Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 10:35 28 Mar 2024
- Man suffers life-threatening injuries after train stabbing
* How do I renew my UK passport and what is the 10-year rule?
* Easter travel warning as millions set to hit roads
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
28th Mar (1988)
Woman found murdered on Orpington to London train (*)

Train RunningCancelled
07:43 Swansea to London Paddington
08:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
09:00 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington
09:12 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
09:29 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
09:30 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
09:46 Westbury to Swindon
10:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
10:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
10:41 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
11:00 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington
11:05 Swindon to Westbury
11:16 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
11:23 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
11:30 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
11:50 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
12:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
12:17 Westbury to Swindon
12:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
13:15 Swindon to Westbury
14:19 Westbury to Swindon
15:14 Swindon to Westbury
Short Run
06:00 London Paddington to Penzance
07:03 London Paddington to Paignton
07:28 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour
07:33 Weymouth to Gloucester
09:45 Bristol Temple Meads to Salisbury
09:50 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids
10:55 Paignton to London Paddington
11:12 Salisbury to Bristol Temple Meads
11:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central
Delayed
06:05 Penzance to London Paddington
06:37 Plymouth to London Paddington
07:10 Penzance to London Paddington
07:20 Swansea to London Paddington
07:48 London Paddington to Swansea
08:03 London Paddington to Penzance
08:23 Southampton Central to Bristol Temple Meads
08:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central
08:35 Plymouth to London Paddington
08:48 London Paddington to Swansea
09:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
09:30 Weymouth to Gloucester
09:37 London Paddington to Paignton
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
10:05 Bristol Temple Meads to Filton Abbey Wood
10:23 London Paddington to Oxford
11:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 28, 2024, 10:43:02 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[193] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[109] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[75] Return of the BRUTE?
[59] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[46] Reversing Beeching - bring heritage and freight lines into the...
[26] CrossCountry upgrade will see 25% more rail seats
 
News: A forum for passengers ... with input from rail professionals welcomed too
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 ... 6
  Print  
Author Topic: Ashchurch for Tewkesbury Station - campaign for renaming and other improvements  (Read 60734 times)
inspector_blakey
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 3574



View Profile
« Reply #15 on: September 13, 2010, 16:33:38 »

To run wiht your theme willc, and never mind that there's an anomaly at Bodmin, a Parkway station is supposed to have lots of car parking space (e.g. Bristol Parkway and Didcot Parkway with, I believe, well north of 1,000 spaces each) rather than some cruddy little car park with 55 spaces!

Bodmin Parkway was just a renaming of Bodmin Road to make it sound a bit more modern, and I suspect to make it clear that it wasn't that close to Bodmin. It wasn't a purpose-built Parkway station like the original at Bristol. And yes, I know Didcot wasn't built as a Parkway station but the soubriquet was applied after the enormous car parks were built and it had become a "park and ride" railhead for much of south Oxfordshire.
Logged
willc
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 2330


View Profile
« Reply #16 on: September 13, 2010, 18:13:31 »

Quote
It hardly gets people out of cars if they have to use them to get to the station

So we should close these stations and make people get a bus all the way into town instead? That idea would go down well in the north of Bristol. And in the case of Didcot, the station serves a huge swathe of Oxfordshire with limited bus services once off the main roads - and there's not a single station for 20 miles west to Swindon. Maybe we should close down city park-and-ride bus services by employing the same logic and demand people use buses from where they live (which assumes there is such a bus service in the first place - often there isn't). As for Chiltern's business plan for Oxford-London, it wouldn't add up without the planned Water Eaton Parkway. Not everyone is fortunate enough to live 10 minutes' walk from a station - happily for me, I do.

So inspector, what should they call it? Leave the name as it is, which it appears the locals aren't hugely keen on, just call it Tewkesbury, which isn't strictly correct, hence it wasn't used when the station reopened, or perhaps a name used for railway stations to indicate they're a bit out of town (just as much as it indicates they have a car park, whatever the size), such as, er, Parkway?

And if the station in question had a regular, predictable train service people could rely on, offering more options destination-wise, rather than the erratic, frequently chopped-and-changed service of recent times, where in order to go north to Birmingham you first have to go south to Cheltenham much of the day and where London connections are often better via Bristol Parkway than Cheltenham, then it probably would need a much larger car park.
Logged
inspector_blakey
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 3574



View Profile
« Reply #17 on: September 13, 2010, 18:41:55 »

So inspector, what should they call it? Leave the name as it is, which it appears the locals aren't hugely keen on

Yes! I think your analysis in the last paragraph is spot-on. People don't use it because the train service there is infrequent and not very useful.

Ashchurch for Tewkesbury describes it perfectly IMHO (in my humble opinion) - tells you where it is and that a major town is nearby. And do the locals really dislike it, or does a small minority who took to the streets with a petition dislike it? Not necessarily the same thing - frankly if I'm accosted by a busybody with a clipboard whilst out and about, unless it's something I violently disagree with it's generally much easier just to sign the petition to get them to go away. I would agree with you completely that it probably isn't very difficult to get a few hundred signatures on a petition, but as you will know there are all sorts of possible confounding factors (How many of them were locals, was an unbiased question asked, etc etc) that you can't really conclude that the natives as a whole don't like the name.

Honestly, I think that re-naming the station is just pointless tinkering around the edges and would make almost no difference to usage there. What might well help is the provision of a better train service.
Logged
6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 2754



View Profile Email
« Reply #18 on: September 13, 2010, 19:30:50 »

yawn
Logged
The Grecian
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 176


View Profile
« Reply #19 on: September 13, 2010, 20:00:33 »

A lot of Parkway stations were opened to reflect reality re driving. I believe part of Bristol Parkway's purpose was to draw people in from the M4 further west who were going to London. Ultimately some people will always favour driving west of there because the railway doesn't have a significant speed advantage beyond BPW» (Bristol Parkway - next trains), whereas central London is less than 90 minutes from BPW. While it would be nice to get everyone using the railway further west it isn't going to happen but at least BPW gets them using the railway for part of the journey.

Likewise Tiverton Parkway is attractive for people from North Devon who want to go to London or Birmingham and the north who are unlikely to want to use the Tarka (Line from Barnstaple to Exeter) Line from Barnstaple to Exeter (or if it had survived Beeching, wouldn't want to use a rambling branch line from Barnstaple to Taunton). Again, better they use the railway for part of their journey than not at all.

Hope I'm not going too off-topic here!
Logged
6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 2754



View Profile Email
« Reply #20 on: September 13, 2010, 20:08:05 »

A lot of Parkway stations were opened to reflect reality re driving. I believe part of Bristol Parkway's purpose was to draw people in from the M4 further west who were going to London. Ultimately some people will always favour driving west of there because the railway doesn't have a significant speed advantage beyond BPW» (Bristol Parkway - next trains), whereas central London is less than 90 minutes from BPW. While it would be nice to get everyone using the railway further west it isn't going to happen but at least BPW gets them using the railway for part of the journey.

Likewise Tiverton Parkway is attractive for people from North Devon who want to go to London or Birmingham and the north who are unlikely to want to use the Tarka (Line from Barnstaple to Exeter) Line from Barnstaple to Exeter (or if it had survived Beeching, wouldn't want to use a rambling branch line from Barnstaple to Taunton). Again, better they use the railway for part of their journey than not at all.

Hope I'm not going too off-topic here!

not at all its my fault, thankyou for a constructive reply to my comments
Logged
Btline
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 4782



View Profile
« Reply #21 on: September 13, 2010, 21:27:26 »

This is a no brainer. The station is there to serve Tewksbury. The "for Tewksbury" bit is actually rarely used - probably because it is clunky.

Parkway is a good idea, as (a) the station is not in the centre of town and (b) with a decent service and adverts, it would get people off the M5 to park here.

All we need now is for LM (London Midland - recent franchise) and FGW (First Great Western) to bash their heads together to form an hourly Bristol - Worcester service, and for XC (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) to stop messing Worcestershire about and stop ALL the Cariff - Nottinham trains here! Oh, and throw in a free bus link to Tewksbury every 15 mins.

[Wakes up.] Roll Eyes
Logged
John R
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 4416


View Profile
« Reply #22 on: September 13, 2010, 21:35:07 »

and for XC (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) to stop messing Worcestershire about and stop ALL the Cariff - Nottinham trains here!
[Wakes up.] Roll Eyes

Why is not stopping at Ashchurch (or even Tewksbury Parkway) messing Worcestershire about?
Logged
Btline
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 4782



View Profile
« Reply #23 on: September 13, 2010, 21:49:52 »

Because they add stops in one TT change, then take them out. Some used to run via Worcester. Now none do. It's the consistency of service that's at fault.

One day, commuters turned up at Ashchurch, no train stopped for a while, although several roared through. It later dawned on them that in the new timetable, there was no service (for commuters) to B'ham anymore! Gone - cancelled just like that.

These people (who'll now use the M5) won't come back to the railways until there is a stable service. Of course, the bean counters will see declining passenger numbers as an excuse to axe the remaining services that cling on...
Logged
inspector_blakey
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 3574



View Profile
« Reply #24 on: September 13, 2010, 22:54:20 »

Parkway is a good idea, as (a) the station is not in the centre of town and (b) with a decent service and adverts, it would get people off the M5 to park here.
(my emphasis)

Continuing with my devil's advocate hat on though, is that a good idea? The place only has 55 car parking spaces, and although I don't know the local geography well I doubt the burghers of Ashchurch would be particularly impressed if their village turned into a giant car-park for the railway station.
Logged
Btline
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 4782



View Profile
« Reply #25 on: September 13, 2010, 23:43:07 »

It's in an industrial estate.
Logged
John R
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 4416


View Profile
« Reply #26 on: September 14, 2010, 07:09:24 »

Because they add stops in one TT change, then take them out. Some used to run via Worcester. Now none do. It's the consistency of service that's at fault.

One day, commuters turned up at Ashchurch, no train stopped for a while, although several roared through. It later dawned on them that in the new timetable, there was no service (for commuters) to B'ham anymore! Gone - cancelled just like that.

These people (who'll now use the M5) won't come back to the railways until there is a stable service. Of course, the bean counters will see declining passenger numbers as an excuse to axe the remaining services that cling on...

It's not in Worcestershire though.
Logged
gwr2006
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 137


View Profile
« Reply #27 on: September 14, 2010, 17:15:22 »

Taking another angle, perhaps someone in the know in the industry can explain what is involved in changing the name of a station and the costs involved in doing so as it doesn't happen alot.

I'm thinking it would involve quite a bit more than simply changing the name on the platforms - that's the easiest bit!  The entire train planning system at Network Rail and the train companies and the rail enquiry ststem at NRES (National Rail Enquiry Service) would need to be updated, as would the other journey planning websites/software, then there are the numerous leaflets, timetables and other printed material that mentioned 'Ashchurch for Tewkesbury' that various companies produce and all the advance notices about the name change (how far geographically would they need to be shown?)... and if it is possible to book through tickets via Eurostar the train booking system across Europe needs to be updated.

I am sure all the costs would add up which is why stations rarely change their names. Someone needs to pay for it - who is going to do that in the current climate unless there is an overwhelming reason to do so?
Logged
JayMac
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 18894



View Profile
« Reply #28 on: September 17, 2010, 13:51:07 »

From The Citizen (Gloucester):

Quote
RAIL enthusiasts are celebrating a significant improvement being introduced at Ashchurch Railway Station, just a year after their group was formed.

Members of the Ashchurch, Tewkesbury and District Rail Promotion Group have been pressing First Great Western to install help points at the station and the company has now put them in.

There is one on each platform and they have a screen showing information about when the next train is coming, where it is going to and whether it is on time.

Group spokesman John Stretton said: "Until now, there has only been a box with a button to push and you then heard a recorded message. This is a live screen. It's not as big as those in the big stations but it's big enough. There's also a button for help if you want to speak to somebody."

The group is trying to make other improvements to the station.
Logged

"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

- Sir Terry Pratchett.
Pedros
Full Member
***
Posts: 42


View Profile
« Reply #29 on: September 17, 2010, 14:54:22 »

Hi all,  as someone who was born, raised and escaped from Tewkesbury (or Chooksbury, if you're local) I'm in favour of the name change.  One of the my main thoughts about the 'Ashchrurch for Tewkesbury' tag is that it's not blatently obvious that there is a station in or near the town of Tewkesbury.  Having just checked on the FGW (First Great Western) website, nothing comes up if you search for Tewkesbury.  Hopefully, by calling the station 'Tewkesbury Parkway' may advertise the station more.  Just my thinking.

However, I would strongly agree about the mess regarding the services that stop at the station.  When I lived in town, I used the station to travel to Lincoln (there used to be the odd direct service, or a service to Nottingham) and to Cardiff and there were always quite a few people on and off at the station.  I was quite shocked to see recently how much the service had been reduced.  A real shame.
Logged
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 ... 6
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page