Report backs £200m Cotswold Line upgrade

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Like I said, to achieve what the Taskforce set out to do (two trains per hour each way), then they only need to do the bits they've proposed. 

It would be nice to know what they do propose as the link to the document still does not work. 

Should be available to download on the supporting documents section at the bottom of this page:

https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CDP-2020-0004

and from my mailbox - the CLPG^» (Cotswold Line Promotion Group - about) website is aware of the problem (and that it's been reported here):

The CLPG website is playing up - and hopefully being replaced in the near future - so it has proved impossible for me to edit the page and sort out the faulty attachment.

If anyone wants to see the full report and the summary sent to MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament), they they can be downloaded from the House of Commons Library website down at the foot of this page

https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CDP-2020-0004

Thanks for letting us know!

[Richard Fairhurst]

(Posting again after the server ate my first reply the other day - stop me if you've heard this one before...)

The proposed infrastructure enhancements are obviously welcome.

Unfortunately, the service changes aren't: they are a seriously retrograde step for the busiest station on the line (Charlbury), are equally bad for Kingham, and offer nothing to the third busiest station (Evesham).

Charlbury and Kingham lose their direct services to central Worcester, the Vale of Evesham, Malvern and (for connections to Wales/the Borders) Hereford. Instead, they get a dubious direct service to Kidderminster and Droitwich (be still my beating heart), perhaps through some misguided notion that the thriving metropolis of Kidderminster needs direct trains to two London terminals. Charlbury and Kingham get no extra trains, whereas Hanborough goes up from 1tph to 4tph, and Moreton from 1tph to 2tph.

The report authors don't appear to have factored in that Chipping Norton is getting 1200 new houses, many of whom will want to commute from Charlbury or Kingham: Chippy has comparatively little employment itself and poor road connections. Nor that many off-peak Charlbury passengers, even those who live in the town itself, have switched to Oxford Parkway because of the more frequent, affordable and reliable service. If there had been any consultation then we (Charlbury Town Council) could have told them that... but there hasn't.

As these proposals stand, they are not a net benefit to passengers on the Cotswold Line, and I hope that DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) requires them to be seriously reworked.

[Richard Fairhurst]

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/18219337.charlbury-town-council-chairman-questions-cotswold-line-plans/

[Richard Fairhurst]

It's just been confirmed that Oxfordshire County Council will be run by a coalition of LibDems, Labour and the Greens. As the LibDems are the largest party, the leader of the council looks likely to be our own Liz Leffman, councillor for Charlbury & Wychwood - a division which also includes Kingham station though not Kingham village. Kingham village is part of the Chipping Norton division, which went from Conservative to Labour in the elections.

Liz campaigned locally on making sure that all the Oxfordshire stations benefit from any Cotswold Line upgrade. So I think it's fair to say that the NCLTF is going to have to seriously rethink its proposal if it still wants Oxfordshire County Council support.

Interesting times.

[Richard Fairhurst]

Recently from Liz Leffman:

One of my roles as Leader is to sit on the North Cotswold Line Task Force. I am in a strong position to lobby for the line to be fully doubled and have agreed with the Task Force members that the current plans for the line will be reviewed to allow for this to be done. This could mean a significantly improved train service from Charlbury. Under the existing plans, there was no provision for doubling the line between Hanborough and Charlbury, meaning that we would have had to continue with just one train per hour, while stations further up the line would have had at least two per hour. If I can achieve the complete doubling then Charlbury can have at least two trains per hour in the future. The cost of doing this is considerable but we are looking at innovative ways of financing it. The only downside would be that we would probably have to close Finstock and Combe stations for this to be achievable. There will be consultation before any decisions are taken over this.