Support a change in Rail Electrification design

Network Rail are electrifying the railway in our area ie in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and are doing so in a particularly insensitive way. They have identified that the Goring/South Stoke area is highly sensitive to the planned work through an Environmental Impact Statement, but they are doing nothing to mitigate the infrastructure design to take account of this.

The main issue is that they intend to use steel “portals” or gantries, which involve steel girders across the top of the vertical poles that we can already see in places (example in first picture). This is the worst possible design for visual intrusion. We think they should be compelled to use wire head spans (example in second picture), as they have done between Paddington and Airport Junction, and as on several sections of the East and West coast main lines, to mitigate the worst of the visual impact. We also think Network Rail should be planting trees to replace those removed and to help screen the new infrastructure.

Please support this petition by signing it and sending Network Rail a message that they need to re-think their plans for the area.

South Stoke & Goring Rail Electrification Action Group    Contact the author of the petition