Closure proposal - Breich Station

[whole diary]

[grahame]

And Now For Some Good News
http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/breich-station-reprieved-after-outcry-1-4614524.

Not Only But Also
https://www.transport.gov.scot/news/breich-station-future-secured/.

Having taken a look at the station last month -  http://melksh.am/4764 and  http://melksh.am/4765 - I believe this was a difficult but correct decision.

[martyjon]

Pity our Transport Minister didn't stand up to Network Rail and rule the down platform at Pilning MUST remain open and calling services increased to increase patronage there too.

[grahame]

Pity our Transport Minister didn't stand up to Network Rail and rule the down platform at Pilning MUST remain open and calling services increased to increase patronage there too.

Interesting that both Breich and Pilning are underpassengered ... and both have potential.  At Pilning, a distribution centre and is within half a mile of the station ... and a large business park is just as close to Pilning as to Severn Beach.  Journey times from both Newport and Bristol Temple Meads are quicker to Pilning, and one can't help feeling that with suitable provision (public footpath, platform, trains that call), help could be provided to both station numbers and the economy of the area.  Newport has a higher unemployment rate than Bristol and a commute by train to Pilning (for those who don't have a car) is practical where commute by train to Severn Beach is not.

Pilning to Western Distribution Centre - 0.46 mile
Pilning to Western Approach Business Park - 0.78 mile
Train journey time - Bristol Temple Meads to Pilning - 20 minutes
Train journey time - Newport to Pilning - 19 minutes

Severn Beach to Western Distribution Centre - 0.91 mile
Severn Beach to Western Approach Business Park - 0.78 mile
Train journey time - Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach - 37 minutes
Train journey time - Newport to Severn Beach - 91 minutes

Newport Unemployment rate 6.25%
Bristol Unemployment rate 4.7%

[Chris from Nailsea]

Hmm. 

Ease of public access to, and car parking facilities at, Pilning Station were always issues which were going to make it very difficult to make any business case to expand passenger train services there.

By that I mean: public access to the platform(s) at Pilning has always been very limited - particularly for those with mobility issues - and there is nowhere to park a car - unless a local farmer's field could be tarmacked over.

However, I'm at risk of taking this topic 'off topic' now.

[grahame]

Published 21st June 2017 in The Scotsman

Plans to close Breich Station in West Lothian, which has just three passengers a week, were announced by Network Rail today. If confirmed, the unstaffed station on the Edinburgh-Glasgow line via Shotts would be the first Scottish closure since 1986 when Balloch Pier Station on Loch Lomond shut.

[snip]

An alternative - that the station remained open and better service provided - was implemented. Passenger numbers up from 3 per week to 90 per week ... still not brilliant, but it certainly no longer appears in the "least used stations" list.   New passenger flows, such as in and out of Glasgow, are recorded now where there previously was not a single passenger.



The service has a reliability record I am jealous of too




There's perhaps half a dozen candidates that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) manage that could also see a similarly notable rise in passenger numbers if the similarly better service were to be provided.