Lostwithiel - footbridge, services and sidings (merged topic)

[whole diary]

[Coombe Stn]

The sidings known as the clay yard at Lostwithiel is used very little as most clay trains are too big to fit in the yard and have to use the up or down goods loops.
The yard will only accomodate up to 16 wagons for a loco to be able to run round it.
When the last train from Parkandillick used to stable in there overnight it had to be split into two sidings to fit it all in, this train now runs into Fowey at night instead of first thing in the morning.

[Andy]

Does anyone have any info on when the sidings in the down yard at Lostwithiel are going to be ripped up, whether any are likely to be left (particularly the bay platform one) and what (if any) plans there are for the yard once they're gone?

I appreciate that they see little use, are near Par/St Blazey and, of course up and down loops exist for the clay trains down to Fowey to run around but I shall be sad to see them go. It will also make any reinstatement of a passenger service on the Fowey branch in a rose-tinted future that much harder...

[alexross42]

The only thing I've heard/read is that it's rumoured that the yard will be lifted by the end of the year - sorry I can't give you anything more definite than that!

[Andy]

Thanks for the information, alexross42.

[SandTEngineer]

Why would NR^» (Network Rail - home page) want to go to the expense of removing an asset that hasn't been used for some years?  It can apply minimum maintenance (i.e. none).  I don't think the only FOC^▸ (Freight Operating Company) involved (DBS^» (Deutsch Bahn Schenker - UK^▸ (United Kingdom) website)) would show much interest in challenging that as they haven't been used for at least 8 years.

[The Tall Controller]

They were used during the recent works in Lostwithiel with a rail vac and other engineering equipment being stored there.

I can't really see the point in lifting them. Yes, they don't have a regular use at the moment but unless the land is being sold for development then they're not doing anyone any harm in being there.

[Andy]

If this article is to be believed, it seems that Cornwall Council are negotiating with Imerys to "open up" the Fowey branch line. If, as the article states, a plan to convert the down sidings at Lostwithiel into a car park goes ahead, there will be no bay platform for any branch line train to use, however. 

http://www.cornishguardian.co.uk/cornwall-council-backs-reviving-lostwithiel-fowey-branch-line/story-29435992-detail/story.html

[Kernow Otter]

I did wonder how long this article would take to surface !  As the Town Councillor quoted in the article, I can confirm that in conjunction with the Town Forum, Lostwithiel Town Council is pleased to be working with Cornwall Council and others, in a long term bid to improve facilities and service levels at our station.  Among these aspirations are the reopening of the branch line to Fowey to passenger traffic, however we are very aware that there a significant number of hurdles to cross before that can happen.

We hope that more short term aims are to increase the number of services that stop at Lostwithiel, throughout the day, including a later departure of the last trains of the day from Truro and Plymouth to allow people throughout Cornwall to be able to enjoy a full evening out in either city, and be able to travel to and from by train.  Certainly we are confident that the partial resignalling project and eventual stock cascades will help deliver the number of stopping trains.

We are also keen to reinstate the 'up' stop of the Night Riviera at Lostwithiel, and in response to significant public response we are keen to reinstate a footbridge at the station.

While some might consider this to be a big ask for what some consider to be a small station, I suppose the ethos is that if you don't ask you don't get, and we remain keen to point out that we have a population of circa 3000 people living within walking distance of the station.  The final draft of the Cornwall Council sponsored questionnaire has been approved, and while owing to costs it will no longer be a door to door survey, a telephone survey is expected to be done in early autumn.

This is an exciting opportunity for Lostwithiel Station, which has significant local support, and it is very refreshing to be working 'with' a local authority rather than against them !

[LiskeardRich]

, and in response to significant public response we are keen to reinstate a footbridge at the station.

A friend I was talking to missed her down train recently, she said she'd arrived 10 mins before her train was due, just as the barriers were coming down for an up freight train. The barriers didn't go up again until after her down train had passed.

[Kernow Otter]

Exactly why there is a need to reinstate a footbridge.

With the frequency of trains likely to increase following the resignalling project, the level crossing will operate more frequently than now which will cause significant disruption to the train travelling public, and general circulation of road traffic and pedestrians in the town.

One of the possible stumbling blocks in reinstating a footbridge is weather any such bridge has to be DDA^» (Disability Discrimination Act - about) compliant with ramps or lifts, as formal designated ramped access is available at each platform end adjacent to the level crossing.  A DDA footbridge such as the one recently installed at St Austell is likely to be prohibitively expensive, where as a replica bridge such as that at Menheniot might be justified.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge in this area?

[Andy]

I did wonder how long this article would take to surface !  As the Town Councillor quoted in the article, I can confirm that in conjunction with the Town Forum, Lostwithiel Town Council is pleased to be working with Cornwall Council and others, in a long term bid to improve facilities and service levels at our station.  Among these aspirations are the reopening of the branch line to Fowey to passenger traffic, however we are very aware that there a significant number of hurdles to cross before that can happen.

We hope that more short term aims are to increase the number of services that stop at Lostwithiel, throughout the day, including a later departure of the last trains of the day from Truro and Plymouth to allow people throughout Cornwall to be able to enjoy a full evening out in either city, and be able to travel to and from by train.  Certainly we are confident that the partial resignalling project and eventual stock cascades will help deliver the number of stopping trains.

We are also keen to reinstate the 'up' stop of the Night Riviera at Lostwithiel, and in response to significant public response we are keen to reinstate a footbridge at the station.

While some might consider this to be a big ask for what some consider to be a small station, I suppose the ethos is that if you don't ask you don't get, and we remain keen to point out that we have a population of circa 3000 people living within walking distance of the station.  The final draft of the Cornwall Council sponsored questionnaire has been approved, and while owing to costs it will no longer be a door to door survey, a telephone survey is expected to be done in early autumn.

This is an exciting opportunity for Lostwithiel Station, which has significant local support, and it is very refreshing to be working 'with' a local authority rather than against them !

The very best of luck to you in your campaign to improve services at Lostwithiel and reinstate a footbridge. The scenic Lostwithiel-Fowey branch line is a real unexploited treasure and in addition to providing a service between the two towns for the locals, and reducing traffic on country roads, it could generate considerable tourist revenue for both. The Okehampton summer Sunday services are possibly a good model to aspire to. In the meantime, let's hope that those siding(s) nearest the bay platform are left intact...

[Chris from Nailsea]

I did wonder how long this article would take to surface ! 

Please accept my apologies for missing that one - I'm usually fairly prompt in picking up such items of local news, and posting them here on the Coffee Shop forum. 

Good luck with your campaign for those improvements! 

[Richard Fairhurst]

One of the possible stumbling blocks in reinstating a footbridge is weather any such bridge has to be DDA^» (Disability Discrimination Act - about) compliant with ramps or lifts, as formal designated ramped access is available at each platform end adjacent to the level crossing.  A DDA footbridge such as the one recently installed at St Austell is likely to be prohibitively expensive, where as a replica bridge such as that at Menheniot might be justified.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge in this area?

I don't, but maybe ask GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)/Network Rail how they managed the new bridge at Kingham, which has no ramps. I think it has passive provision for lifts to be added at a later date.

(As a town councillor here in Charlbury, I sorely wish I'd been on the council at the time the monstrosity of a ramped bridge was put in here. Plenty of simple things that could have been done to make it look less hideous. )

[grahame]

One of the possible stumbling
Does anyone have any experience or knowledge in this area?

I don't, but maybe ask GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)/Network Rail how they managed the new bridge at Kingham, which has no ramps. I think it has passive provision for lifts to be added at a later date.

No experience but aware of another case. Surely you read The Scunthorpe Telegraph 

A Network Rail spokesman said: "We are replacing like-for-like.

"Any other enhancements must be funded by the Department for Transport or other partners, which would require a business case based on footfall and the type of passengers which use the station."

[LiskeardRich]

The equality act 2010 requires a facility to allow the disabled person to cross to use facilities at the other platform. Lostwithiels level crossing surely provides this?