Worcester Parkway project

[whole diary]

[charlies aunt]

ASHCHURCH STATION
A preliminary meeting is being organised on Tuesday, 12 January at 7.00 at Northway Parish Council Offices, Ray Shill Building, Lee Walk, Northway for anyone interested in helping to set up a 'Friends of Ashchurch Railway Station' organisation. The organisation will be concerned with promoting Ashchurch Station, encouraging rail companies to stop more often at the station etc.

This is an open meeting and further information can be obtained from Alistair Cameron on 01242 584081 or 07901 564616.

[gwr2006]

ASHCHURCH STATION
A preliminary meeting is being organised on Tuesday, 12 January at 7.00 at Northway Parish Council Offices, Ray Shill Building, Lee Walk, Northway for anyone interested in helping to set up a 'Friends of Ashchurch Railway Station' organisation. The organisation will be concerned with promoting Ashchurch Station, encouraging rail companies to stop more often at the station etc.

This is an open meeting and further information can be obtained from Alistair Cameron on 01242 584081 or 07901 564616.

Whats this got to do with Worcester Parkway?? Nothing - can it be removed to keep this thread relevant?

[grahame]

Whats this got to do with Worcester Parkway?? Nothing - can it be removed to keep this thread relevant?

There's an awful lot of Ashchurh talk upthread 

Seriously - it's the next station and extra stops at Worcseter Parkway might have a negative impact on Aschurch for Tewkesbury, so you could argue that it is relevant; I am inclined to leave the post here.   You will note that there's a very similar thread at
          http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=6077.0
and that's already got comment from me welcoming the new poster, but suggesting that (s)he not crosspost too much, and I expect this duplication won't recur.

This thread hasn't wandered half as far as some others ... lets' continue to discuss appropriate services to the various stations around Worcstershire and on into Gloucestershire in the various threads.

[ChrisB]

AXC^» (Arriva Cross Country - about) have stated they will never stop additionally on this route. They consider themselves a long distance service, not one that regularly stops every 20 minutes....

So you need to lobby your MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament) / DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) to get these stops added to the next franchise.

[paul7575]

That's odd. They average a stop every 15 mins between Bournemouth and Manchester.  So that supposed rule must depend on the way the wind is blowing or something...

Paul

[ChrisB]

Try that argument on AXC^» (Arriva Cross Country - about), not me.....I'm only repeating their reasoning to me....

[Btline]

Look, XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) are a long distance operator. They WON^▸ (Weekly Operating Notice )'T stop their Voyagers at Ashchurch, and shouldn't either!

I would even support them if they refused to call at Worcester (Norton) Parkway (if it ever opens). Yes - that's coming from someone who would use the station! Some TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) keep adding extra stops here and there, slowing down the service. Hats off to TOCs like VT^▸ (Virgin Trains - former franchises), CH and XC that cut stops!

[devon_metro]

Hats off to TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) like VT^▸ (Virgin Trains - former franchises), CH and XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) that cut stops!

Bravo chaps, lets inconvenience some of our customers!

[ChrisB]

And inconveniencing even more that are already flying straight past on a fast, long distance operator if you add extra stops.....I'm with BTLIne on this.

[IndustryInsider]

I'm with him as well - up to a point. It's all a little pie in the sky anyway as any Worcester Parkway station is several years off if it ever does happen, but I would have thought that the size of the city would warrant a 2tph service in each direction? I doubt it would be worth building the station if the only trains stopping there were the hourly Nottingham to Cardiff XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) service (not Voyager operated).

Of the 2tph in each direction that are Voyager operated I would suggest XC might find it worthwhile stopping one of them, logically the shorter distance Bristol-Manchester service, although as the timetable is currently configured the Plymouth to Edinburgh (and its variants) would offer a slightly better spread set of departure times.

[devon_metro]

And inconveniencing even more that are already flying straight past on a fast, long distance operator if you add extra stops.....I'm with BTLIne on this.

I'm with him up the point with regard to adding extra stops. However as has happened on VWC established stops on services have vanishes making it impossible to travel from various parts of the Midlands to the north as stops have been removed and thus people are moved onto local service and then have to change. People are far more inclined to take a direct trains and I suspect many passengers who were forced to make changes will be back in their cars.

[Btline]

These people are still in a minority. Most people are going to/from London. However, stops at Nuneaton* and Tamworth* should be included with the second Liverpool train, and any other Glasgow/Blackpool trains of the future.

I agree that stopping the Cardiff - Nottingham service would be a good idea. Stopping XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) trains that terminate at Bristol would be ok (less impact on long distance journey times) but would offer fewer direct destinations to Worcestershire passengers.

*Most people would be going to and from London with these stops as well!

[Adrian the Rock]

You are right that Shrub Hill is not that useful...

You'd be surprised how many people still use SH if they are being dropped off/collected by car/taxi.  Far handier for that than FS.

...But there is the problem of the extra trains at Foregate Street (at least 1-2 per hour), that would result from the closure of Shrub Hill.

Some sort of bay platform would need to be built at WOF - and due to recent "short sighted" developments, there is no space. ...

The sensible option - with or without resignalling - would be to run the trains on to Great Malvern and turn them round there.

...And the track layout would need sorting at Worcester as well...

Probably the 'minimalist' solution would just be to double the track from Norton Jct to Parkway, with the up line bi-directional.  This would allow the Snow Hill line trains that currently terminate at SH to terminate there without preventing a down Cotswold line train being in section from Evesham at the same time.

Worcester is due to be resignalled soon (at last ). Down with the semaphores!

BOO!   

The biggest issue for Worcester Parkway would be the A4440 road between the nearby A44 and Powick.  This should have always been a dual carriageway with a flyover at the A38 junction, but the silly NIMBY council didn't want to over-encourage road traffic.  Parkway would attract traffic from west of the river this making this stretch an even bigger snarl than it already is.

[willc]

The Parkway plan has got strong backing in the new South Worcestershire Development Plan http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/9102529.MPs_back_new_transport_plans/

[Not from Brighton]

I note this vote of confidence for the station scheme in the South Worcestershire Development Plan Preferred Options Document (http://committee.cityofworcester.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=7600)

[In reference to a proposed small residential development in the Worcester Parkway area] Given the uncertainty of delivering Worcestershire Parkway before the end of the Plan period i.e. 2030 it is not considered a deliverable option at this stage.