Declares that the Petitioners strongly believe that their community should not suffer the adverse effects of environmental harm that the Petitioners believe the Chiltern Railway’s Evergreen 3 project will cause due to inadequate mitigation; further that the Petitioners believe speed limits are the cheapest and most effective way to protect local residents, school children, businesses and the environment; and that the Petitioners believe that lowering the proposed speed limit of passenger trains from 75mph to 40mph would reduce noise and its adverse health effects, reduce vibration, reduce emissions, reduce running costs, reduce the risk of derailments, reduce the risk of injury to bats and reduce the inherent fear and disturbance of those living so close by.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Department for Transport to review the speed limit on passenger trains and preserve the speed limit on freight trains for the Oxford–Bicester line between Oxford station and Water Eton Parkway.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Nicola Blackwood, Official Report, 16 October 2012; Vol. 551, c. 5P.]
[P001125]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Transport:
The Secretary of State has considered the reports of the Inspector who conducted a public inquiry into the improvements to the Oxford-Bicester line proposed by Chiltern Railways as part of the Evergreen 3 Project. The Inspector examined the measures to mitigate the operational effects of the Project on local residents and the environment at both the original sessions of the inquiry held between November 2010 and January 2011, and at the reopened inquiry held between May and June 2012.
The Secretary of State agrees with the Inspector that it is unnecessary to impose speed limits on trains in order to mitigate the effects of the scheme. He is satisfied that adequate mitigation in respect of the noise, vibration and other environmental impacts of the scheme will be secured through the measures referred to in the Department for Transport’s letter dated 17 October 2012, in particular the planning conditions relating to operational noise and vibration. That letter, which gives the Secretary of State’s reasons for his decision to authorise the scheme, may be viewed at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/twa-20121017a/.