Central Railway's plans have been resurrected once again. A freight-only railway line running from Liverpool to the Channel Tunnel taking lorries off the motorways onto trains: It is a superficially attractive idea. But at the moment it is only a line on a map. You would expect that if they wanted their plans to be taken seriously, Central Railway would have command of all the detailed consequences of their controversial proposals. But they haven't.

On 19th June Sir Archie Hamilton MP (Epsom and Ewell), Chris Grayling (Prospective Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Epsom and Ewell) and I met the Chairman of Central Railways, Andrew Gritten, at the House of Commons. Unfortunately, there was very little detail forthcoming in response to our questions. When it was pointed out they were planning to put their railway line through a brand new housing estate in Ashtead, they seemed unaware of this. Now Central Railway has responded by extending the length of the tunnel. This hardly inspires confidence in the thoroughness of their plans. It seems to me that they have just drawn a line on a map. The location and logistics of a tunnel entrance around Merstham have not been identified, nor am I satisfied that disposal of spoil from building the tunnel has been properly thought through.

The volume of traffic being carried through the Channel Tunnel is already near full capacity, and questions have to be answered as to how they can promise a further significant rise in freight-by-train transportation between England and the Continent with their plans. This scheme, thought out in such little detail, looks economically very doubtful, but it casts a shadow over many local people.

What is clear from the proposed route is that it would mean massive disruption for years around Merstham and an unknown amount of damage involved in tunnelling under Walton, Banstead Heath and Lower Kingswood. The tunnel sounds innocuous at first thought. But dig a bit deeper, and it is clear that its construction would involve disruption - with the drilling of vertical airshafts along its route, effects on the water table and water supply and vibration problems. Even Central Railway's compensation scheme - which sounds superficially generous - turns out only to be available on their say so. This is hardly reassuring. One wonders just how many homeowners really would benefit from their Property Protection Scheme if this is the case: only a handful of the very worst affected?

I will need a lot of convincing to change my view of this scheme. It appears to have been put together by a bunch of enthusiastic chancers. I would be surprised if they secure private sector funding and they are now engaged in a bid to get this government to give them lots of your money. At the moment, it is my view that the sooner this scheme is withdrawn the better - so that the planning blight it promises to bring with it is ended. I will do my best to bring this scheme to an early end.