Reopening former rail line between Hythe and Totton - ongoing discussion, merged topic

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Thanks for the report of the journey, but just a couple of corrections. Hythe and Fawley are on the west bank of Southampton Water and not the River Itchen, and the village at the end is called Calshot.

Original now corrected - thanks for the notification

[teamsaint]

Thanks for that lovely report and photos, really enjoyed looking at them.

[TonyK]

Thanks for that lovely report and photos, really enjoyed looking at them.

And so did I!

[grahame]

Many thanks to Nick Farthing of Three Rivers CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership) for posting a pointer to this video on Youtube

This must be the easiest railway to reopen for passengers! Open for half its length to Marchwood and “mothballed” from there to Fawley gates! It’s a no brainier in my book!

Ah sh..... playback on other sites disabled

[Western Pathfinder]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xKLdHC0YBbg

This is the link to the above ,also available is the journey in the reverse direction
Thought it might be helpful.

[grahame]

An update from The Daily Echo

CAMPAIGNERS calling for a Hampshire railway line to be reopened say their hopes of success have never been higher.

Cllr David Harrison and fellow enthusiasts want passenger services on the Totton to Fawley branch line to be restored to ease the ever-increasing burden on the A326 and other roads in the area.

The campaign has gained new momentum since Fawley Waterside unveiled plans to build up to 1,500 homes on land currently occupied by Fawley power station.

Having said which, local opinion is not unananymous - I spent a very interesting dinner a week ago learning about transport between the Waterside area (Totton, Marchwood, Dibden, Hythe, Fawley and Calstock) and Southampton  from one of the most informed gentlemen around on the history of the Hythe ferry, and a resident of that town, who re-raises a number of concerns.

[grahame]

Parish council throws its weight behind campaign to reopen Totton to Fawley branch railway

from The Daily Echo

I suspect that the Parish Council has very limited weight indeed to throw on matters like this, but very welcome as it sets the tone further and encourages more support.   Interesting to see the public follow up - much more positive than is usual in local press - too.   Whilst a Parish Council has little positive weight to throw, it's other courses would have been to ignore the proposal or (madly, IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion)) to throw rocks at it. 

[grahame]

Considerable activity of late ... though I have not posted things that's come my way. See https://www.facebook.com/WatersideRailwayPassengerService/ for recent Facebook posts.

It seems almost criminal that a perfectly good railway line, with almost all the infrastructure in place, is not being fully utilised for the benefit of both local people and others wanting to journey to the Waterside / New Forest by rail.

This Facebook page was set up for supporters of the campaign to restore the Waterside railway line so that it once again has a passenger service.

From Councillor Lee Whitbread:

Jumping on board to support the Waterside Railway.

Many residents I represent in Redbridge know all too well the huge problems we have in the west of the city with traffic coming and going from the waterside and these pressures are set to increase if Planning permission is given by New Forest District Council to approve a major housing development at the old Fawley Power station site which involve constructing 1500 homes. It is one reason I have been a strong supporter of reopening the waterside railway to passenger trains.

[snip]

I will continue to work with all interested parties to push for the reopening of this line which I believe would help to reduce car traffic on our busy roads and help to improve air quality.

[stuving]

I'm sure some things have happened since the last post here - trains, for example - but now something concrete has turned up. Network Rail have a page - The Waterside Line - with proposals, and a consultation exercise starts with a meeting tomorrow.

Our proposals

We are developing proposals that would see passenger services restored from Southampton Central to an upgraded station at Marchwood and a brand-new station in Hythe.

This would require the introduction of new railway infrastructure, particularly in the Hythe and Marchwood areas.

The proposed new services will call at Totton station, using the existing station.

To run the trains to and from Southampton Central we plan to refurbish Platform 5 to allow passenger services to terminate in the platform.

Hythe

Constructing a new station at Hythe with associated facilities, a new station forecourt, cycle facilities and connections for onward travel.

Two options for the station location in Hythe are being considered, one alongside the railway behind New Road car park and one alongside the railway between Jones Lane and School Road.
A map showing the Waterside Line rail corridor, including the eight existing level crossings and proposed stations at Marchwood and Hythe

Marchwood

Reopening Marchwood station with associated facilities, a new station forecourt, cycle facilities and connections for onward travel.

[paul7575]

They mention in the FAQ^▸ (Frequently Asked Questions) section that there will be up to four level crossing closures per hour in the normal timetable which is probably a fairly reasonable hint that they intend to run 2 tph?

[stuving]

They mention in the FAQ^▸ (Frequently Asked Questions) section that there will be up to four level crossing closures per hour in the normal timetable which is probably a fairly reasonable hint that they intend to run 2 tph?

That depends on how you understand "up to", doesn't it?

[TonyN]

Looks like the Fawley line reopening is off.

Rail reopening scrapped over 'value for money'

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8vvvmrx5jo

[eightonedee]

This is deeply disappointing. There has been an enormous amount of development in the "Waterside" area in the last 50 or so years, and the A35 Totton by-pass has long been a bottleneck.