Great Western Coffee Shop

I'm working on some TransWilts population / passenger flow stuff at the moment ... of course one of the factors involved in how busy a service will be / how much call there is for it is the size of the local population.  I thought that folks here might find the following interesting. I've tried to include all towns which the been given serious mention in this section of the site, including those such as Stone and Avonmouth who have seen or have promise of improvement, and those such as Melksham and Okehampton which have suffered cutbacks.

Some populations from the 2001 census

34000 Barnstaple
33000 Exmouth
25000 Maesteg
22000 Evesham
21000 Norton / Radstock
21000 Falmouth
20000 Melksham
19000 Newquay
17000 Portishead
14000 Stone
14000 Marlow
12000 Corsham
12000 Avonmouth
12000 Aberystwyth
11000 Tavistock
11000 Henley-on-Thames
10000 Helston
7000 Pembroke
6000 Okehampton
5000 Looe
3000 Moreton-in-Marsh
2000 Gunnislake

I could add strings of provisos, ifs and buts  - but it makes interesting reading. Please feel free to add any other places!

Of course, the geography of where a place is, in particular with relation to the existing rail network and other centres of population, is key. So a town with 10,000 inhabitants is much more likely to get a service if a) its on an existing line or b) it's on a closed or freight line which doesn't involve reopening to passenger traffic a sizeable length of route, than if it is 30 miles from anywhere.

Come to think of it, both Melksham and Portishead fit those criteria.

A very good point, John: Melksham, with a population of 20,000 and Portishead (now actually 18,000, apparently - see http://www.portishead.gov.uk/about-portishead/aboutportishead.htm ) would certainly benefit from a proper railway service!

 ???

Many (most?) of those populations have grown in the 8 years since 2001. My home town has grown 20%, and there's approval for another750 houses to be built soon, plus a further 150 hectares earmarked; so 20000 has become (now) around 23000 and that will rise to around 32000 within the time frame of the Regional Spatial Strategty which has some 18 years to run.   You only have to see the new housing development around the station.

2005: (http://www.wellho.net/pix/westwiltstrain.jpg)

2008: (http://www.wellho.net/pix/westwiltshousing.jpg)


I chose to quote the figures from a comparable source, rather than trying to update figures

Afternoon

Since 2001 there has been some considerable
growth of Falmouth, so reaching somewhere
nearer to Maesteg; probably c25.000.

Although we all need a home whether that be
afforable or not, the one thing that narks me off
is that they have to build it all over railway
land, disused and sometimes not.  Then esspecially
in the case of disused, they realise that
traffic is a problem and growth is ripe and a
railway/station is needed, but they can't do
because someones developed the site of the railway
land.  A case is The "Bodmin and Wenford Rly",
they want to get into Wadebridge, but would need
to create a diversion off the original ine, then
build a brand new station all because someone thought
it was a good idea put a housing development on the
site.  Why?  Could they built it somewhere else?
The same now for the "Helston Railway" project.

I think the sale of railway shouldn't be done, it
should be kept open in case there is a need in the
future for either train or light rail system; or
even if its frieght only.  They are too many cars
and HGVs on our roads anyway.

Go and Google disused stations (the sub brit site),
this may work: http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations.shtml
and look at some of the things we have lost to
development.

Sorry if this has wayed slightly off the original
subject.

Regards

Karl.

Hello again

Correct link for subbrit website is;

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/sites.shtml

This should take you straight to the list of
stations on the database.  The list is always
growing, probably the best website to date for
out of way never recorded stations and pictures!

Regards

Karl.
 

Totally agree, Karl F-O-P. In the case of Helston, the last half mile of the branch has been 'redeveloped' but most of the trackbed over that distance is not under housing but under a very wide road and then a playing field. At Wadebridge the case is more severe; what's doubly agonising is that Wadebridge closed to freight so much more recently.