampthill and

Flitwick follows roughly the same patterns in proportional terms.

3.2 Why choose the train?

Some research using data from the census and railway timetable was

undertaken to compare usage of the 3 rail routes that pass through the

northern Home Counties – the , the ,

and the . Suburban services on these routes are

operated by WAGN, Thameslink and respectively. Though serving

broadly similar populations at similar distances from , Table 6 shows

a strong correlation between train frequency and the proportion of residents

on the route who use the train as the principal component of their daily

commute. It should be noted the proportion using the train from Maulden

and Clophill (6.01%) which is least 2 miles from a station is greater than the

average for residents in settlements directly served by Silverlink trains. The

explanation for the high use on the Thameslink routes must be the

comparatively high frequencies. For example, Bedford and Flitwick have 7

trains in the morning peak and 15-minute frequency in the off peak. The

success of any re-opened station at Ampthill will necessitate a similar

stopping pattern.

The Re-opening of Ampthill Station – Pre-feasibility Study 7 The Handley Partnership

Table 6

Route Stations between % of active working population Average peak hour (inclusive) along route using train to frequency of trains towards commute to work London (07:30 - 08:30)

Thameslink Bedford – St. Albans 5.49% 6.3

WAGN Huntingdon & Royston – 4.37% 4.8

Knebworth

Silverlink -

Bushey 3.75% 3.7

3.3 How much extra time is required for the Ampthill stop?

The present time allowed for Thameslink services between Flitwick and

Bedford is 9 minutes. Some investigations were carried out using a

spreadsheet model designed to evaluate train running time for different

line speeds and acceleration/braking rates. Most modern rolling stock is

capable of accelerating and braking at a rate of 0.75 m s-2. Table 7 shows

the running time and the line speed required to achieve the present

schedule of 9 minutes between Flitwick and Bedford.

Table 7 Maximum line speed (mph) Actual running time (minutes)

50 12

55 11

60 10

65 9½

70 9

75 8½

The spreadsheet model was also used to calculate running times with a stop

at Ampthill of one minute duration. The results are shown in Table 8.

The Re-opening of Ampthill Station – Pre-feasibility Study 8 The Handley Partnership Table 8 Maximum line speed (mph) Calculated running time with Ampthill stop (minutes)

50 13½

55 12½

60 11½

65 11

70 10½

75 10

Clearly, a one-minute stop at Ampthill will add around 1½ minutes to the

existing schedules. Table 9 shows journey times to a selection of stations

based on off-peak timings.

Table 9 Destination Journey time (minutes)

Kings Cross 52 Thameslink

St. Albans 32

Luton 18

Flitwick 3

Bedford 7

The journey times, particularly to local destinations, are very attractive when

compared to those achieved by use of the car.

3.4 Ampthill station as a public transport hub

The preceding tables show that there is a readymade market of rail travellers

in Ampthill, Clophill and Maulden who already commute by train, but

presumably make the first leg of their journey by car to Flitwick, adding to

the congestion in the morning peak. Additionally, there are around 200

commuting trips entirely within Ampthill. If one of the aims of re-opening is

to reduce traffic congestion in Flitwick and Ampthill, then merely transferring

the congestion to Ampthill will not provide a sustainable solution for Mid–

Bedfordshire. This suggests a bus network to complement the re-opening of

The Re-opening of Ampthill Station – Pre-feasibility Study 9 The Handley Partnership

Ampthill station. The information in the preceding tables suggests a number

of possible bus routes that need further detailed and on-the-ground analysis

to ensure their own viability and the contribution they could make to the

viability of a re-opened Ampthill station and a sustainable transport system

for Mid-Bedfordshire. The potential bus routes are listed below, together

with appropriate comments.

It should be noted that these suggested routes could be interworked to

provide greater passenger and operator benefits. Further equipping the

buses with Advantix ticket machines would allow through ticketing to any

national rail destination and allow through season tickets to / from

settlements served.

Route 1 - Ampthill Town - Ampthill station.

A route along Station Road (which could benefit from the installation of a bus

gate), then connecting residential areas with both town centre and proposed

rail station would need street surveys to achieve the maximum number of

potential passengers within the shortest walking distances to stops. Analysis

from Tables 1 and 2 suggest that this has a potential use of around 450

commuters a day (i.e. rail users + those using car who both live and work in

Ampthill).

Route 2 Ampthill Town - Ampthill Station - Ridgmont - Ridgmont Station.

In the current a Vale rail timetable trains pass at Ridgmont. Thus, it is

possible to provide connections to/from with one bus and provide a

useful link for Ridgmont residents to both Bedford (via Ridgmont) and

London (via Ampthill)

The Re-opening of Ampthill Station – Pre-feasibility Study 10 The Handley Partnership Route 3 Ampthill Town - Ampthill Station - Millbrook Proving Ground - Millbrook Station - Marston Moretaine.

Further investigation into the work hours at Millbrook Proving Ground and

the Marston Vale timetable travel could provide attractive bus/rail journey

times to both London (via Ampthill) and Bedford (via Millbrook) for Marston

Moretaine residents.

Route 4 Ampthill Station - Ampthill Town - Maulden - Clophill - Shefford - Clifton - Henlow - Arlesey Station - Stotfold - Baldock Station - Baldock Town

This route might seem at first sight to be in competition with the existing

Virgin Trains rail link coach service between Cambridge and Milton Keynes

coach service. However, this service does not stop at towns without

railheads. The service suggested here would, in addition to serving the needs

of rail commuters along the route, open up a whole new range of journey

opportunities across the northern Home Counties. Table 10 shows the

number of rail commuters along the route of this bus service. Again, careful

route and timetable planning is required to maximise patronage.

Table 10 Ward Area Economically active residents Numbers who use as % that travel to work trains

Clifton and 1,925 72 3.74 Maulden and Clophill 2,047 123 6.01

Shefford, Campton and 3,515 138 3.93 Gravenhurst

Stotfold 3,015 121 4.01

Totals 10,502 454 4.32

The Re-opening of Ampthill Station – Pre-feasibility Study 11 The Handley Partnership 3.5 How many people will use the station

There are two types of potential users for the proposed station at Ampthill -

those currently using Flitwick station and journeys new to the rail system.

3.5.1 Existing Rail Users

Table 11 shows an estimate of existing rail user journeys per annum on the

basis of a 5-day week, 45-week working year.

Table 11 Ward Rail commuters Rail journeys per day on Commuting journeys work days per annum Ampthill 238 476 107,100

Maulden and 123 246 55,350 Clophill

Total 361 772 173,700

Experience from other commuter lines serving London termini suggest that

off-peak usage is at least equal to peak hour flows. This would imply

173,700 journeys abstracted from Flitwick, giving a total of 347,400 journeys

per annum.

3.5.2 New users commuting from Ampthill

Table 5 showed that a higher proportion of Flitwick residents used rail as a

means of commuting (10.39%) compared with Ampthill (7.64%) and Maulden

and Clophill (6.01%). Table 1 showed that the proportion of residents

traveling to either Bedford or Luton is roughly the same. It is reasonable to

assume the extra use of the train by Flitwick residents is because they enjoy

direct services to Luton or Bedford. The proportion of Flitwick residents

using rail is 35% greater than that for Ampthill. Detailed analysis shows this

to be around 10% of the total travel to work market to Luton and Bedford.

Table 12 shows the forecasted new users commuting to Bedford or Luton (i.e.

a 35% increase in rail use)

The Re-opening of Ampthill Station – Pre-feasibility Study 12 The Handley Partnership

Table 12 Ward New rail commuters Rail journeys per day on Commuting journeys work days per annum Ampthill 83 166 37,350

Maulden and 42 84 18,900 Clophill Total 125 250 56,250

Again, applying the principle that off-peak usage would equal commuting

journeys, this would add another 56,250 journeys, making a total of 112,000

journeys per annum.

3.5.3 Commuting to Ampthill

Table 4 showed that 762 people commuted into Ampthill. On the assumption

that a rail station would achieve a 10% market share (based on detailed

analysis of the Flitwick travel pattern), then that would suggest 76 people a

day commuting into Ampthill (this assumes no Flitwick to Ampthill

commuting). This would equate to 152 journeys a day or 34,200 per annum.

3.5.4 Total usage

Combining the results from above, 347,000 per annum abstracted from

Flitwick and a total 146,200 new rail journeys per annum gives a total usage

of 493,600 per annum. Weekly and daily breakdowns for these figures are

shown in table 13.

Table 13

Annual journeys Monthly Daily journeys journeys

Journeys abstracted from Flitwick 349,400 28,950 957

New journeys generated by a re- 146,200 12,185 403 opened Ampthill station

The recently issued “New Stations – A Guide for Promoters” from the Strategic

Rail Authority suggests that only stations that can generate the type of

The Re-opening of Ampthill Station – Pre-feasibility Study 13 The Handley Partnership

business of settlements with population characteristics of towns like

Chandlers Ford (Hampshire) should go forward for opening. Transit, a

widely respected public transport journal, reported that usage at this station

now in its second year of re-opening is around 8,000 a month, clearly less

than the number of forecasted new rail business a re-opened Ampthill

station would generate.

4.0 Conclusions 4.1 Physical Matters

Location It is possible to reconstruct Ampthill station broadly on the site of the former

station. Physical constraints to the north and south of the original site will

make significant relocation difficult and expensive. The options for site

selection are further limited by the operational layout of the existing railway.

Access There are a number of options for providing access to the station and in

choosing these a balance between the needs of stations users and users of

adjacent land will need to be made.

Town linkage High-quality access between the station and town will be required. This will

almost certainly require the recreation of the link along Station Road.

Cost range At this early stage of assessment it is likely that the cost of reconstruction of

the station would be between £5m and £10m.

4.2 Service Frequency

Trains per hour The evidence presented in Table 6 shows that higher frequencies generate

higher levels of traffic. If the forecasted passenger use is to be generated,

then the proposed Ampthill station should have the same level of service as

Flitwick (i.e. 7 trains an hour morning peak / 4 trains an hour off-peak). If

The Re-opening of Ampthill Station – Pre-feasibility Study 14 The Handley Partnership

reduced frequencies are offered, then it is likely that many people will

continue to drive to Flitwick for the convenience of the better service or

continue to drive to work in Bedford or Luton.

4.3 Potential Usage

The initial analysis carried out to date would suggest the following potential

usage for the new station.

Total number of journeys per year = 493,600

(Number of journeys per year abstracted from Flitwick Station = 349,400)

(Number of new journeys per year generated by new station = 146,200)

4.4 Bus Links

Maximize use The routes and timetables of the suggested connecting bus services should,

in order to maximize use of the proposed station, be designed and planned

with the greatest of care. Consideration should be given to the type of

service operated, whether a convential bus service or some form of demand

responsive service or a taxi bus service (similar to that operated by Chiltern

Trains at certain stations). It may be the case that a mix of these options

varying by route or time of day may provide the optimum solution.

4.5 Foot & Cycle Access

High potential The proposed station would also be within easy walking and cycling distance

for the overwhelming majority of Ampthill residents. Walking and cycling

measures should be introduced to maximise the use of these modes,

especially on the approach to the station entry and across busy roads. Even

without any explicit measures 2/3 of those that live and work locally choose

not to drive to work, and thus improved walking and cycling infrastructure

should improve on this figure for both local commuting and those accessing

the proposed station.

The Re-opening of Ampthill Station – Pre-feasibility Study 15 The Handley Partnership 4.6 Potential Local Transport Plan Implications

It is clear from the above that a re-opened Ampthill station would, if part of a

wider sustainable transport plan for Mid-Bedfordshire, deliver a range of

benefits. These are:

- Reduced traffic congestion in Ampthill and Flitwick and, to a lesser

extent, in Bedford.

- Opportunities for other development on existing car parks at Flitwick

station and in Ampthill town centre.

- Reduced journey times for Ampthill residents working in London and

particularly Bedford and Luton

- Reduced journey times for those that commute to Ampthill.

- Provide improved bus links to surrounding villages, which will improve

access and reduce social isolation, particularly for the old and the

young.

It is recommended that the re-opening of Ampthill Station, together with the

sustainable transport measures outlined, should be included in the

Bedfordshire Local Transport Plan along with inclusion in the Ampthill Town

Plan. A carefully worked-up project could be put forward as a showcase

project for similar areas within the commuting catchment area of London.

The Re-opening of Ampthill Station – Pre-feasibility Study 16 The Handley Partnership Appendix 1 – Photographs

The track layout at the site of the original station can be seen.

Although masts supporting the overhead wires have been installed, there is still sufficient land within the railway boundary to allow reconstruction of the station.

Modification of the overhead supply equipment may be required.

The Re-opening of Ampthill Station – Pre-feasibility Study 17 The Handley Partnership

View towards railway from the access road showing the redevelopment of the former station site

Light industrial site access road.

The railway is to the right of the picture to the rear of the workshop unit

The Re-opening of Ampthill Station – Pre-feasibility Study 18 The Handley Partnership

There may be potential to allow development of land to the west side of the land to provide station facilities.

To the south of the former station site the railway is built on a high embankment.

Provision of a station in this location would be expensive and would cause significant disruption to the operation of the railway.

The Re-opening of Ampthill Station – Pre-feasibility Study 19