new measures to “keep passengers safe now and level up for the future”

[whole diary]

[grahame]

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/transport-secretary-announces-new-measures-to-keep-passengers-safe-now-and-level-up-for-the-future

Transport Secretary announces new measures to “keep passengers safe now and level up for the future”

Funding to protect and increase transport services, level up infrastructure and regenerate local economies after the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Published 23 May 2020
From:
Department for Transport and The Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP^▸ (Member of Parliament)

* additional funding to increase frequency and capacity of bus, tram and light rail services, to help people travel safely
* further investment in railways to regenerate local economies and level up Britain
* preferred route announced for £1 billion upgrade to major road link which runs across Northern Powerhouse, from Teeside  to Cumbria
[continue]

[ellendune]

Looks promising for Devizes, Wellington and Cullompton on our patch.  Fawley and Isle of White might be considered in our patch as well.   

The bids that have been successful in this first round of the Ideas Fund are:

reopening Meir Railway Station between Stoke-On-Trent and North Staffordshire
reinstatement of the Barrow Hill line between Sheffield and Chesterfield
reinstatement of the Ivanhoe line
reinstatement of branch lines on the Isle of Wight
reinstatement of the Abbey line between St Albans Abbey and Watford Junction
reopening of Wellington and Cullompton stations
reinstatement of the Bury-Heywood-Rochdale lines
reinstatement of the Clitheroe to Hellifield railway line
reinstatement of rail access to Devizes via a new station at Lydeway
reintroduction of passenger rail services on the Waterside line

Bury-Heywood and Rochdale is interesting.  ELR use those metals at the moment and a common station in Bury might be tricky. 

[rogerw]

As the line between Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey is still open I assume this is a proposal for upgrading to increase frequencies

[bradshaw]

The idea of the passing loop here to allow an increased frequency of service has been going on for some time

https://www.abfly.org.uk/category/campaigns/passing-loop/

[bradshaw]

The IoW bid seems quite interesting, effectively returning the island to late 1960s lines to Ventnor and Cowes.

What the bid promotes
The bid, submitted by the Isle of Wight Council and sponsored by Island MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) Bob Seely, proposes two potential schemes:

extension of the existing Island Line service (Ryde-Shanklin) south of Shanklin to reach Ventnor, calling at Wroxall;
integration with, and extension of, the existing Isle of Wight Steam Railway route to provide passenger services through Smallbrook from Ryde to Newport.
Department for Transport officials will now work with the council to agree the focus of the work and the funding which will be required, and on what timescales. 

https://onthewight.com/the-reinstatement-of-some-isle-of-wight-railway-branch-lines-just-moved-on-a-step-closer/

[grahame]

The idea of the passing loop here to allow an increased frequency of service has been going on for some time

https://www.abfly.org.uk/category/campaigns/passing-loop/

If you think  the claim that a Clitheroe to Hellifield reopening is a little disingenuous, how about Watford to St Albans Abbey which is open and overhead electrified!!
It currently has a bus service because of the virus. Is this the start of there being a reopening inquiry after each time there is a bus replacement service???!!

I'm guessing it's the Bricket Wood passing loop that is being talked about re Watford - St Albans. 

Probably ... that's what's been talked about.    The line currently runs at train capacity with a service every 45 minutes which is rather too thin and very messy in terms of remembering when it's running - far from clock face.  http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/nrtt20/Table%20061.pdf . I used it a couple of years back ... took the connecting transfer bus from St Albans City to St Albans Abbey - got stuck in traffic and the bus designed to connect didn't.   On a short intermodal journey, a 45 minute wait feels a long time - even when poking round to take some good pictures for a quiz.

30 minute service, trains passing in the middle, sounds sensible and I expect the money is to work out in more detail than has been done so far ...
a) is it sensible
b) how would it be done
c) what would it cost

Oh help - we seem to have split threads ... I'll try and tidy up tonight.     Messy things, announcements that cover multiple lines. 

[CyclingSid]

Does the IoW proposal mean an extension of 3rd rail,which I thought was not approved of?

And going back to another theme that I bore on, will the cycle route from Shanklin to Wroxall survive? Would seem a bit odd if it doesn't as IoW council/tourism has spent years selling the island as a cycling destination.

Apologies if I have made messy things even messier (wasn't he an astronomer?)

[IndustryInsider]

Does the IoW proposal mean an extension of 3rd rail,which I thought was not approved of?

Not necessarily.  Battery/3rd rail bi-mode trains from Vivarail or another supplier maybe?  I suspect nothing will come of either route mind you.

[Robin Summerhill]

Does the IoW proposal mean an extension of 3rd rail,which I thought was not approved of?

And going back to another theme that I bore on, will the cycle route from Shanklin to Wroxall survive? Would seem a bit odd if it doesn't as IoW council/tourism has spent years selling the island as a cycling destination.

Apologies if I have made messy things even messier (wasn't he an astronomer?)

Ideas off the top of my head:

The IOW might be a good place for battery operation.

If it was the intention to keep the cycle track between Shanklin and Wroxall, additional land would be needed to allow the two to run alongside each other.

Major work would be required at Wroxall because of redevelopment. The current lay of the land to the north of the site of Wroxall station would require either a level crossing (frowned upon of course) ot an expensive grade separation solution.

The site of Ventnor station was never very convenient being at the top of a hill as it is. I honestly wonder whether there is sufficient potential traffic to justify an extension south of Shanklin.

I can't think of a good place where you could put a station in Newport these days, leaving to one side a diversion or removal of quite a bit of housing development n the final approach to the town.

[JayMac]

Just don't hold your breath folks.

The feasibility study into reopening the Portishead Line was carried out in 2009. 11 years later and there's still no trains.

[johnneyw]

In a wider context, do these sort of loud public proposals hint at the current administration's intention to address the economic implications of the current crisis with a rather more Keynsian or "New Deal" solution than with the previous monetarist/austerity orthodoxy?

[ellendune]

In a wider context, do these sort of loud public proposals hint at the current administration's intention to address the economic implications of the current crisis with a rather more Keynsian or "New Deal" solution than with the previous monetarist/austerity orthodoxy?

Might be - but a bit early to say IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion)

[grahame]

Does the IoW proposal mean an extension of 3rd rail,which I thought was not approved of?

And going back to another theme that I bore on, will the cycle route from Shanklin to Wroxall survive? Would seem a bit odd if it doesn't as IoW council/tourism has spent years selling the island as a cycling destination.

Apologies if I have made messy things even messier (wasn't he an astronomer?)

Ideas off the top of my head:

The IOW might be a good place for battery operation.

If it was the intention to keep the cycle track between Shanklin and Wroxall, additional land would be needed to allow the two to run alongside each other.

Major work would be required at Wroxall because of redevelopment. The current lay of the land to the north of the site of Wroxall station would require either a level crossing (frowned upon of course) ot an expensive grade separation solution.

The site of Ventnor station was never very convenient being at the top of a hill as it is. I honestly wonder whether there is sufficient potential traffic to justify an extension south of Shanklin.

I can't think of a good place where you could put a station in Newport these days, leaving to one side a diversion or removal of quite a bit of housing development n the final approach to the town.

Of all the options listed, the Isle of Wight looks the boldest.   I'm not sure if any of the others selected consider adding route mileage by relaying line on a trackbed out of use since Beeching's time.  An initial look at numbers like "what is the population of towns added to the network?" and questions like "can people make long distance journeys - get to the main network with a single change?" would suggest that this is an unlikely candidate to succeed BUT this one screams "Special Case" due to the ferry crossing. 

There is a repeating precedent of the IoW rail being special -  look at its different but parallel path to the main network with hand-me-down trains  from the London area (parallel to hand-me-down London suburban stock in Portsmouth - Cardiff).   There are also other special cases with an element of similarity where a ferry link to quite a small population makes for an unexpected good case.  I recall learning so much from an ACoRP^▸ (Association of Community Rail Partnerships) (as it was) event talking to someone from the West Highland line ... and learning about the notable car-less resident traffic the line carries off the small island ferry service - Eigg, Muck, Rhum and Canna (and there may be park and ride at Armadale, and passengers from Inverie).  There may also be comparators to offshore traffic from Millport, Brodick and Rothesay.

[CyclingSid]

The IOW might be a good place for battery operation.

I thought of alternative modes of power, but thought it didn't hang together with the money already committed to replacing existing Island stock and upgrading infrastructure.

I am not sure the population figures neccasarily add up to the increase in track mileage, unless it is predicated on the tourist market, but

Earlier today (Friday) members of a Facebook Group called ‘Restrictions on Isle Of Wight ferries’ sent emails to the leader of the Isle of Wight council, Dave Stewart, voicing their concerns over a possible influx of second-home owners and holidaymakers for the bank holiday weekend.

. Like a lot of tourist destinations showing their true colours at present, could the tourists just send the money but not come themselves!

[Robin Summerhill]

... could the tourists just send the money but not come themselves!

Some old gags never lose their relevance