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  • Last train - Pilning to Wales: October 29, 2016
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Author Topic: Pilning - the station, services, viability and closure of down platform - ongoing discussion  (Read 102616 times)
Graz
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« Reply #15 on: October 17, 2007, 22:04:46 »


A quick further comment- I wish the line from Severn Beach to Pilning had not been closed. With that, we could have seen frequent Bristol circular services via Severn Beach serving Pilning.

In the proposals the the SB (Signal Box) line, FGW (First Great Western) did a while back, aparently there is to be an "investigation" into making it a circular in each way. but not for the near future anyway
Sadly though there are now lots of houses in the way at the end of the line. The only real way they could extend it is to knock houses down or build the loop further back up the line. I don't think there's any other real way possible. It's a shame as it would have provided a quicker route into Bristol from Severn Beach and a much quicker route to Cardiff for most local Bristol passengers, with a change at Pilning. Unless of course you mean the Henbury route, but that may have adverse effects on Severn Beach and won't help Pilning too much  Wink

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« Reply #16 on: October 17, 2007, 22:34:19 »


A quick further comment- I wish the line from Severn Beach to Pilning had not been closed. With that, we could have seen frequent Bristol circular services via Severn Beach serving Pilning.

In the proposals the the SB (Signal Box) line, FGW (First Great Western) did a while back, aparently there is to be an "investigation" into making it a circular in each way. but not for the near future anyway
Sadly though there are now lots of houses in the way at the end of the line. The only real way they could extend it is to knock houses down or build the loop further back up the line. I don't think there's any other real way possible. It's a shame as it would have provided a quicker route into Bristol from Severn Beach and a much quicker route to Cardiff for most local Bristol passengers, with a change at Pilning. Unless of course you mean the Henbury route, but that may have adverse effects on Severn Beach and won't help Pilning too much  Wink



http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=1152

may be of interest, and yes the henbury route, (i got it mixed up with pilning somehow) but not until 2013 at the earliest due to re signalling. See page 22
« Last Edit: October 17, 2007, 22:39:03 by Shazz » Logged
Lee
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« Reply #17 on: October 18, 2007, 15:23:08 »

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=1152

may be of interest, and yes the henbury route, (i got it mixed up with pilning somehow) but not until 2013 at the earliest due to re signalling. See page 22


Ah , yes , the Severn Beach Line Development Plan. You can find my views on that in the link below , plus a defence from Andrew Griffiths. It may interest you to know that I am meeting Keith Walton soon to discuss this and many other issues , including Pilning. Let me know if any of you want me to ask him something.
http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=311.msg877#msg877

Going back to one of John's other points , I have a question :

You know these Pilning villagers who are supposed to drive to Severn Beach to catch the rail - replacement bus to connect at Avonmouth with the train to Bristol Temple Meads....

Where are they meant to park?

An interesting comparison for you :

CURRENT PILNING VILLAGE - BRISTOL VIA SEVERN BEACH STATION JOURNEY :

- A 5 minute drive to Severn Beach.

- 10 minutes to find a parking space and walk to the rail - replacement bus stop.

- A 15 minute bus journey with a 4 minute connection to the train at Avonmouth.

- A 27 minute train journey to Bristol.

OVERALL JOURNEY TIME - 1 HOUR 1 MINUTE

POTENTIAL PILNING VILLAGE - BRISTOL VIA PILNING STATION JOURNEY

- A 5 minute drive to a dedicated parking space adjacent to Pilning station.

- A generous 5 minutes to get out of the car and walk on to the platform.

- A 20 minute train journey to Bristol.

OVERALL JOURNEY TIME - 30 MINUTES

Sounds like a no - brainer to me.
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grahame
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« Reply #18 on: October 18, 2007, 16:04:56 »

CURRENT PILNING VILLAGE - BRISTOL VIA SEVERN BEACH STATION JOURNEY :

- A 5 minute drive to Severn Beach.

- 10 minutes to find a parking space and walk to the rail - replacement bus stop.

- A 15 minute bus journey with a 4 minute connection to the train at Avonmouth.

- A 27 minute train journey to Bristol.

OVERALL JOURNEY TIME - 1 HOUR 1 MINUTE

Sorry, Lee - that doesn't work for me.   You're assuming that you know it's gooing to take exactly 10 minutes to park and that you'll not need any connection time at Severn Beach station into the bus.  Shouldn't you allow an extra 10 minutes or so in case you have more problems parking than normal Wink
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Lee
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« Reply #19 on: October 18, 2007, 16:24:29 »

To answer some of the other points :

Pilning is in the middle of nowhere. Trust me i've been there.

Its not far from the M4 and the other road that crosses the Severn.


Ive been there too. See earlier post with comparison to Mottisfont & Dunbridge.

My opinion is that the station is being kept open because if it were to close then it would be very difficult to reopen it again if it were needed in the future, by stopping one train a week doesn't really cost much and keeps options open for the future. No one uses it so theres not much wear and tear on the station.

You are entitled to your view , but I disagree. Standardised European Rules of the Air (SERA (Standardised European Rules of the Air)) documents show that there were plans to close it as part of the new franchise.

Did you know that there is another FGW (First Great Western) station , not too far away , that closely fits most of John's criteria?

1. Pilning itself has a pretty small population.
2. The village isn't within a sensible walking distance of the station.
4. It's on a very busy main line, operating close to capacity, with a mix of trains.

If I lived in Pilning I'd be more miffed that the village is surrounded by motorways (and presumably noise), and very close to a junction, but you still have to drive for miles to access the motorway network. 

Here are a few clues :

1) Its service was increased from 2 - hourly to hourly in December 2006.

2) Its passenger numbers have grown from 50534 in 2002 / 2003 to 72113 in 2005 / 2006.

3) Nobody (as far as I am aware) is suggesting that it should be closed.

4) See link below.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cam_and_Dursley_railway_station

Agreed with most of that, apart from 4

I live right next to the line, it isnt really what i'd call a "busy line" (about C&D)

there are 3 passenger trains each way every hour with the ocasional freight, and this will be reduced to 2 tph when the new XC (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) service comes in,

it's not the busiest line in the world, and is no where near capacity!

also, those figures were published before it changed to 1tph each way at C&D iirc, i wouldnt be suprised if the stats had gone through 100,000 as a result.

One thing it has over pilning though, it has an incredibly reliable bus service purely for connections to local towns for the train!

Not sure where you got your information from , as there will still be 3 passenger trains each way every hour passing through Cam & Dursley , although only 1 each way , as now , will stop there. The line currently has a tonnage level of 10 - 15 million tonnes per year (indicating a reasonable amount of freight) and is projected to acheive medium - level tonnage growth to 2016.

Agree about the passenger figures and , in my view , this indicates the potential of such stations.

Regarding your point on bus links , here is a section from the "Gateway To The Future" proposals regarding their potential for Pilning. Bear in mind this only refers to EXISTING bus services , which would require a small , but minimal , diversion :

PILNING & SEVERN GATEWAY

Gateway Connect services to :

Clifton Down
Henbury
Severn Beach

Full bus service list :

624 Pilning Village - Severn Beach Station.

624 Easter Compton - Cribbs Causeway - Hallen - Henbury Station - Westbury - Clifton Down Station - Bristol City Centre.

The main difference between Pilning and C&D is that the latter was built to serve the populations that give it its name, and are within a few minutes drive. It's not obvious what populations of similar size Pilning could serve. 

Quotes from FOSBR (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways)'s Pilning proposals :

"P&R (Park and Ride) facilities here also have the opportunity to attract use from Almondsbury & Thornbury. Whilst those are closer to Patchway station, lack of parking here would make Pilning more attractive for journeys into Bristol City Centre."

"Due to possible low usage, and the fact that nearly all users will be local, an hourly service off peak should be adequate ^ and this could be achieved using the existing passing services"

"Improving facilities at Pilning will mean this area retains a rail service. First Great Western should be supportive of this as it will mean more income, especially as no additional trains are needed. Additional patronage from nearby towns/villages in South Gloucestershire should also make investment worthwhile."

Personally , I dont think that Pilning has the catchment area to be able to match (say) Cam & Dursley's passenger figures , but I DO think that , if an hourly service is introduced and BRB(resolve) land is used for car parking & bus / rail interchange , 30000 - 40000 passengers per year would not be out of the question.

On the other hand if (as is perfectly possible) a housing developer gets permission to build "Severnside Stadium II" , then those figures could rise significantly.

CURRENT PILNING VILLAGE - BRISTOL VIA SEVERN BEACH STATION JOURNEY :

- A 5 minute drive to Severn Beach.

- 10 minutes to find a parking space and walk to the rail - replacement bus stop.

- A 15 minute bus journey with a 4 minute connection to the train at Avonmouth.

- A 27 minute train journey to Bristol.

OVERALL JOURNEY TIME - 1 HOUR 1 MINUTE

Sorry, Lee - that doesn't work for me.   You're assuming that you know it's gooing to take exactly 10 minutes to park and that you'll not need any connection time at Severn Beach station into the bus.  Shouldn't you allow an extra 10 minutes or so in case you have more problems parking than normal Wink

As a non - driver , I have approximated on such driving / parking timings (using Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways (FOSBR) research.) You may well have a point though....

Edit: VickiS - Clarifying Acronyms
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vacman
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« Reply #20 on: October 18, 2007, 16:37:39 »

To answer some of the other points :



My opinion is that the station is being kept open because if it were to close then it would be very difficult to reopen it again if it were needed in the future, by stopping one train a week doesn't really cost much and keeps options open for the future. No one uses it so theres not much wear and tear on the station.

You are entitled to your view , but I disagree. SERA (Standardised European Rules of the Air) documents show that there were plans to close it as part of the new franchise.

So why didn't they close it? no one would have batted an eyelid if they had closed it, for some reason it's being kept open, basicly "mothballed", for the sake of one train per week it must be worth keeping open for any changes of circumstances in the future.
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« Reply #21 on: October 18, 2007, 18:31:00 »

If you want Pilning station to be revitalised

- Build a 400 free place car park next to it
- Add a 30 minute return bus service to the Mall
- Add an hourly service

A busy car park will attract travellers!

I recently had to see my parents, near Birkenhead and we went shopping to Chester. We parked at Hooton station, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooton_railway_station) to get into Chester. This is a small rural station, not in the heart of the village, that  handles 300K passengers a year because of its car park, and 30 minute train service to Liverpool/Chester.
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Graz
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« Reply #22 on: October 18, 2007, 20:49:05 »

If you want Pilning station to be revitalised

- Build a 400 free place car park next to it
- Add a 30 minute return bus service to the Mall
- Add an hourly service

A busy car park will attract travellers!

I recently had to see my parents, near Birkenhead and we went shopping to Chester. We parked at Hooton station, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooton_railway_station) to get into Chester. This is a small rural station, not in the heart of the village, that  handles 300K passengers a year because of its car park, and 30 minute train service to Liverpool/Chester.

I never actually thought of this. Pilning is very close to Cribbs Causeway, so unless a station is to be built in Henbury, I see no reason why this should not go ahead. a 10 minute bus journey, decently connected to hourly train services could pay off extremely well. Cribbs Causeway and FGW (First Great Western)/NR» (Network Rail - home page) could benefit very well financially from people who don't want to have to struggle through Bristol or the M5 to go on a shopping trip. Although, while I think the car park could be bigger, 400 spaces is a little excessive!
« Last Edit: October 18, 2007, 20:52:51 by Graz » Logged
Lee
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« Reply #23 on: October 19, 2007, 10:36:26 »

To answer some of the other points :



My opinion is that the station is being kept open because if it were to close then it would be very difficult to reopen it again if it were needed in the future, by stopping one train a week doesn't really cost much and keeps options open for the future. No one uses it so theres not much wear and tear on the station.

You are entitled to your view , but I disagree. SERA (Standardised European Rules of the Air) documents show that there were plans to close it as part of the new franchise.

So why didn't they close it? no one would have batted an eyelid if they had closed it, for some reason it's being kept open, basicly "mothballed", for the sake of one train per week it must be worth keeping open for any changes of circumstances in the future.

I honestly hope you are right. Regarding the "no one would have batted an eyelid if they had closed it" comment , this is wide of the mark. CANBER (Campaign Against the New Beeching Report) & FOSBR (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways) have a joint & detailed plan of action ready to be implemented should closure be proposed. Without giving too much away , I can assure you (plus anybody else who happens to be reading this) that opposition to closure will be very loud and very visible. Former Shadow Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and local MP (Member of Parliament) Steve Webb have also highlighted the potential threat to Pilning station.

If you want Pilning station to be revitalised

- Build a 400 free place car park next to it
- Add a 30 minute return bus service to the Mall
- Add an hourly service

A busy car park will attract travellers!

I recently had to see my parents, near Birkenhead and we went shopping to Chester. We parked at Hooton station, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooton_railway_station) to get into Chester. This is a small rural station, not in the heart of the village, that  handles 300K passengers a year because of its car park, and 30 minute train service to Liverpool/Chester.

I never actually thought of this. Pilning is very close to Cribbs Causeway, so unless a station is to be built in Henbury, I see no reason why this should not go ahead. a 10 minute bus journey, decently connected to hourly train services could pay off extremely well. Cribbs Causeway and FGW (First Great Western)/NR» (Network Rail - home page) could benefit very well financially from people who don't want to have to struggle through Bristol or the M5 to go on a shopping trip. Although, while I think the car park could be bigger, 400 spaces is a little excessive!

If you read Gateway To The Future , the above is very close to what CANBER propose (link below.)
http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=357.msg1034#msg1034
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Lee
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« Reply #24 on: October 30, 2007, 15:27:59 »

Account of a recent FOSBR (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways) visit to Pilning (link below.)
http://www.fosbr.org.uk/Pilning.htm





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Lee
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« Reply #25 on: January 24, 2008, 12:58:49 »

However, the station does have potential. If Pilning were to extend to the east, which I feel is likely, it could serve a lot of commuters.

On the other hand if (as is perfectly possible) a housing developer gets permission to build "Severnside Stadium II" , then those figures could rise significantly.

Developers are searching for greenfield sites on which to build new homes in the Bristol region due to a shortage of land in built-up areas (link below.)
http://thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145365&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145191&contentPK=19648479&folderPk=83726&pNodeId=144922
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« Reply #26 on: March 15, 2008, 09:49:58 »

Another crazy thought of mine the other day, was that should Pilning be used as a request stop rather than a regular station?

I understand it's not in the most convenient of locations as it's not a great idea for trains to be slowing down approaching or leaving the Severn Tunnel. But with trains not calling at Lawrence Hill / Stapleton Road on the Cardiff-Taunton route would this be at all possible for some services?

As mentioned before, stops at Pilning may become significant if the village were to expand.
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« Reply #27 on: May 06, 2008, 16:24:39 »

More people got off at Pilning today than Melksham!

1429 Swansea to London Paddytoon called at Pilning at 1600 to 1610.

Exciting stuff. I think I may need to go cuddle my teddy bear....  Wink Grin Grin Grin
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« Reply #28 on: May 06, 2008, 16:49:51 »

Were you there to count?
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« Reply #29 on: May 06, 2008, 17:55:30 »

No, the Doctor was.  Grin
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