Great Western Coffee Shop

Consultation Question 6

a) Are you promoting a scheme for a new station or line which has a realistic prospect of being funded? If so, please provide brief details here
b) What actions would you like the franchisee to undertake in order to support the development of this scheme?

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Explanatory text

Where potential enhancements would require infrastructure change, it is unlikely that we could include them in the specification for a likely two year franchise term unless there is a clearly identified plan for funding and completing that infrastructure change. However, we believe that a key priority for the next franchisee should be to support the development of potential infrastructure enhancement schemes, including those promoted by local authorities or other third-party promoters, and to work with Network Rail on identifying sources of third-party funding. We will therefore consider how the specification for the next franchise can best support the development of locally- promoted enhancement schemes, focusing on those proposals that meet a clearly- identified local need, and that have realistic prospects of being prioritised by local funders and offering good value for money. Some examples ...

See http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=19037 for the background to this topic

The question is addresses specifically at scheme promoters ... so this is probably not one for the majority of respondents to answer.    But ... what do we expect to be raised here across the territory that this franchise is likely to cover?

I know this is a pie in the sky idea, and probably too many negatives over positives, but one station that I have always wondered about being introduced is one at Reading East. I know such a plan would never get off the ground but I will list my thoughts anyway:

Firstly a big downside to such a location would be the lack of passengers who would be within walking distance from their homes, probably only a handful of people living on the edge of Woodley would come under the scope, having a station here would be primarily used for the business and industrial units in the area and those who could use it as a P&R into Reading.

The tracks in this area are quite spaced out, including the additional Kennet Bridge Loop line allowing plenty of space for a couple of platforms (or an island platform) to be built.

On the south side of the line, you have various industrial units incluidng the newish large Brakes warehouse, along with some houses alluded to earlier, whilst on the northern side you have Thames Valley Park, home to Oracle, Microsoft and others, whom I am sure wouldn't mind a direct rail link into the centre of London or even Heathrow once the west link line is built.

'Oooooooos gunna pay for it?' I hear at least one of you ask. Well as it happens £19m has been granted by the LEP to fund the new bus lane (East Reading MRT) linking Reading station with a new P&R being built next to Thames Valley Park. A move which has not gone down well with many locals, who would rather see the money spent on more useful transport alternatives. The bus services using the new road would be those linking to the new P&R, and those that shuttle between the station and Thames Valley Park, which is funded by the Park owners and the subsidy for that could be removed if a suitable train service was in operation. It would also mean additional revenue for the railways, both with commuters heading for the business/industrial parks, and with those using the area as a P&R to get into Reading Town Centre for Business or Leisure purposes

Whilst I am a huge advocate of improving bus services, I would rather see this money spent on a station rather than a bus only road. Commuters to the area from Twyford & Maidenhead etc would be benefitted greatly, those from the west of Reading could have a direct service, and with the right layout and timetabling, even some services from Newbury and Basingstoke (inc Green Park) could run through to a Reading East, not forgetting of course Crossrail.

The ERMRT and the new P&R will be going ahead long before 2022 and with bus journey times cut in half, sadly the case for a station would be reduced. Perhaps an idea for a future future franchise (beyond 2052) :)

To increase the sense of fantasy, this is also the proposed location for the fabled third Reading Bridge which has now got to the stage of an outline business case: http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/_resources/assets/attachment/full/0/441720.pdf
Although I don't think I will see it in my lifetime.

This has never gone ahead because Oxford keep saying no

Devon County Council (DCC) need to get on with the development of Marsh Barton station which seems to have come to a halt (no pun intended) due to a funding shortfall.
I would like to see DCC move forward with their plans to have Cullompton station reopened and also apply as much pressure as possible on both DfT & GWR to ensure that the Exeter<>Okehampton trial starts ASAP and certainly before the end of Summer 2018; Mr. Grayling has publicly nailed his colours to this project but I wouldn't trust him to fulfil any promises without some fairly frequent prompting.

IIRC the lure of a new bridge was used to tempt voters to agree to the merger of Woodley and various other small councils into Wokingham. Although as one of my pals pointed out, much of the area would have agreed to cession from the UK and invasion of the Sudetenland if it got them a third bridge.

As for East Reading station, I believe that it was a planning condition for Thames Valley Park that the developer had to make a contribution towards it and for a long time the relevant council held the money in trust, before eventually having to give it back.

Doesn't look like cession from EU is going to get them a third bridge either.

Being fair DCC did get funding for Cranbrook and Newcourt before the funding ran out. Marsh Barton will happen if people keep putting pressure on the government, the problem is most of the MP's are too busy with Dawlish, and claiming credit for 36 privately funded Class 802s, which the had nothing to do with!

Okehampton services should start next year, probably with a 153, or a 150 for the time being. Hopefully the line to Tavistock will be opened from Plymouth, but as usual the housing developer who promised it has "run out of money" just after creating all the homes they applied for in their planning permission ::).

One route I would really like to see return is either the line from Okehampton to Bude, or Tavistock to Launceston, as during the summer months the roads are so packed out, even if only the principal stations where rebuilt, it would allow a 5 car IET to run close to Padstow/Rock/Wadebridge area(a posh holiday place in Cornwall)

But that route never made money in the 19th and 20th Centuries?  Wadebridge could easily be reached via Bodmin rather than a long route through nowhere. 

Times are different now, besides Okehampton never made money 50 years ago, yet people want that line reopen.