New Station fund announcement

[whole diary]

[grahame]

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-announces-20-million-fund-for-new-railway-stations

and from the Daily Express

A £20 MILLION fund for new railway stations in England and Wales has been announced.

The £20m investment will improve and expand existing infrastructure

The Government investment will provide up to 75 per cent of the cost of building new stations or reopening previously closed ones.

Bids for the fund can be made up to November, with the successful projects being confirmed early next year.

A first round of funding under the scheme contributed to the opening of new stations at Newcourt in Exeter, Pye Corner in Newport and Lea Bridge in north-east London

This is a confirmation (if it were needed) that it's sensible for local authorities to seed the early stages of preparation for potential new stations to get them to a "shovel ready" state in a timeous manner. Some authorities are excellent at doing this, whereas others which have cases that are just as good seem to be more barriers rather than partners or leaders in this seeding, resulting in a dearth of new stations even in major business, tourism and residential growth areas.   

The fund is very welcome; a confirmation that it will be available on (say) an annual basis for the next 10 years would enable even the most risk averse councils to improve rail provision commensurate with their population, work, medical, leisure and education centres.

Any candidates in the South West?

[LiskeardRich]

Devon council will no doubt be involved. I gather they have proposals for 3-4 new/ old stations to be opened

[ChrisB]

How much does it cost for a new station? £20m ain't going to go far. I'm sure it's being put up to persuade other funders (yes, LEPs^» (Local Enterprise Partnership - about)) to get on board

[grahame]

Devon council will no doubt be involved. I gather they have proposals for 3-4 new/ old stations to be opened

Devon Council are an excellent example of a council that's prepared for funds such as this.  

I would be very interested to know who many proposals are at a shovel-ready level in other parts of the South, South West, Thames Valley, Cotswolds and South Wales

How much does it cost for a new station? £20m ain't going to go far. I'm sure it's being put up to persuade other funders (yes, LEPs^» (Local Enterprise Partnership - about)) to get on board

There's a request for 25% local match, as I read it.   Newcourt was £2.2 million.   So with minimum matching, that's 10 new Newcourts

[paul7575]

When the original new stations funding stream was announced I got the impression the "shovel ready" aspect was designed to catch some local authorities out.   In other words places that had been ranting about opening stations "if only they were to get some government backing" were invited to show the agreed plans they must have already had prepared and ready to go, if funding was the only issue.

I'm sure some authorities were not ready after all...

Paul

[grahame]

I'm sure some authorities were not ready after all...

Indeed ... There seem to be some authorities such as Devon who are proactive and shovel ready - do the work, and do it well, behind the scenes.  At the other extreme, there are some authorities who expect the preparation work to be done for them rather, or don't have the desire or direction to do it.

Looking at this list, I can spot five where national rail network stations have been (re)open-ed in the last 30 years, and others where I don't think any have.   They should be catching up, and yet ... it's the same names again!

Cornwall
Devon
Somerset
Dorset
Wiltshire
Hampshire
West of England / Bristol
Gloucestershire
Oxfordshire

[LiskeardRich]

Some authorities are all talk no action to gain popularity. Others get on with it. Devon council I would say set the example.
Cornwall council have a chap high up who doesn't drive and is reliant on public transport, but nearly all of his portfolio spending has been bus lanes and bus projects. No rail projects I've heard spoke of.

[Rhydgaled]

"shovel ready"

Does Brackla count? Apparently, the first sod was cut years ago, but still no station.

[ellendune]

I remember in the days when water was in the public sector we (a local authority) had worked up a couple of sewerage projects to tender stage (I mean we only had to photocopy the documents and send them out for tender).  When the Water Authority were suddenly given a lump of money by government to spend on shovel ready projects (though I don't think they used that term then) we put our hands up and were first in the queue.  That is what local authorities need to do for new stations etc. 

[RichardB]

Some authorities are all talk no action to gain popularity. Others get on with it. Devon council I would say set the example.
Cornwall council have a chap high up who doesn't drive and is reliant on public transport, but nearly all of his portfolio spending has been bus lanes and bus projects. No rail projects I've heard spoke of.

You're being rather unfair to Cornwall Council there, Rich.  They are heavily investing in rail, with the aid too of EU^» (European Union - about) funding.   First up are the refurbished sleeper carriages, new sleeper lounges at Penzance and Truro and improvements to the Paddington one (funded by Cornwall), plus enlargement of Long Rock Depot, then we have the extra signals (22 in all) to allow the two train an hour service between Plymouth and Penzance from December 2018.  The trains to run this service are being funded through the franchise.  St Erth Park & Ride (a long-running project) is getting closer to fruition too.

Rail will also be a big beneficiary of the One Transport System for Cornwall now being planned by the Council - this is an ambitious attempt to link all public transport.  The aim is a unified timetable and much improved intermodal ticketing, among other things.

In terms of the New Stations Fund,  Marsh Barton in Exeter is very well advanced now so I'd be pretty sure that a bid will go in from Devon to help with the cost of that.  Next in line is Edginswell in north Torquay, near the Hospital, which Torbay Council are leading on. 


Edit to clarify quoting - Grahame

[LiskeardRich]

Some authorities are all talk no action to gain popularity. Others get on with it. Devon council I would say set the example.
Cornwall council have a chap high up who doesn't drive and is reliant on public transport, but nearly all of his portfolio spending has been bus lanes and bus projects. No rail projects I've heard spoke of.

You're being rather unfair to Cornwall Council there, Rich.  They are heavily investing in rail, with the aid too of EU^» (European Union - about) funding.   First up are the refurbished sleeper carriages, new sleeper lounges at Penzance and Truro and improvements to the Paddington one (funded by Cornwall), plus enlargement of Long Rock Depot, then we have the extra signals (22 in all) to allow the two train an hour service between Plymouth and Penzance from December 2018.  The trains to run this service are being funded through the franchise.  St Erth Park & Ride (a long-running project) is getting closer to fruition too.

Rail will also be a big beneficiary of the One Transport System for Cornwall now being planned by the Council - this is an ambitious attempt to link all public transport.  The aim is a unified timetable and much improved intermodal ticketing, among other things.

In terms of the New Stations Fund,  Marsh Barton in Exeter is very well advanced now so I'd be pretty sure that a bid will go in from Devon to help with the cost of that.  Next in line is Edginswell in north Torquay, near the Hospital.   

Thanks for this info, the only one I was aware of Cornwall councils involvement was the st erth P&R^▸ (Park and Ride). Maybe it's a positive they are keeping things quiet and getting on with rather than a weekly media release to take up time.

[TonyK]

In Bristol, this could be another chance to trot out the now mythical Portway Park and Ride station, scheduled for opening in Autumn 2013 IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly). Although the only way that is shovel ready would be in the cemetery context of the term by now.

[grahame]

In Bristol, this could be another chance to trot out the now mythical Portway Park and Ride station, scheduled for opening in Autumn 2013 IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly). Although the only way that is shovel ready would be in the cemetery context of the term by now.

That's probably at GRIP^▸ (Guide to Railway Investment Projects) 4 or 5 isn't it?  And I suspect Marsh Barton and Edginswell are well along the road too.  Other candidates?

1. Output definition
2. Feasibility
3. Option selection
4. Single option development
5. Detailed design
6. Construction test and commission
7. Scheme hand back
8. Project close out

[Bob_Blakey]

I would be surprised - and very disappointed - if Devon County Council don't try and snaffle some cash for the proposed new 'Monkerton' (in my opinion Hill Barton would be a more appropriate name) station between Polsloe Bridge and Digby & Sowton on the Exmouth branch. The adjacent major housing development is already well advanced, and it would be walkable for the Met Office and Exeter Business Park.

[RichardB]

I would be surprised - and very disappointed - if Devon County Council don't try and snaffle some cash for the proposed new 'Monkerton' (in my opinion Hill Barton would be a more appropriate name) station between Polsloe Bridge and Digby & Sowton on the Exmouth branch. The adjacent major housing development is already well advanced, and it would be walkable for the Met Office and Exeter Business Park.

Plans for the station aren't well advanced, I'm afraid.  Marsh Barton is the most likely candidate as that is not far off being "shovel ready."