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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #60 on: June 24, 2008, 22:28:33 » |
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In the meantime, more problems for Portishead commuters / residents: no petrol for a month. Portishead will be without fuel from the end of the month, when its Waitrose garage closes for a refit. The Waitrose garage at Station Road is to shut on Sunday for nearly a month. The nearest filling station is three miles away at the M5's Gordano Services. Local councillors are concerned the closure will cause inconvenience for local residents and increase traffic on the already congested A369 as people travel to buy fuel. See http://thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=144913&command=displayContent&sourceNode=231190&home=yes&more_nodeId1=144922&contentPK=20934482 |
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William Huskisson MP▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.
"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #61 on: June 26, 2008, 18:26:36 » |
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Public transport campaigners have welcomed news that a study into the viability of reopening Portishead rail line has found no technical obstacles. North Somerset Council commissioned consultants Halcrow to study the feasibility of restarting rail services from the town and it reported last week, funding permitting, there were no 'show stoppers'. Its report has been welcomed by the Campaign For Better Transport, which has now called for support from the Government. Spokesman Alistair Lindsay said: "We hope we can now count on the support of rail minister Tom Harris in agreeing to subsidise the route and its integration into the Greater Bristol transport network." See http://www.thisisclevedon.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=223432&command=displayContent&sourceNode=224133&contentPK=20958326&folderPk=104742&pNodeId=224152 |
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William Huskisson MP▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.
"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.
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John R
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« Reply #64 on: August 19, 2008, 06:37:41 » |
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Good news. By the way, has the full study been published yet. I can't find reference to it anywhere, but it was supposed to be out in late July.
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #65 on: August 19, 2008, 13:57:58 » |
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Agreed, John: I haven't yet been able to track down (heh, heh!) the full study, but I'm working on it! In the meantime, more details on this story are available at http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Council-makes-tracks-Portishead-line/article-275778-detail/article.html |
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William Huskisson MP▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.
"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.
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Lee
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« Reply #66 on: August 19, 2008, 22:03:12 » |
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #67 on: August 20, 2008, 00:13:19 » |
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... and the Portishead Railway Group seem quite happy about it, for obvious reasons: for their news page - which includes a useful list of previous news items relating to the line - see (link below.) http://www.portisheadrailwaygroup.org/html/news.html |
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William Huskisson MP▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.
"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #68 on: August 20, 2008, 22:19:21 » |
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"With the purchase this week by North Somerset Council of a three-mile section of derelict track, the prospect of trains running along the line once again has moved a step closer. The reopening of a route first envisaged by Brunel in 1839, opened in 1867 and closed to passenger traffic in 1964, would give thousands of commuters from Portishead a realistic alternative to driving to work in Bristol. Currently, the only other option is taking the bus, which can take more than an hour. If the branch line is reopened, journeys to the city will take less than 30 minutes. A survey carried out by two Portishead councillors in December 2007 found that between 7am and 9am, 2,400 cars left Portishead on the Portbury Hundreds and 1,500 via Clapton Lane. This number of commuters driving to Bristol every morning will only increase, as Portishead's population has more than quadrupled in size since 1960 and continues to grow. North Somerset Council appointed a team of consultants to assess the potential for the reintroduction of a passenger rail service between Bristol and Portishead. In their report, published in June, the cost of the scheme was estimated to be between ^7.7 million and ^14.4m. This includes building a new road bridge at Quays Avenue in Portishead. Operating costs were assessed by consultants Halcrow at between ^1.7m and ^2.4m per year, resulting in a likely subsidy of between ^400,000 to ^900,000. This would be paid by North Somerset Council. The difference in prices is due to the various options proposed. The cheapest of these would see one train an hour calling at Portishead and Temple Meads, with track reinstatement, a new station at Portishead and a signal upgrade. The most expensive option would see two trains an hour on the line at peak times and one in less busy periods, with trains calling at Pill, Ashton Gate, Bedminster and Parson Street, a passing loop and additional signals. The cost of tickets was not included in the Halcrow report, but if First Great Western becomes the line operator, as expected, tickets from Portishead to Temple Meads would probably cost about the same as the fare from Bath ^8 for an adult return." For full details, see http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Portishead-rail-link-plan-track/article-278147-detail/article.html |
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William Huskisson MP▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.
"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.
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John R
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« Reply #69 on: August 20, 2008, 22:42:03 » |
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The cost of tickets was not included in the Halcrow report, but if First Great Western becomes the line operator, as expected, tickets from Portishead to Temple Meads would probably cost about the same as the fare from Bath ^8 for an adult return."
Ouch! Bit steep compared with ^3.80 from Nailsea (which some P'head commuters drive to). |
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #70 on: August 20, 2008, 22:50:02 » |
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Interesting that was your reaction, too, John! I didn't like to include my personal comment in my previous post about the Bristol Evening Post article, but that's exactly what I thought! However, the pricing for Nailsea & Backwell to BTM▸ is a bit odd: in the past, I've compared the cost of a return ticket from Nailsea to Paddington with the cost of BTM to Paddington, and it's an extra ^12 - not the ^3.80 we pay?  |
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William Huskisson MP▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.
"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.
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bemmy
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« Reply #72 on: August 27, 2008, 10:56:16 » |
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I hope that someone somewhere learns the lessons from Ebbw Vale: http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=3345.0If they can only stump up the money for an hourly service they need their heads examined, but at the very least they should make provision for a passing loop so that when they come to the unforseeable realisation that an hourly 2 car train isn't making a big dent in the traffic congestion, there is the possibility of upgrading to a proper commuter service. I'm surprised they are not considering a station at Portbury -- I don't really know the area but from the map it would seem to make sense. I'm not surprised that they are talking about high fares. Portishead is notoriously wealthy (I know that's an unfair generalisation but these stereotypes stick) and as the train would be by far the quickest and most comfortable way into town, First will be wanting to charge a premium for it -- if people don't like it they can stay in their cars, or pay slightly less to spend over an hour on the bus. On the plus side, the capital costs seem quite modest to me, compared to the ^16m spent on largely cosmetic improvements to the Bristol "showcase" bus routes. |
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Lee
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« Reply #74 on: September 09, 2008, 22:00:54 » |
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