Reopening Cullompton and Wellington stations (merged topic)

[whole diary]

[TonyK]

Does the development of the design and business case really need £5 million?

No, but that's what it will cost to tick all those boxes. If the award had been "only" £50,000, it would show that there was no chance. £5 million at least shows a certain degree of willingness, especially as NR^» (Network Rail - home page) is involved.

[Witham Bobby]

Does the development of the design and business case really need £5 million?

You'd not want to see all the consultants starve, would you?

[TaplowGreen]

Does the development of the design and business case really need £5 million?

You'd not want to see all the consultants starve, would you?

Fair point, I suspect that's how a large chunk of it will be swallowed up!

[eightf48544]

A point that doesn't seem to be mentioned is what is the effect on current services having to serve two new stations. How many train paths do they take up. It should be remember that both Cullompton and Welling had 2 through lines with their platforms on loops allowing slow trains to be overtaken by faster services. perhps they should be provided with a bidirectional line speed through line to allow overtaking.

Another issue as has been mentioned is how do people get to the station, as has been said public ransport needs to be ready before the houses are occupied.

Further if we going all electric how many charging ppoints will be provided in the carpark? How would they be allocated it would be unfair if the first people there plugged in and remained plugged in all day denying others the chance to recharge perhaps we'll need carpark "shufflers" to move cars around.

[IndustryInsider]

I’m sure the £5m will allow those questions to be asked and addressed!

[TonyK]

A point that doesn't seem to be mentioned is what is the effect on current services having to serve two new stations. How many train paths do they take up. It should be remember that both Cullompton and Welling had 2 through lines with their platforms on loops allowing slow trains to be overtaken by faster services. perhps they should be provided with a bidirectional line speed through line to allow overtaking.

Another issue as has been mentioned is how do people get to the station, as has been said public ransport needs to be ready before the houses are occupied.

Further if we going all electric how many charging ppoints will be provided in the carpark? How would they be allocated it would be unfair if the first people there plugged in and remained plugged in all day denying others the chance to recharge perhaps we'll need carpark "shufflers" to move cars around.

On the last point, I would suggest not having any charging points at all. The worst performing electric car would manage a 5-mile radius there and back journey for a commuter catching a train to work every weekday for a fortnight on a single charge at home. It might sound heretical, but we don't have a petrol pump at every station.

For the middle point, a regular bus service from the growing suburbs through Wellington would be lovely but unlikely without some pump priming money. Failing that, the 22/22a stops there half hourly at peak periods.

As for the first point - that will take a substantial slice of the £5 million to work out, and if it comes to the conclusion that loops are needed, that will be the end of the story.

[REVUpminster]

A point that doesn't seem to be mentioned is what is the effect on current services having to serve two new stations. How many train paths do they take up. It should be remember that both Cullompton and Welling had 2 through lines with their platforms on loops allowing slow trains to be overtaken by faster services. perhps they should be provided with a bidirectional line speed through line to allow overtake.

I'm sure i have mentioned this on another thread or another site. 
The way a service is likely to be done is by stopping the Cardiff- Penzance and extending the Cardiff-Taunton service to an extended platform 2 at Exeter St David's. GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) said they have the money for this but not all staff have moved over to the new depot accommodation.
A hourly Devon Metro service to Taunton using the platform space vacated by the extended Cardiff trains maybe from Axminster would supplement the service giving each station a half hourly service. Axminster-Exeter would also benefit from a half hourly service.

[infoman]

https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/20255134.fate-new-somerset-railway-station-plans-horizon/

[TonyK]

Still very much on the cards, according to Devon Live:

Cullompton train station on track for 2025 reopening
Network Rail is leading projects to reopen stations at Cullompton and Wellington "with a view to opening both stations in 2025."


Cullompton Train Station

The proposed new Cullompton railway station is still thought to be on track for a 2025 opening. At a full meeting on Wednesday Mid Devon District Council leader Bob Deed told councillors that Network Rail is leading projects to reopen stations at Cullompton and Wellington "with a view to opening both stations in 2025."

They closed in the 1960s as part of the now-infamous Beeching axe that slashed the rail network in Britain. Talks have been ongoing for years about restoring the stations that closed at a time when cars were becoming more affordable. However, people are now being encouraged to use more public transport to reduce emissions and congestion.

Cllr Deed added that unlike Wellington, which is part of a large scale greenfield housing development at a new location, Cullompton station will be mainly on its previous site. Network Rail therefore doesn't think it will need planning permission.

(Continues at source, with adverts)

[froome]

I wasn't aware, until reading the above, that the Wellington proposal is for a new station at a different location to the old station site. Can someone let me know whereabouts the proposed station would be.

I have friends who live in Wellington, fairly close to the old station site, and I've been looking forward to the day when I could visit them by train.

[JayMac]

I wasn't aware, until reading the above, that the Wellington proposal is for a new station at a different location to the old station site. Can someone let me know whereabouts the proposed station would be.

I have friends who live in Wellington, fairly close to the old station site, and I've been looking forward to the day when I could visit them by train.

The proposed site is somewhere between the Longforth Farm housing estate and Nynehead Road. The land there is earmarked for mixed use development.

Google Maps dropped pin
50°59'18.3"N 3°13'27.1"W
https://goo.gl/maps/soy9bazwmB9m1skL8

[TonyK]

A bit of news from the Somerset County Gazette:

Wellington Station plans to be submitted in December
24th November

By Phil Hill
@GazettePHill
Chief reporter


Rebecca Pow with plans for the proposed Wellington Station

A NEW train station in Wellington is moving along the tracks with a planning application set to be submitted within days.

A dedicated team is already working on the project and the proposals will be lodged with Somerset West and Taunton Council in December.

If the local authority grants permission, the new station would be built on a site adjacent to the Longforth Farm estate.

Construction work could begin as early as 2024 and the first trains could potentially stop at Wellington the following year.


Taunton Deane MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) Rebecca Pow has just chaired the latest meeting of the steering group looking at bringing the station to the town, along with a further station in Cullompton.

Ms Pow said: "Things are progressing well.

"Great Western Railway have set up a dedicated team to work on the project and the formal planning application will be going into Somerset West and Taunton Council in December.

"This region is working on the most new stations of anywhere in the country and a survey was done recently amongst the people of Wellington and it showed that the number one priority that people wanted was to get a rail station.

"We’ve made the business case, but it really is important that people want to support this as well.

"What I’m going to do next is that I’ll be requesting a meeting with the new Rail Minister, Huw Merriman, to make sure that he’s fully aware of what we need and that we keep our whole project on track.

"We’ve had money from the Restoring Railways fund as a priority and we need to just keep this going so that we can actually start to deliver the project potentially by the end of 2024/early 2025.”

(Continues at source with lots of annoying pop-up adverts)

"A NEW train station in Wellington is moving along the tracks" is one of the daftest amongst many daft attempts at bringing a bit of railway terminology into a story. Nevertheless, Network Rail is onboard with the idea of putting a non-moving station alongside the tracks. I haven't seen a similar story about Cullompton station recently, but assume that extra stations either side of Tiverton Parkway would need to be considered simultaneously from the railway point of view.

Good news, though. Both Wellington and Cullompton are expanding fast, and the demand for commuter services in both directions will be considerable.

[TonyK]

More good news - Rebecca Pow has been nominated in this year's competition for Best Picture of a Local MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) Holding an Aerial Picture of a Field in the Field.