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Author Topic: Pilning station - services and campaigns (merged posts)  (Read 17938 times)
Incider
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« on: June 27, 2019, 10:07:01 »

Article from the latest Eye..
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grahame
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« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2019, 11:33:59 »

They have good and correct research which I'm sure one or two of our team here will personally confirm. Chris Grayling also visited another station that certain members were concerned about at that time; in that case, w have seen an improvement from unusable to poor but usable in the years since.
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« Reply #2 on: August 30, 2019, 09:52:09 »

From Parliament Petitions

Quote
Petition

Reopen Pilning Station's 2nd platform and make it a request stop

Great Western Railway run a shoddy service at Pilning Station, to artificially lower passenger stats. Network Rail shut the 2nd platform, without public consultation, to avoid paying for a replacement footbridge.

Order Network Rail to reopen the 2nd platform & order GWR (Great Western Railway) to run more trains.

There are 3,647 living in Pilning, who could be using this station if it was not being deliberately hobbled by GWR:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilning

The Pilning Station page on Wikipedia shows that Network Rail removed a footbridge during electrification works, rather than replace it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilning_railway_station

There is popular support to improve the station:
https://www.pilningstation.uk/
https://twitter.com/PilningStation

Please do the right thing.

Brought to forum members' attention ... comment / thought welcome.
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johnneyw
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« Reply #3 on: August 30, 2019, 11:19:22 »

The language is perhaps a tad confrontational but I suppose it helps highlight the issue.
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CMRail
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« Reply #4 on: August 30, 2019, 11:56:07 »

Ultimately it barely serves nearby Pilning village, and yes it would be ideal to have connections to the South Wales Mainline however it’s statistics only increased after the campaign to reopen the second platform was made public. A lot of the passengers are enthusiasts or travellers who find the station interesting. Before this it was getting usage below 100 people per year.

If you are going to improve the station you might as well go all out, asking for 2tph to serve it is optimistic.
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johnneyw
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« Reply #5 on: August 30, 2019, 13:12:46 »

Other threads on this forum have discussed the growing new employment centre nearby, the relocation of the station to exploit this and the emergence of SEWWEB. All these factors could make the rebuilding of the bridge unnecessary. It really is down to a longer term view being needed as to what to do there.
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grahame
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« Reply #6 on: August 30, 2019, 14:56:03 »

Ultimately it barely serves nearby Pilning village, and yes it would be ideal to have connections to the South Wales Mainline however it’s statistics only increased after the campaign to reopen the second platform was made public. A lot of the passengers are enthusiasts or travellers who find the station interesting. Before this it was getting usage below 100 people per year.

If you are going to improve the station you might as well go all out, asking for 2tph to serve it is optimistic.

Why do stations gets less that two passengers a day?    It could be because there aren't the trains calling there that people want to use, or it could be because there aren't the people to use the trains.     Here's a mapped example of each:


On the left, a station with two trains per week.    On the right, a station with very few people around to use the trains, though 44 call there on request each week.

The number of service at Pining is identical to the number of services that call at the station shown on the left map here ... just off a motorway junction, a big car park across, industry and housing.   No matter how fabulous the area around a station is - ripe with potential traffic - you ain't going to get a huge upturn unless you raise the service level.    And that service level, surely should be out and back journeys.

I agree with the petitioner that a both-way service should be offered.   I agree it should be far, far more than two calls a week.    I do not agree it should be "calls on request" - the number of passengers with a station in both directions and an appropriate service (and probably with much better reach to both employment and residences) should be such that every Taunton - Cardiff train has to call anyway.

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« Reply #7 on: February 13, 2020, 21:29:14 »

Quote
Our area is already becoming better connected, and I eagerly anticipate seeing the benefits of £350 million of investment in transport infrastructure over the next 20 years, but there are some issues that need addressing. First, a regular service must be restored to Pilning railway station. We are lucky enough in my constituency to have the Wave, the first inland surfing lake of its kind in England, on the edge of Pilning and Easter Compton. That amazing facility opened recently and will attract thousands of tourists. If we do not want people to drive there, which would put pressure on rural road networks with limited capacity, it would be sensible to ensure that they have a reliable rail service, especially because there is a railway station already on the door step.

Source: Jack Lopresti, MP (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post (a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London), depending on context) for Filton and Bradley Stoke, Hansard 13 Feb 2020

My italics.
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« Reply #8 on: October 18, 2020, 13:50:14 »

Looks like Pining station approach took a bit of a bash very recently....pic from Facebook:

https://m.facebook.com/groups/2640349129543811?view=permalink&id=2764249733820416&fs=1&focus_composer=0

Mods/admin, please move this if a more relevant thread exists.
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« Reply #9 on: October 18, 2020, 13:56:20 »

Looks like Pining station approach took a bit of a bash very recently....pic from Facebook:

https://m.facebook.com/groups/2640349129543811?view=permalink&id=2764249733820416&fs=1&focus_composer=0

Mods/admin, please move this if a more relevant thread exists.

A private group ... which (however) I've just applied to join. 
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johnneyw
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« Reply #10 on: October 18, 2020, 14:05:58 »

Looks like Pining station approach took a bit of a bash very recently....pic from Facebook:

https://m.facebook.com/groups/2640349129543811?view=permalink&id=2764249733820416&fs=1&focus_composer=0

Mods/admin, please move this if a more relevant thread exists.

A private group ... which (however) I've just applied to join. 

Arrgh, I forgot it was a private group. What the picture showed was the yellow "maximum height" access gate on the approach ramp that seems to have been struck by something (think bridge strike) and now looks like it could cause significant delays for emergency vehicle access.
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« Reply #11 on: October 18, 2020, 18:45:34 »

From Twitter.. https://mobile.twitter.com/PilningStation/status/1317365279584886790
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« Reply #12 on: November 29, 2020, 12:16:05 »

Pilning gets a mention in the West of England 10 Year Rail Delivery Plan for Investment: 2020 - 2030 (see http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=24296.msg297475#msg297475), under 'Pipeline Projects, New Stations Fund, Restoring Your Railway and other schemes that could come forward 2020 to 2030'

Quote
Restoring Your Railway
A Restoring Your Railway New Ideas bid was submitted by WECA» (West of England Combined Authority - about) to the Department for Transport in June 2020 for Bristol West Capacity Enhancement (Bristol Temple Meads to Parson Street). Other bids submitted were:

[...]

? Pilning Station ? Pilning Station Action Group supported by Jack Lopresti MP (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post (a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London), depending on context).
Bid is for increased services and a new footbridge.

« Last Edit: November 29, 2020, 13:54:07 by Red Squirrel » Logged

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« Reply #13 on: June 19, 2021, 00:10:59 »

This might improve the prospects for rebridging the two platforms at Pilning:

https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/network-rail-develops-new-type-of-footbridge
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« Reply #14 on: June 19, 2021, 08:07:39 »

Its a good thought,but I thought all new rail footbridges had to have access for wheelchair users.
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