Mid Cornwall Metro - Newquay, St Austell, Truro & Falmouth

[whole diary]

[RichardB]

If a small platform is to be added, I reckon it should be by Treloggan crossing between Quintrell Downs and Newquay. Newquay is hilly, sprawling and growing very fast (a bit like Falmouth) and a halt inland enabling travel into the town centre/beaches from the outskirts, and towards St Austell without having to get into the town centre first would fit in with the metro concept.

I think a trick was missed in putting a loop on Goss Moor instead of relaying the 2m of track from St Dennis Junction to Parkandillack. That would have effectively created a huge loop between Par & St Dennis junction. That said, it's great to see the "poor relation" of Cornish branches finally being invested in.
 

 

Although the missing section is only 2 miles long would the existing track from Parkandillack to Burngullow then need to be altered/upgraded to be suitable for passenger traffic? That would inevitably add significant extra costs, plus there would be need for at least one level crossing on the missing section, all of which would probably tip the cost to benefit ratio too far the wrong way 

You're right.  I know the County Council and then Cornwall Council looked long and hard at the Parkandillack line more than once and it was just too expensive to convert to a passenger line, on top of the extra cost of the connection to the existing line.  I don't know the detail.

   

[RailCornwall]

Drove east on the A30 this morning, got a couple of seconds of glimpse of the cleared loop area on Goss Moor, Are there any recommendations for a 'viewpoint'? I really have tried to find one on the maps without apparent success.

[TonyK]

This made the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) local news tonight, with a report on the BBC website for Cornwall

Metro project to 'change face of Newquay'


A new platform and second track have been created at Newquay Railway Station

Seb Noble
BBC Cornwall Political Reporter
Published
24 February 2025, 06:17 GMT

A £50m project improving rail services to Newquay will "change the face" of the town, Network Rail has said.

The latest phase of work on the Mid-Cornwall Project has started with 400m of new track being laid at Goss Moor to form a "passing loop".

A new platform and track have already been created at Newquay station to allow an hourly train between the town and Par instead of the current two-hourly service.

(Continues at source)

The only downside seems to be a period of line closure with bustitutions for the next month.

[infoman]

item on Monday 24 February 2025

Par to Newquay branch line closed for the next month up to and including Sunday 23rd March 2025 due to the following works

Goss Moor 400 meters of new track also improvements at St Blazey and renovation work on the ponts mill viaduct

cost of works 50 million pounds

[GBM]

item on Monday 24 February 2025

Par to Newquay branch line closed for the next month up to and including Sunday 23rd March 2025 due to the following works

Goss Moor 400 meters of new track also improvements at St Blazey and renovation work on the ponts mill viaduct

cost of works 50 million pounds

Mentioned earlier here -
https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=27102.msg358774#msg358774

[Noggin]

Wouldn't that look nice with some overhead electrification and a Stadler unit in GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) green?

[GBM]

Wouldn't that look nice with some overhead electrification and a Stadler unit in GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) green?

Or battery - less knitting!

[John D]

Are they still using bullhead rail, or is it an old photo

[grahame]

Are they still using bullhead rail, or is it an old photo

Pretty current picture.   Here is how it looked five years ago

[RailCornwall]

Got as close as possible to the Goss Moor loop today after finally sussing out where to be to do that. The site is a complete mudbath after the weekend. It really looks, although obviously it isn't going to be, like an impossible job.

[IndustryInsider]

I read in RAIL magazine that the hourly Newquay branch service won’t be starting until September.

[RichardB]

I read in RAIL magazine that the hourly Newquay branch service won’t be starting until September.

https://midcornwallmetro.com/2025/02/stage-three-of-mid-cornwall-metro-work-underway/

Here's the latest on the scheme.  Looking at that Rail piece, it says the commissioning work for the signals will be in September and the service introduction will be after that.  Slightly different to saying the service will start in Sept.  Too early to say and we'll see soon enough.

[Andy]

Perhaps a word could be had with HRH The Duke to see if the Duchy might be inclined to contribute to the financing of a "Nansleden Platform/Nansleden Road/Gorsaf Nansleden".

 

[RailCornwall]

Some stunning photos in this Facebook Group of the loop and associated works, including one, taken from a drone, showing two trains side-by-side within the loop. (Not direct linking due copyright claims on some)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/384010423010289/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=1403705101040811

[Pb_devon]

And many more on the CRS news page: http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/latest-input--news--old-pictures-etc