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

[whole diary]

[Noggin]

The entire South West so easily feels constrained in capacity and services. Makes me wonder what the optimum levels of both might be.

Mark

There is a psychology in passenger use of public (rail) transport ... the higher up this list, the more likely people are to take the train.  And I would suspect that where a service frequency moves lots of people's planning from one category to another, it results in a sharp rise in passenger numbers.

1. Just turn up at the station to travel
2. Plan your day and make a minor adjustment to catch the best train
3. Work out your trains, then plan your day around them
4. Look at the trains to see if they work for you
5. Don't even thing about the train - be amazed if it runs at a useable time

It also raises the ratio of full-fare adults to discounted students/school kids/OAPs

[Witham Bobby]

The entire South West so easily feels constrained in capacity and services. Makes me wonder what the optimum levels of both might be.

Mark

There is a psychology in passenger use of public (rail) transport ... the higher up this list, the more likely people are to take the train.  And I would suspect that where a service frequency moves lots of people's planning from one category to another, it results in a sharp rise in passenger numbers.

1. Just turn up at the station to travel
2. Plan your day and make a minor adjustment to catch the best train
3. Work out your trains, then plan your day around them
4. Look at the trains to see if they work for you
5. Don't even thing about the train - be amazed if it runs at a useable time

I rearely even consider the Cotswold line services when I travel to London on business.  It's nominally an hourly service, but the days when all the trains run are few.  The thought of cancellation (or amendment to stop short of destination, which is somehow called an amendment, not a cancellation) just puts me off.  "More (newish) trains needing repair"  "shortage of traincrew"  "congestion"  "a fault on this train".  It's just hopeless for anyone with a busy schedule

So it's usually a Chiltern service from Warwick or Oxford for me, and a car journey to get to the station and back

[Witham Bobby]

The entire South West so easily feels constrained in capacity and services. Makes me wonder what the optimum levels of both might be.

Mark

There is a psychology in passenger use of public (rail) transport ... the higher up this list, the more likely people are to take the train.  And I would suspect that where a service frequency moves lots of people's planning from one category to another, it results in a sharp rise in passenger numbers.

1. Just turn up at the station to travel
2. Plan your day and make a minor adjustment to catch the best train
3. Work out your trains, then plan your day around them
4. Look at the trains to see if they work for you
5. Don't even thing about the train - be amazed if it runs at a useable time

I rearely even consider the Cotswold line services when I travel to London on business.  It's nominally an hourly service, but the days when all the trains run are few.  The thought of cancellation (or amendment to stop short of destination, which is somehow called an amendment, not a cancellation) just puts me off.  "More (newish) trains needing repair"  "shortage of traincrew"  "congestion"  "a fault on this train".  It's just hopeless for anyone with a busy schedule

So it's usually a Chiltern service from Warwick or Oxford for me, and a car journey to get to the station and back

[Andy]

The entire South West so easily feels constrained in capacity and services. Makes me wonder what the optimum levels of both might be.

Mark

I wonder if, complementing the hourly Newquay-Falmouth service, extending the Newquay-Par trains to a couple of Newquay-Plymouth runs at peak times might prove popular, particularly in summer.

 

[grahame]

The entire South West so easily feels constrained in capacity and services. Makes me wonder what the optimum levels of both might be.

Mark

I wonder if, complementing the hourly Newquay-Falmouth service, extending the Newquay-Par trains to a couple of Newquay-Plymouth runs at peak times might prove popular, particularly in summer.

I'm sure it might be popular with passengers ... but the business case of what to do with the train off peak might make it a bit of a challenge, and I wonder about paths too and/or disturbances to clock face operation of Newquay - Falmouth

[RailCornwall]

There are a number of peak summer scheduled PAD^▸ (Paddington (London) station)-NQY^▸ (Newquay station) services to cover most of that demand.

[grahame]

From Radio Newquay and with a picture of a 150 in the new platform

Second platform reopens after nearly four decades

Newquay has begun using a second railway platform for the first time in 38 years, as trains return to the branch line following Network Rail engineering work.

The station has operated with a single platform since the signal box closed in October 1987. The introduction of digital signalling has allowed both platforms to be used at the same time. The upgrade forms part of preparations for the Mid Cornwall Metro (MCM), which will see an hourly service between Newquay and Par introduced next year. A direct link to Falmouth, via Par, St Austell and Truro, is planned to follow.

Digital signalling, controlled from Goonbarrow signal box, replaces the previous “token” system that restricted the single-track line to one train at a time. Network Rail’s work also includes a passing loop at Goss Moor, track replacement near St Blazey and refurbishment of the 152-year-old Ponts Mill viaduct.

[GBM]

The BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) now have a similar article
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd9k1z8d20wo
Second platform opens at station after 40 years
A second platform has opened at a Cornish railway station for the first time in nearly 40 years as part of a £50m infrastructure project.

Newquay station has only had one platform in use since October 1987, when a signal box closed.

........continues..........

[old original]

Just a thought brought about seeing pictures of the flooding at Roche on the Newquay branch.

With all the money being thrown at this metro idea, I would have thought, in the interest of H&S^▸ (Health and Safety), the old up platform at Roche could have been rebuilt and the track slewed slightly and therefore negating the need for passengers to cross the track via the barrow crossing.

[grahame]

Just a thought brought about seeing pictures of the flooding at Roche on the Newquay branch.

With all the money being thrown at this metro idea, I would have thought, in the interest of H&S^▸ (Health and Safety), the old up platform at Roche could have been rebuilt and the track slewed slightly and therefore negating the need for passengers to cross the track via the barrow crossing.

Interesting thought - though with 15 ticketed passenger journeys on average per day, I wonder what the case is. Having said which for robustness of the service through Roche, if slewing would make the service more robust there could [have been/be] a stronger case.   Are there predictions for traffic growth at Roche and other intermediate stations between Par and Newquay?  Are any of them anticipated to be growth hubs to help HMG reach towards its new housing targets??

[RailCornwall]

Remember that significant sums connected with the project do not include rail infrastructure but are assigned to public realm enhancements (streets and pavements of a tarted up variety). This restricts the amounts available.

[old original]

Just a thought brought about seeing pictures of the flooding at Roche on the Newquay branch.

With all the money being thrown at this metro idea, I would have thought, in the interest of H&S^▸ (Health and Safety), the old up platform at Roche could have been rebuilt and the track slewed slightly and therefore negating the need for passengers to cross the track via the barrow crossing.

Interesting thought - though with 15 ticketed passenger journeys on average per day, I wonder what the case is. Having said which for robustness of the service through Roche, if slewing would make the service more robust there could [have been/be] a stronger case.   Are there predictions for traffic growth at Roche and other intermediate stations between Par and Newquay?  Are any of them anticipated to be growth hubs to help HMG reach towards its new housing targets??

I agree, it's a very quite halt but if there was a chance of some funding I would think taking a possible person/train conflict out of use should be up there.

Locally there is scope for development, plenty of empty fields, which are actually on the side of the current platform so perhaps somebody knows something we don't!!!

[old original]

Remember that significant sums connected with the project do not include rail infrastructure but are assigned to public realm enhancements (streets and pavements of a tarted up variety). This restricts the amounts available.

Yep, near where I live (Penryn) we're gaining a pelican crossing outside the station, a zebra crossing across a side road in the town centre, and there's a whole host of widening pavements, narrowing roads with removal of some parking places

[IndustryInsider]

8 becomes 17 in May as the enhanced Newquay service begins.

Departures from Newquay for Par are currently at 07:19, 09:24, 11:24, 13:24, 15:24, 17:24, 19:24 and 21:12.

From the timetable change they become:  07:19, 08:22, 09:20, 10:28, 11:30, 12:17, 13:25, 14:27, 15:36, 16:18, 17:27, 18:22, 19:20, 20:28 and 21:12.  In addition there's two summer trains on weekdays to London at 11:08 and 14:52...correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't they only run (or not run as the case often was) at weekends last year?

[bobm]

The weekday ones are new.

Last year there was one train to and from London Paddington on a Saturday with a through train from Exeter St Davids and a service to Bristol Temple Meads.

On Sundays there was one through service from London and two return trips - one formed from the stock of a service from Plymouth.