St Erth station - facilities, footbridge, improvements, incidents and awards (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[froome]

Lifts still not commissioned. Bus from down side to upside/branch has been booked for the summer season.

Do visitors not go to St Ives in the winter as well? We went there in March, and had this shuttle service existed then, our experience would have been much improved.

It was quiet ... and a bit nasty with sand blowing unpleasantly on the north beach in January and passenger numbers were very well indeed within the capacity of the 2 carriage train.

I'm a bit confused. Isn't this shuttle bus just taking passengers from one platform to the other, for those who cannot manage the stairs? We had heavy luggage to carry, and it was a long walk around via the road.

[LiskeardRich]

Lifts still not commissioned. Bus from down side to upside/branch has been booked for the summer season.

Do visitors not go to St Ives in the winter as well? We went there in March, and had this shuttle service existed then, our experience would have been much improved.

It was quiet ... and a bit nasty with sand blowing unpleasantly on the north beach in January and passenger numbers were very well indeed within the capacity of the 2 carriage train.

I'm a bit confused. Isn't this shuttle bus just taking passengers from one platform to the other, for those who cannot manage the stairs? We had heavy luggage to carry, and it was a long walk around via the road.

Correct, whether it’s luggage or mobility, or pushchairs. The bus is booked May to October by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), when I worked for the bus company it was one of their most profitable contracts. Very little diesel used. Very few miles so little wear and tear.

I covered it a few times and went touting for trade on the platforms when trains arrived. Something to do!

[froome]

Which brings me back to my original point. Why was the bus not provided in the winter half of the year? (when while there may be fewer passengers overall, there will still have been a demand for it, and in winter weather the alternative walking route would be even worse to do).

[RailCornwall]

Deep winter months the south St Erth P&R^▸ (Park and Ride) site is more or less moribund with very few users M-F, most weekdays customers can be accomodated on the northern side of the station (on the right side for St Ives) although desirable a bus service wouldn't see much use at all. Rail passengers from east of St Erth can of course use the longstanding easement detailed below and travel to St Ives via Penzance at no additional cost. 

700221 Customers travelling from, to or via Truro to St Ives, Carbis Bay, Lelant and Lelant Saltings may double back between St Erth and Penzance. This easement applies in both directions.

[RailCornwall]

Work has recommenced on the lifts, was pax through the station today, lift on down platform open with two orange jackets working therein. In lift lighting on. Same platform on the return lights and workers still active. Good to see action. The South Carpark was pretty busy albeit Wednesday of Easter Week.