Worcester Parkway project

[whole diary]

[Btline]

This pointless station will either become a white elephant, or will extract users from existing stations to the extent they are closed.

(a) It's miles away from most of the population of Worcester, and people will have to hack along the clogged up Southern bypass to access the station. Are there that many conveniently placed villages that will use it? It's not like it has the location/road links of Warwick Parkway!

(b) It adds YET ANOTER stop for Hereford and Malvern commuters, already tortured to extinction by stops at Hanborough etc.

(c) The Cotswold line does not offer a frequent enough service to act as a good connecting service, so there will be little new traffic on the Cotswold line. And foolish commuters who do change here will be left stranded in the middle of nowhere, probably with just a bus shelter for company...

(d) CrossCountry will not want to slow down the already pitifully slow service from the South West into Birmingham. No doubt the stops will be slapped on the Cardiff to Nottinghams, causing outrage due to extended journey times (and capacity once the train reaches Bromsgrove.)

(e) If will be urban sprawl in open countryside and - no doubt - acres of fields will be bulldozed by greedy developers for new homes.

A better solution, just needing some extra stock:

*Extend a Snow Hill line service to Gloucester every hour (calling at Tewksbury)
*Add a second hourly New Street to Worcester service (with calls at Bromsgrove/ Barnt Green) and extend to Pershore and Evesham (redoubling required).
*Improve car parking at Shrub Hill to encourage use of the Bham service.

This provides better links across Worcestershire - including the much desired link to Cheltenham for XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) connections south.
It also stops the extraction of passengers at Shrub Hill that will occur, and the crush loading of XC services into Birmingham.

[Richard Fairhurst]

(a) It's miles away from most of the population of Worcester, and people will have to hack along the clogged up Southern bypass to access the station. Are there that many conveniently placed villages that will use it? It's not like it has the location/road links of Warwick Parkway!

Indeed, Warwick Parkway is a trifling three miles from the M40, whereas this new station will be an unthinkable, er, 1.5 miles from the M5.

(b) It adds YET ANOTER stop for Hereford and Malvern commuters, already tortured to extinction by stops at Hanborough etc.

Though if they're extinct, they won't really mind, given that they don't exist any more.

(Personally I doubt I'll use it much, but only because the fares will presumably be set by CrossCountry and therefore on the high side - if I wanted to go north and was willing to pay CrossCountry fares, I'd travel via Oxford. I'm not, so I go via Worcester.)

[Btline]

Indeed, Warwick Parkway is a trifling three miles from the M40, whereas this new station will be an unthinkable, er, 1.5 miles from the M5.

Though if they're extinct, they won't really mind, given that they don't exist any more.

(a) Warwick Parkway's main pull is the A46 which gets commuters from Coventry, Kennilworth, Stratford, Evesham etc. The M40 also attracts Redditch, Bromsgrove and Kidderminster people.

(b) Well, an extra stop is hardly going to attract them back!

[Network SouthEast]

Could someone tell me what the passenger figures for Pershore and Honeybourne are?

2012-2013 financial year data from the ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about)

Honeybourne had 47,788 entries and exits
Pershore had 89,546 entries and exits

[stebbo]

Interesting, so Pershore has more users than Hanborough. I'm genuinely surprised at this - although my journeys on the line for the last 3 years or so have been from Kingham to London so I've no personal experience of what's going on at the western end of the line these days.

[CLPGMS]

Interesting, so Pershore has more users than Hanborough. I'm genuinely surprised at this

I think that you mean Honeybourne. Hanborough had 172684 in 2012/3 and has now overtaken Kingham (169496). 

[stebbo]

Apologies, my mistake.

Interesting photo on the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) website where there is a reference to Worcester Parkway getting the go-ahead with a picture of a station and third rail electrification.................. Apparently the local MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) is ecstatic about journeys from Worcester to London in under 2 hours.

[John R]

This pointless station will either become a white elephant, or will extract users from existing stations to the extent they are closed.

So your argument is that either it won't have any users or it will have so many that surrounding stations will close?  I don't quite see how you can argue for both those scenarios.

Noting later you suggest that stopping the Cardiff - Nottingham services there will result in capacity problems, I think you effectively discount the white elephant option yourself.

Are you seriously suggesting that any of the surrounding stations would close. Which ones do you have in mind?

[Btline]

Shrub Hill - confirmed by Worcester Councillors in the past - will most likely close. The main purpose of Shrub Hill is for Park and Ride passengers to Brum and Worcester. I can't find a source but it's been reported in the papers before.

Malvern Link could also close: people in the Powick region will drive to Parkway for a faster service to Brum. This is my opinion.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Your posts on this forum are always interesting, Btline, and I do read all of them. 

However, and at the risk of labouring the point: you aren't actually able to provide any credible evidence to support either of your most recent assertions? 

[martvw]

 Great news a Worcester Parkway Station at last "what a good idea". As for Shrub Hill Station if it were to close which I would doubt ! Who would pay for the maintenance on the buildings that I think are listed, but with no trains calling!! The Park Way Station at Norton is just what the Worcester railway layout needs to bring it in to this century (a good kick up the rear). Both Worcester City Stations need to be updated to act as feeder Stations to the new Parkway Station. Perhaps London Midland trains could start calling at the Parkway Station, running to Evesham and back as has been suggested, and as passengers start to use Worcester Parkway Station this will help reduce the pressure at Birmingham New Street station a little for passengers traveling further north and south.  I don't think Malvern Link Station would close ! the passenger numbers are on the up and its just had a rebuild (very smart).

[ChrisB]

Unless something drastic is also done to Shrub Hill infrastructure, pushing more trains through there (your suggestion of LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) trains to Evesham) would be a disaster in terms of operational performance...which comes first....?

[stebbo]

Hasn't Malvern Link just had a facelift and a load of money spent on it?

[martvw]

I see many London Midland services come in to Worcester Shrub Hill from Birmingham and go out of service (they park on the centre track or behind platform no2) . Some of these could run out to Evesham and back in the gaps in between the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) services calling at the parkway station. The infrastructure does need sorting out perhaps at the same time as the signalling ! This is on the cards to be done. Yes Malvern Link station has a new ticket office and waiting rooms.

[ChrisB]

I see many London Midland services come in to Worcester Shrub Hill from Birmingham and go out of service (they park on the centre track or behind platform no2)

And when do you suggest the drivers take their breaks? Yup, after they've parked up. Going out to Evesham would require further stock, extra driver hours....additional costs. I doubt it would be cost effective for LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise).

The infrastructure does need sorting out perhaps at the same time as the signalling ! This is on the cards to be done.

Errr, not quite. Been put back into Control Period 6 and likely to be CP7 before it gets high enough up the list to be done.