I can't See any point of a 5 car set, I would of thought they learnt the lessons when they bought the Adelante.

Guy

I know MK2 and coaches are old, but with a make over they can be new. like what they done with the Coaches New Zealand

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NZR_British_Rail_Mark_2_carriage

Guy

I would expect if they ever did they would have to create loops at the station concerned. Wellington, Tiverton and Cullompton.

Figure 1  Current train service level (trains per hour)
Main line services  Trains per hour
Bristol Temple Meads ^ London Paddington  2
Plymouth ^ London Paddington  1 (9 trains per day from Penzance)

www.networkrail.co.uk/RoutePlans/PDF/RouteK-WestofEngland.pdf

Guy

Well if there was a fast Train Between Taunton and Exeter, a local service, which stopped at Wellington, Tiverton and Cullumpton.

Maybe this service could start from Okehampton to Exeter St David's and then to Taunton and return back to Okehampton via Exeter ST David.

Guy

From Mid Devon Gazette

MID Devon District Council is backing calls for a new railway station in Cullompton ^ half a century after the town's halt was closed.

The authority says it would welcome the development of platforms on allocated land at junction 28, roughly where the station was before it fell victim to cuts to the British rail network in the 1960s.

As buses linking Cullompton with Exeter and Taunton have reduced, optimism is growing that local train services could be sustained due to the town's steady increase in population.

A district council spokesman said: "Both district and county councillors representing the area have been voicing their concerns against any reduction to both main line and Tarka^▸ (Line from Barnstaple to Exeter) Line services.

"We also have land allocated for a railway station at junction 28 and would be pleased to see a development on that site.

"We are in an economic climate that is seeing the price of motoring escalate beyond the reach of many in rural communities. There are rising concerns over climate change and our over dependency on oil.

"For these reasons the council wants to maximise the availability of public transport that meets residents' needs."

Town and district councillors, as well Cullompton Traders' Association members, have been buoyed by comments from Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council's cabinet member for highways and transportation.

Cllr Nikki Woollatt, who represents Cullompton at town and district level, wrote to the authority to congratulate it on its plans for a station in Okehampton to improve the local infrastructure. She told the authority a new station would help boost ongoing regeneration as well as asking if Cullompton features in its economic development plans.

Cllr Hughes said: "While it is possible in layout terms to provide a station for Cullompton there is currently no train service which would call there.

"However, in responding to the Department for Transport's consultation on the new Great Western Rail Franchise to start in 2013, we made the case for an hourly stopping service between Exeter and Taunton.

"If this could be achieved at some time within the new franchise, then it would pave the way for a station to be added at Cullompton."

Stations in Stoke Canon, Silverton, Hele and Bradninch, Cullompton, Tiverton Junction, Sampford Peverell and Burlescombe closed after Dr Richard Beeching, as chairman of the British Transport Commission, drew up a report stating that British Rail was losing ^140m a year in 1963.

Neil Vaughan, chairman of the Cullompton Traders Association, said the rise in Cullompton's population due to the number of homes being built should be enough to sustain rail connections from Cullompton to Exeter and Taunton.

The population of the Cullompton area currently stands at 23,989, a figure Devon County Council did not expect would be reached until 2016.

Mr Vaughan's association is to meet the Cullompton Regeneration Advisory Group and Gordon Cleaver, Mid Devon District Council's economic development manager, this week.

He said: "I think we need to promote the links we already have but I do think the train station should be at the top of the list when it comes to transport and infrastructure.

"A train station will allow people from a tourism point of view to come to Cullompton to see what is here and it would also provide a fantastic saving in the carbon footprint currently attached to the number of cars that travel to Exeter and Taunton every day.

"If there was a local train service that went to Exeter, Cullompton, Tiverton, Wellington and Taunton on an hourly basis, it would provide a track of opportunity for those towns to attract people."

From Exeter Express and Echo


PLANS have been unveiled for a major facelift at Exeter's Central Station.

And the proposals could lead to the end of parking spaces in front of the building.

The proposal has been welcomed by business leaders in the city.

Devon County Council is proposing to pedestrianise the area to create an open space.

In partnership with Exeter City Council and Network Rail, it wants to enhance the entrance to the station, which was used by 1.6m passengers last year.

The number of users has increased by more than 40 per cent since 2004/5, and the county council expects it to increase further.

The cost of the scheme is around ^560,000. The county council will provide ^185,000, another ^185,000 will come from the city council and around ^160,000 will be provided by Network Rail.

First Great Western has already spent some ^750,000 on improvements to Central Station, including the restoration of the booking hall to its original central position.

As well as improving the pedestrian access to and from the station, there are also plans to create a cycle hub, which could include secure cycle storage, basic repair and maintenance facilities, bike hire and supporting activities as an additional option, if further funding is available from the Department for Transport.

Without the additional funding, parking for 15 cycles is included in the basic enhancement scheme.

Exeter and Devon's joint highways committee (Hatoc) is being asked to agree the scheme, in principle, before the detailed plans go before Devon's cabinet later this year.

Andrew Leadbetter, Devon's cabinet member with responsibility for Exeter, said: "Not only will this make a better approach to the city, it will get rid of the problem of people getting clamped.

The proposal has been welcomed by city centre manager, John Harvey, who told the Echo: "The important thing is that we give the best possible first impression to our visitors when they arrive in the city.

"This is a fantastic city centre but, if we are honest, sometimes the first impression at some of our key arrival points is not quite as we would wish. This is true just not just in Exeter but in many UK^▸ (United Kingdom) cities.

"It is important for Exeter that we work to address this and I welcome this proposal."

According to the county council, 85 per cent of passengers access the station on foot, so improving the pedestrian environment is important.

Four per cent of passengers are dropped off by car and just two per cent park their car at the station.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon's cabinet member for highways and transportation, said: "This proposed enhancement of the forecourt at Exeter Central Station will help meet the need of passengers, as the vast majority currently access the station on foot.

"We're keen to hear the views of the Hatoc committee before this issue is brought before Cabinet later this year."

Signed it

From BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Website

In a debate, Devon county councillors agreed that the town's existing station was not in a convenient location for many residents or potential commuters.

A new station would also create a full commuter service to Exeter, the council heard.

Funding was still needed, but planning permission was the first step towards securing the route, the council said.

No national rail services currently include the Okehampton station, which opened in 1871. The station also has no car park.

Some heritage trail trains do include Okehampton, and some of those routes run to Exeter.

But the Conservative-led authority said a new station in an appropriate location would mean a proper, regular commuter service could be created.

The plans would also include a new combination footpath and cyclepath, as well as links to existing housing, it added.

From Devon County Council Web Site

Devon County Councillors today (Wednesday 11 April) backed further plans to boost employment and business growth in Okehampton, agreeing to submit a planning application for a new train station east of the town.

The new station would link the town^s ^Opportunity Okehampton^ employment site with Exeter, and is close to the junction with the A30, so could serve a wider catchment area.

Members of the Council^s Cabinet also agreed to submit a revised planning application to broaden the scope of the employment site, to include non-food retail, distribution and a hotel, to permission previously granted for office and industrial land use and ancillary warehousing.

Funding for key infrastructure to open up the site would be drawn from the ^1.636 million allocated by the Council for commercial developments across Devon between 2012 and 2016/17, and would then be recouped as individual development plots are sold..

The town has been the focus of a great deal of support to businesses and local people seeking employment since a number of high profile business closures over the last 18 months.

Initiatives through the Council-coordinated Okehampton Works Partnership have provided over 140 people with employment training so far, with over 100 people finding new employment.

The County Council bought the employment site land from the Regional Development Agency last year with a view to it stimulating employment growth in the town, and has since been investigating the benefits for improving access by way of passenger rail services.

Okehampton^s existing railway station is not in a convenient location for many of the town^s residents, but a new shared footpath and cycleway as part of the new railway station development would link the new employment site to the existing housing and employment areas, as well as to the new station.

Some ^110,000 funding from Devon^s Local Transport Plan settlement funding would need to be allocated to the station, footpath/cycleway link and car park, to supplement  ^250,000 which has already been committed from Devon County Council^s own resources.

The Council^s Cabinet Member responsible for Economic Development, Cllr Will Mumford, said:

^Developing an efficient business infrastructure is an essential building block to supporting the local economy.  Making sure that the available employment site, which will complement the town^s existing Business Centre, has every opportunity to attract a wide range of business opportunities, and having the transport infrastructure to support it is critical.

^While the County Council is able to fund a significant amount of the work, further funding is needed.  Establishing planning permission for a new small train station will improve our chances of success in attracting Government funding, and in improving passenger rail services to Okehampton, which is being re-tendered by the Department for Transport.

^There will also be a continuing need for travel between Okehampton and Exeter for work, education, retail and leisure purposes, and creating a sustainable low carbon rail alternative will accommodate growth in housing and employment without exacerbating highway congestion.^

Councillor Christine Marsh, local Member for Okehampton Rural, said:

^I am delighted. This is great news for Okehampton and, hopefully, is the next step in achieving an improved passenger rail service for the town that will boost tourism and employment opportunities for local people.

I don't see why, but I expect the viaduct would be one of the most expensive costs of reopening the Okehampton to Tavistock section.

I guess the station site will be on the B3260 (Exeter Road) and Fatherford Rd

I am suprised the Devon & Cornwall Railcard or the Group Saver Tickets is not advertised more to get people on the line.

I think there is a new evening ticket.

Maybe I have watched The Titfield Thunderbolt and the Field of dream to much. But with the cost of petrol going up and the various bus companies will only keep the routes going so long.

I think if you provide better service to these stations people will use it

Maybe if someone look at Community Freight idea , the line can be upgraded


Guy

I guess it will only be the mainline in Cornwall since the council is look at taking over the branch lines