Strategic Investment Plan consultation - Western Gateway - 20.12.24 to 2.2.2025

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From Westerrn Gateway

On Friday 20 December, our Strategic Investment Plan consultation will launch. The consultation seeks to get your feedback on the transport schemes we’ve shortlisted to take forward as part of our Strategic Investment Plan, and will run from 20 December 2024 – 2 February 2025.

What’s the SIP? The SIP is a multi-modal investment plan designed to boost the economy and make life better for people, for businesses and for the environment. Our draft SIP builds on our Strategic Transport Plan (STP), which was adopted in March 2024 and was created to guide future transport investment in the region, focusing on key strategic issues relevant the Western Gateway region.

When signed off, the SIP will be a blueprint for future investment in strategic transport infrastructure in the Western Gateway region over the next decade.

To get up to speed before submitting your thoughts in our survey, we’re running a series of webinars, with the first ones kicking off this Thursday!

[ChrisB]

More webinars on January 16.

r improved local connectivity in the form of an hourly TransWilts train service

[grahame]

https://hellorayo.co.uk/greatest-hits/bristol/news/west-railway-improvements-2025-proposals/

The South West's rail services could receive a major boost if new proposals are taken forward as part of a new transport and investment strategy.

The Western Gateway sub-national transport body, which covers large sections of the West Country, has published its draft strategic investment plan for the next ten years, highlighting nearly 40 transport schemes designed to boost the south-west’s economic performance.

The plan identifies two schemes which could increase the number of trains serving Somerset’s existing stations, making rail transport easier for passengers and ensuring the county is more attractive for investors.

Residents can give their feedback on the draft proposals until February 2, with the final plan expected to be approved by March 31.

The Western Gateway board area covers Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Dorset (including Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole), Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Wiltshire – with the majority of the 38 schemes proposed being designed to boost the fortunes of these four counties.

However, two specific schemes will have a direct impact on rail services within the Somerset Council area, delivering improvements which could drive growth and access to services within both this and the Western Gateway area.

The first scheme would see a passing loop built between Castle Cary and Yeovil Pen Mill stations, which lie on the Bristol to Weymouth line (a.k.a. the Heart of Wessex line) currently served by Great Western Railway (GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)).

This loop would allow the “delivery of a one train per hour train service in each direction” – a vast improvement on the current service, where trains range from once per hour to once every three hours depending on the time of day.

[Red Squirrel]

There’s a lot to sift through in the consultation, although arguably part of the game is to spot what’s missing compared with the old WECA^» (West of England Combined Authority - about) 10 year plan, which ( one assumes) this replaces. I got sidetracked when this led me to reading NRs^» (Network Rail - home page) plans for Westerleigh - quite something - but hopefully the webinar will help get it all into context!

[WSW Frome]

As a mere amateur, I am surprised at the "high-priority" scheme for a loop north of Yeovil Pen Mill on the Heart of Wessex route. I recall that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) themselves have stated previously that a new loop was required to enhance HoW^‡(resolve) services. Each of the single track sections currently take about 20 minutes to traverse which does not seem too challenging.

If a new loop was really required, then I was thinking Yetminster, but maybe nowadays the additional SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) services consume more capacity in the section north of Yeovil and this becomes the pinch point. 

[grahame]

Dorset Metro ... mentioned in today's webinar and this from the Swanage News

Also a rail scheme called the Dorset Metro features high up in the list which would see extra train services from Wareham to Poole and Bournemouth, as well as an hourly shuttle service to Brockenhurst.

Perhaps the most welcome mention for Swanage residents is a regular rail service between Swanage and Wareham which has been on the cards for years but has lacked the backing of long term government investment. It’s now in the document as one of the high priorities.

An extra hourly service across the Bournemouth Poole and Christchurch area - giving a rise from 1 to 2 trains per hour at the lesser stations - would make sense.  Brockenhust is actually just outside the BCP (and indeed Western Gateway) ares but makes sense as the eastern destination - for passenger flows, for connections, and operationally.  With batteries on the trains, at the western end it is logical for them to start / end at Swanage.

[bradshaw]

A number of years ago a NR^» (Network Rail - home page) report indicated splitting the Castle Cary - Yeovil PM section by intermediate block signals in each direction, similar to what was carried out at Crewkerne on the WoE. This section is probably more important since it can also carry diverted GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) services thus it makes sense to provide a loop to allow the enhancement of the service.

This report is worth reading for a wider context.

https://www.greengauge21.net/connecting-south-west-england/

[Southernman]

Dorset Metro ... mentioned in today's webinar and this from the Swanage News

Also a rail scheme called the Dorset Metro features high up in the list which would see extra train services from Wareham to Poole and Bournemouth, as well as an hourly shuttle service to Brockenhurst.

Perhaps the most welcome mention for Swanage residents is a regular rail service between Swanage and Wareham which has been on the cards for years but has lacked the backing of long term government investment. It’s now in the document as one of the high priorities.

An extra hourly service across the Bournemouth Poole and Christchurch area - giving a rise from 1 to 2 trains per hour at the lesser stations - would make sense.  Brockenhust is actually just outside the BCP (and indeed Western Gateway) ares but makes sense as the eastern destination - for passenger flows, for connections, and operationally.  With batteries on the trains, at the western end it is logical for them to start / end at Swanage.

Any proposal to extend main line trains to Swanage on anything but an irregular basis will run into precisely the same issues as those discussed to Minehead. Although from a quick re-check I couldn't see Swanage mentioned as a priority in the document.

Issues will be the Swanage Railway is fully occupied in the peak season with their own trains. Running earlier/later will involve staffing issues. Swanage is a 'Light ' railway subject to a 25mph restriction. Out of the peak season who would use these trains, especially (as with Minehead) there is a very good bus service used free (to senior passengers) or subsidised rate.

As with everything it 'could' be done but a substantial cost both capital and on-going. For taxpayers.

Edit: Fixed quotes - Red Squirrel

[Red Squirrel]

As with everything it 'could' be done but a substantial cost both capital and on-going. For taxpayers.

If the railway was allowed to take a share of the value it adds to the areas it serves, we might find it easier to make the case for connecting more places to the national network. As it is, the railway can’t even take the rent for its own arches.

[TaplowGreen]

As with everything it 'could' be done but a substantial cost both capital and on-going. For taxpayers.

If the railway was allowed to take a share of the value it adds to the areas it serves, we might find it easier to make the case for connecting more places to the national network. As it is, the railway can’t even take the rent for its own arches.

How would that value be calculated?

[grahame]

Any proposal to extend main line trains to Swanage on anything but an irregular basis will run into precisely the same issues as those discussed to Minehead.

Correct.  Which does not stop the various questions being asked; almost any suggestion has negatives as well as positives, has issues which turn out to be may or may not be overcomeable, and may or may not be worth overcoming.  I would differ with your use of the word "precisely" - I see some differences in the issues though they do have the same basis.

My understanding is that the Swanage idea may have been raised, but - you are correct - not as a priority; the frequency improvement across BCP should not fall on any ability to get beyond Wareham whichever way the train might go beyond Worgret.

[Red Squirrel]

As with everything it 'could' be done but a substantial cost both capital and on-going. For taxpayers.

If the railway was allowed to take a share of the value it adds to the areas it serves, we might find it easier to make the case for connecting more places to the national network. As it is, the railway can’t even take the rent for its own arches.

How would that value be calculated?

That is the conundrum.

If the railway was just another business like Tesco, it wouldn't deserve to be any bigger than the network envisaged by Serpell. But there's a general consensus that it's much more than that.

Its value is hard to measure in places where the railway was built 150 years ago, because it is baked in. Is it easier to see in places that have lost their railway? Hawick's long term decline started the Waverley Route closed, for example. But we can't prove that wouldn't have happened anyway.

Central Birmingham might be a better example, where a major new rail terminus is being built. This area has seen massive inward investment in the last seven years, with world-class businesses citing improved transport as a reason for moving there. Old Oak Common is also seeing huge development and investment. But without some sort of land value capture mechanism, the railway will not directly benefit from the value it adds.

There have been examples in the past of railways doing good business by developing land around their routes - Pacific Electric and the Metropolitan Railway did this. Japan Railways still does, and runs at a profit.

None of this quite answers your question, of course, because I don't think anyone's yet come up with a way to capture the benefits that railways bring - not just to their passengers, but also to the financial and cultural well-being of the places they serve.

Ideas, anyone?

[Mark A]

If the railway was just another business like Tesco, it wouldn't deserve to be any bigger than the network envisaged by Serpell.

Not realising that Serpell had been involved in planning the Tesco network, this made me think immediately of Ullapool, that has a Tesco and also what looks suspiciously like a railway hotel, but despite no less than John Fowler, the engineer having built a house almost close at hand, never gained a railway.

Mark