Great Western Coffee Shop

"The Cotswold line" is feature of the month ... at the top of the pages on this site, with a link to the redoubling petition.  I understand this campaign is nearing a critical point.

Please post - following up here - some further, up to date details of what's happening and I'll snip out this comment and link to this thread from the [about] tag at the top of the page. Thanks!

Well according to the WOS based crewe on the train last night - it is likely to start in Jan

According to the Network rail manager at the Charlbury meeting (cant remember the name....Dave Ward?) if the ORR give the go ahead then work can start in Jan 2009 and should take approx 18months, although from WillC's notes from the CLPG AGM the completion could be in 2011 so either taking 24 months or a delayed start.

Are they not still considering closing the line for three months and doing it in a one hit?  That seemed to still be an option talking to the crew last night?

Best way is to close the line with the dates being set asap, so people can plan 1/2 year ahead not to travel.

Yes, it is inconvenient, will cause chaos, and many will go to Chiltern, but is the best way. Then:

*Extend most/all Padd - Chelt trains to Worcester/Malvern/Hereford.

*Run a Thames Turbo every hour from say Honeybourne to at least Worcester (if possible, if not from Evesham or Morton).

*Keep running HSTs to at least Hanborough.

*Operate coaches from Evesham to Oxford, calling all stops, save some villages at times when they don't get a service.

Result: quick solution to the chaos.

If it goes ahead, Network Rail planning is for a blockade between Evesham and Moreton-in-Marsh - not clear on the duration, but it won't be short - simply because that would be the most efficient way to deal with this section, both due to its length, but also because there are long stretches where, when continuous welded rail was laid, the track was slewed across to the middle of the formation, so it's not just a question of dropping the new track alongside. This is less of an issue Ascott-Charlbury, where work could be done at weekends or in short blockades.

Looks like a Worcester-Evesham rail shuttle - Honeybourne is probably out (buses here?) even when work is nearer to Moreton, as the remaining sidings would be a logical base for engineering trains - with peak through London trains from and to Worcester, running via Cheltenham and Stroud. If the hourly FGW/LM Gloucester-Worcester service gets started from December, then that would be able to offer connections the rest of the time.

An Evesham-Moreton bus link would make sense, but going through by road to Oxford, unless there are no trains south of Moreton, takes forever.

While an Oxford-Moreton shuttle would look logical off-peak, I think some through London services at busy times will be needed, in addition to the 05.50am ex-Moreton.

This would maintain passenger goodwill but also avoid extra operating complications at Oxford, where dealing with yet more empty stock and passengers moving around the station at busy times isn't an attractive prospect.

I'm sure a competent timetable planner could come up with something workable without too much hassle and the shunting operation to move between the platforms at Moreton doesn't involve entering the Evesham section.

"It won't be short" - if it was done in bits and bobs it would be longer!!!

The LM Glouc to Worsc service might not go to Malvern and Hereford making them change twice!

"Avoid empty stock/ changing passengers at Oxford" - would running HSTs to at least Hanborough avoid this? Is this possible?

"Hanborough is prob out" - my mistake!

Technically, you could, but since most people travelling would still want to go to Charlbury, Kingham and Moreton, it would be a pretty pointless exercise.

You could probably justify three Moreton-London through trains in the morning, picked out of the 05.51, 07.03, 08.14 and 09.19 departures, with the 15.51 and 17.21 (plus 18.21?) back running through and a shuttle to/from Oxford serving the main stations the rest of the time, plus the halts trains.

When I say it won't be a short blockade, I mean I expect it will be longer than three months, making it a hell of a lot longer than most blockades attempted recently elsewhere on the network. If it was weekends only, it would take years.

The numbers of people off-peak travelling beyond Worcester are pretty small, so I think they will just have to grin and bear it - and if they're going to Hereford, it would probably make more sense to travel via Newport anyway.