DfT sifts 60 new rail plans

[whole diary]

[grahame]

A Devizes Parkway could be the nudge needed to get the hourly Paddington to Bedwyn service extended to Westbury giving both it, and Pewsey, a boost.  It would also make westbound journeys from Hungerford, Kinrbury and Bedwyn much more attractive.  So, several winners if it happens - not just for Devizes itself.

Another thought is that it could be the catalyst for getting the two hourly semi-fast Paddington - Taunton/Exeter services up to hourly.

I totally agree, RichardB.  More than just clicking the "like" button.

Corollary. Would this hourly semi-fast also be the service provision for Wellington and Cullompton in due course (though we need to be careful not to link the cases to ensure that neither brings down the other if it fails).

[Andy]

Reports from various sources that among the latest proposals submitted to the government are the reopening of the line to Wadebridge from Bodmin and an upgrade of the Newquay branch.


http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Rail-News/calls-from-england-and-wales-to-restore-beeching-lines

https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/50-rail-schemes-bid-for-beeching-cut-restoration-fund-01-07-2020/

https://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2020/06/30-dft-receives-50-bids-for.html

[infoman]

Ref the Newquay branch instead of an upgrade, increase in speed/s newer rolling stock, extra coaches? which would  a fortune

Maybe ask the residents of the Newquay area what time would suit them best to have an early morning departure from Newquay.

[IndustryInsider]

Maybe ask the residents of the Newquay area what time would suit them best to have an early morning departure from Newquay.

An earlier departure from Newquay is part of the DA3 (Direct Award 3) deal.  07:12 from Newquay, starting next week by the looks of things?  Offers a just gone 9am arrival at Plymouth, Exeter for just gone 10am, and Paddington by 12:30.

[Andy]

Reopening Ashburton to Buckfastleigh is also among the proposals, apparently.

Frustratingly, I can't find any details (on any)...

[TonyK]

Reopening Ashburton to Buckfastleigh is also among the proposals, apparently.

Frustratingly, I can't find any details (on any)...

I thought the section between Ahburton and Buckfastleigh became part of the enlarged A38, which would add a degree of difficulty to the reopening.

[Andy]

Reopening Ashburton to Buckfastleigh is also among the proposals, apparently.

Frustratingly, I can't find any details (on any)...

I thought the section between Ahburton and Buckfastleigh became part of the enlarged A38, which would add a degree of difficulty to the reopening.

A stretch of it did. I have a vague memory of going to the Dart Valley Railway as a kid just before the line was severed at Buckfastleigh. Some argue there's space alongside the road to relay track which could rejoin the original formation nearer Ashburton. Looking at Google maps, it doesn't look very feasible to me, with a couple of junctions off the A38 adding to the 'fun'. A lot of expense for little economic gain - and it's an established heritage line.

[Red Squirrel]

This came up on the forum a few years ago when the old Ashburton train station featured in a local masterplan:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=15323.msg220080#msg220080

Friends of Ashburton Station have a website which doesn't appear to have been updated for a while, and a more active Facebook page which talks about some of these issues:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ashburtonstation

[johnneyw]

Reopening Ashburton to Buckfastleigh is also among the proposals, apparently.

Frustratingly, I can't find any details (on any)...

I thought the section between Ahburton and Buckfastleigh became part of the enlarged A38, which would add a degree of difficulty to the reopening.

I have heard somewhere that part of the A38 enlargement plans included passive provision for the line to reach Ashburton again (even if by some deviation) and that this was provided by a stretch of widened embankment by the road. If so, it does seem to represent passive provision at it's lowest, token level.

[Kernow Otter]

Lostwithiel to Fowey was not successful this round.

[grahame]

Does anyone know if the list will be/has been made public at some point and/or what other schemes in GW^▸ (Great Western)-land are on it?
Thanks.

No immediate list, but question has been asked.

From Business Live

Listing the second batch ... and not sure what the definition of "South West" is.   I suspect it does not include Wiltshire, nor the Southampton area, where I am pretty sure of a couple of applications.

The 18 South West bids

Ashburton and Buckfastleigh Junction Railway
Bristol West Capacity Enhancement
Charfield Station
Cirencester Community Rail Project
Goodrington and Churston Stations
Improvements at Pilning station and reinstating the footbridge to platform 2
Increased service provision Bodmin General – Bodmin Parkway
Light railway extension to the Barnstaple Branch (Chivenor Braunton) “TawLink”
Mid Cornwall Metro
New Station for Langport and Somerton Area
Primrose Line
Project Wareham – Complete the link
Radstock railway reinstatement
Reinstatement of Bodmin – Wadebridge railway and associated works
Restoring secondary services on the Great Western Main line
Shepton Mallet (Mendip Vale)
St Anne's Park station
Transforming the Newquay Line

List sorted into alphabetic order to avoid any hint of meaningful categorisation.

[grahame]

Further link from Rail Business Daily

This funding is split into 3 categories to ensure we can support different projects at different phases of development. The 3 categories are:
* the Ideas Fund, to restore rail services (other than rail station creation or restoration)
* accelerating existing proposals, to increase development of a previously submitted rail proposals
* proposals for new or restored rail stations

The list of bids to the second round of the ‘Ideas Fund’ are:

the North West are:
the South Fylde Line Passing Loop
Kenyon Junction Station
reopening Golborne Railway Station
reinstatement of Bolton-Radcliffe / Bolton-Bury
reinstating Beeston Castle and Tarporley railway station
reopening of Midge Hall Station
re-doubling of the Mid Cheshire Line between Stockport and Altrincham and associated station reopening’s
the Stockport to Ashton Line
the Glazebrook Junction to Skelton Junction
the East Didsbury to Stockport
the North East are:
Consett – Newcastle Connection
Ferryhill Restoration

the East are:
reopening of the Wymondham-Dereham line
King’s Lynn to Hunstanton Railway

Yorkshire and Humber, are:
the reinstatement of the Beverley to York rail line
the restoration of a daily train service on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway
the Upper Wensleydale Railway
restoring Passenger Rail to the Sheaf Valley
restoring a South Humber Link
the South Yorkshire Joint Railway
a new station at Waverley

the Midlands are:
reopening the Stratford upon Avon to Honeybourne-Worcester/Oxford (SWO) Railway Line
increasing stopping services at Radcliffe-on-Trent and Bottesford stations on the Poacher line between Grantham and Nottingham
increasing services to Nottingham and Leicester, via Syston and Loughborough from Melton Mowbray
reconnecting Ashfield Communities through the Maid Marian Line

South West are:
the Shepton Mallet (Mendip Vale)
the Radstock railway reinstatement
St Anne’s Park station
Primrose Line
transforming the Newquay Line
Mid-Cornwall Metro
the restoring of secondary services on the Great Western Main line
Goodrington and Churston Stations
a new station for Langport and Somerton area
Charfield Station
reinstatement of Bodmin to Wadebridge railway and associated works
increasing service provision Bodmin General – Bodmin Parkway
Ashburton and Buckfastleigh Junction Railway
Bristol West Capacity Enhancement
Light railway extension to the Barnstaple Branch (Chivenor Braunton) “TawLink”
the Cirencester Community Rail Project
Project Wareham – Complete the link
improvement of railway services at Pilning station, as well as reinstating the footbridge to platform 2

the South East are:
The Arundel Chord
the re-opening of Camberwell Station, London SE5
the unlocking of capacity and services through Bramley (Hants)
the Chinnor Railway Aston Rowant extension
the Carshalton Beeches step-free access

Wales are:
the Magor and Undy Walkway Station
restoring services on the Anglesey Central Railway between Gaerwen and Amlych

I searched for "the restoring of secondary services on the Great Western Main line"  and came to http://corshamrailwaystation.org

Wiltshire Council has made a submission (sponsored by Michelle Donelan MP^▸ (Member of Parliament)) to the 2nd tranche of the Department for Transport’s (DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)’s) Restoring Your Railway Ideas Fund. An expression of interest on restoring secondary train services to the Great Western Main Line was submitted on 22 May and the full submission (for appropriate initial study work to be undertaken) was sent on 19 June 2020.

As well as improving connectivity between Bristol to Oxford (and potentially further east) this would help realise new stations at Corsham and Royal Wootton Bassett / Swindon West. It would also potentially help realise new stations at Swindon East, Grove (Oxfordshire), Saltford and St Anne’s Park (West of England).

It is anticipated that the DfT will make an announcement on the submission in 6 – 8 weeks.

We will keep this page updated with any progress.

[ellendune]

Reinstatement of Bury or Radcliffe to Bolton is going to be tricky - several major incursions onto the routes.

[CyclingSid]

the unlocking of capacity and services through Bramley (Hants)

Went through Bramley (Hants) yesterday. Both Basingstoke ends of the platforms closed off and preparation for building work. Are they going to install a bridge and lifts? With the level crossing the other end of the platforms it would not have struck me as the greatest priority (but I don't know the rules/guidelines).

[stuving]

the unlocking of capacity and services through Bramley (Hants)

Went through Bramley (Hants) yesterday. Both Basingstoke ends of the platforms closed off and preparation for building work. Are they going to install a bridge and lifts? With the level crossing the other end of the platforms it would not have struck me as the greatest priority (but I don't know the rules/guidelines).

No. Platform extensions for the introduction of 769s.

Bramley is one of those places with a very active (very) local council, so it even has an up-to-date village webs site! This includes NR^» (Network Rail - home page)'s notice of this work, saying it should have finished by now (but it does have a Covid-19 caveat). It also has a piece (undated, and as far as I can see unlinked to) about the level crossing, explaining that Network Rail (NR) don't rate it as needing closure or even a Persons with Reduced Mobility (PRM^▸ (Persons with Reduced Mobility))-compliant replacement. In any case there isn't room for those huge ramps, so it's a cheapo bridge (£850,000) with steps or nothing. Since that would only benefit fit and impatient pedestrians, it was concluded it was probably not worth the trouble.


Edit: VickiS - Clarifying Acronyms