Way Out Reopening

[whole diary]

[thetrout]

Thats the one, Thanks John

For anyone else who is interested, their website can be found here:

http://nymr.co.uk/

[devon_metro]

TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) code "NY" and on some live departure board systems

[devon_metro]

Whilst we are on the subject of it, I think a Summer Saturdays only extension of the 1235 Paddington - Paignton and return to Kingswear would be viable. Perhaps cut the calls on the Berks and Hants as people travelling on the "Torbay Express" really shouldn't have to call there!

Yes, some Torbay HST^▸ (High Speed Train) (at least in the summer) should call at Reading, Taunton, Tiverton, Exeter, Teignmouth, Dawlish, Newton Abott, Torquay, Paignton, Goodrington, Brixham Road and Kingswear for Dartmouth. Listing destinations such as those, would get people off the A303/A30/M4/M5/A38/A380.

Brixham Road 

It hasn't been called that for years! "Churston" is the name you require. Cancel the Tiverton stop and call them at Dawlish Warren. Large caravan park must have a large potential market and fewer minutes lost in stopping penalties. (70mph vice 100mph)!

[grahame]

3)

Frome - Radstock, The majority of the track is still there on the route, infact the route still in use as far as Merehead Quarry. This would allow pax to be able to get from Radstock into Frome and connect onto other services throughout the south west. Again a Bus service is provided into Bath, but the journey time of this is 30+ minutes and the fare is daylight robbery...

Perhaps Radstock isn't way out so shouldn't be included in this thread! From the West of England Partnership Meeting, 22nd Jan 2009:

http://www.bristol.gov.uk/committee/2009/ot/ot031/0122_2.pdf

The Greater Bristol Metro bid will also  improve rail connectivity through the Bath area including links to Oldfield Park and Keynsham,  Freshford, Avoncliff and Bradford on Avon, Trowbridge, Westbury, Frome, Dilton Marsh and Warminster. Once the ball has been set rolling, the next step could be to work on improving rail services on the Frome-Westbury-Melksham-Chippenham- Swindon line, with a new station at Wootton Bassett, the White Horse Business Park and a spur to Radstock, the latter making use of the freight line.

And from the same document:

Melksham and Chippenham need better rail connections to Trowbridge, Westbury and Swindon. The provision of more trains is key to achieving this but is dependant on Wiltshire County Council.

[Btline]

I called Churston "Brixham Road" for a reason. More people will know Brixham than Churston. So by calling it Brixham Road, you might get a few more people out of their cars....

Ditto for Kingswear for Dartmouth.

[devon_metro]

But Churston is much nicer than Brixham 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Brixham Road 
It hasn't been called that for years!

Since 1868, apparently!  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churston_railway_station

Just how old are you, Btline??   

[thetrout]

I personally think a Service from Minehead - Swindon calling all stations and via Frome and Melksham would be a good idea... You have the potential to pick up a good few different passenger markets.

In future if the capacity was there, route it onto London, Thus having a direct Minehead - London Service... Something that hasn't been done since the 1970's... Anyone who want's to get to London from Minehead has to either: Drive, Taxi or Bus into Taunton (Taxi being very expensive, and Bus not very flexible and takes forever!) Then pick up a HST^▸ (High Speed Train) service from there.

Even if the service started off Terminating on Platform 1 at Taunton, it would be a start because at least you could connect onto London Services from Taunton. Having said that though, some passengers simply cannot be bothered to change trains. But it would be a darn sight more flexible than the current transport system available!

On a slightly different note, it's a shame that these railways aren't put back into service. Pretty much everywhere you go on a First Group bus, takes more than an hour, is routed by some daft places, and some services e.g. every hour should run Limited Calling Points. Here are some examples i've had the privilage of travelling on throughout my life so far (Some of these routes can be covered by rail, but not intermediate calling points) Also some routes have third party operators, i'm focusing primerally on what First Group provides:

Taunton - Minehead (Via Watchet & Williton)
Taunton - Yeovil (Via Somerton, Illchester & Langport)
Taunton - Exeter (Via Wellington)
Taunton - Burnham on Sea (Via Bridgwater)
Taunton - Axminster
Wells - Frome (Via Shepton Mallet, Cranmore & Nunney)
Wells - Bath (Via Peasedown St John*, Radstock** & Midsomer Norton)
Wells - Bristol
Bath - Chippenham (Via Box & Corsham)
Bath - Warminster (Via Bradford on Avon, Trowbridge & Westbury)
Bath - Devizes (Via Chippenham)
Weston Super Mare - Bristol Via Congsbury & Cleeve, Backwell (Limited Stop service quicker (X1) avoids Long Ashton)

* = Journey to Peasedown approx 23 minutes (Routed via Odd Down)
** = Journey to Radstock 35 minutes (Relatively short distance, can be covered in 20 minutes by Car avoiding Peasedown St John)

[onthecushions]

My list might include:

Greenford o/h electrification, followed by High Wycombe for Crossrail.

Wokingham Aldershot S,  + Shalford Jn  Reigate dc electrification for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Gatwick airport service integrated with SWT^▸ (South West Trains) Windsor lines.

Devizes Parkway (where the A342 crosses the B&H^▸ (Berks and Hants - railway line from Reading to Taunton via Westbury), would also make Westbury extension worthwhile)

Yeovil Jn South curves (to allow interchange)

Independent line from Minehead into Taunton North platform to allow W Somerset operation separate from NR^» (Network Rail - home page). (Good idea also for Swanage Wareham and Totnes if affordable)

Crediton Okehampton shuttle separate from NR.

Barnstaple Bideford, operated independently.

Pedestrian link between Totnes stations.

Wadebridge Bodmin P, operated independently.

St Austell Newquay via Burngullow Jn

....just need a super-sized wish-bone next Christmas dinner....

OTC

[TerminalJunkie]

Barnstaple Bideford, operated independently.

Why? The stations aren't near either town centre, and there are nine buses an hour (and that's not counting the Barnstaple to Exeter, Plymouth and Hartland services) between the two.

[onthecushions]

Barnstaple Bideford, operated independently.

Why? The stations aren't near either town centre, and there are nine buses an hour (and that's not counting the Barnstaple to Exeter, Plymouth and Hartland services) between the two.

Because a railhead counts for so much more than a bus stop.  Stopping within 50 yards of Woolies is less relevant than the chance of real business and leisure travel, capable of attracting the car user. Towns with a train generally grow.

Ever been to Skelmersdale?

OTC

[grahame]

Barnstaple Bideford, operated independently.

Why? The stations aren't near either town centre, and there are nine buses an hour (and that's not counting the Barnstaple to Exeter, Plymouth and Hartland services) between the two.

Because a railhead counts for so much more than a bus stop.  Stopping within 50 yards of Woolies is less relevant than the chance of real business and leisure travel, capable of attracting the car user. Towns with a train generally grow.

Isn't stopping within 50 yards of Woollies now utterly irrelevant - 25 yards of Thresher's is surely the new standard 

More seriously, a railhead does count for so much more - especially when you're looking at connecting passengers off another train service.   Most people will cheerfully change off one train to another at Swindon or Chippenham to come to us, but tell them to walk onto the station forecourt and get a bus, and they'll be talking taxi, talking lifts, or asking why we're located at such a hard place to reach.

A gut feeling ... and a very general statement: an order of magnitude more people will choose the train over the bus, everything else being equal.  Yes - I have examples, such as 4 people on a bus and 35 on the parallel train ... and listen to how happy people are when you tell them that due to maintainance works, they have a rail replacement bus service instead

[Andy]

My list might include:

Independent line from Minehead into Taunton North platform to allow W Somerset operation separate from NR^» (Network Rail - home page). (Good idea also for Swanage Wareham and Totnes if affordable)

Crediton Okehampton shuttle separate from NR.

Barnstaple Bideford, operated independently.

Pedestrian link between Totnes stations.

Wadebridge Bodmin P, operated independently.

St Austell Newquay via Burngullow Jn

....just need a super-sized wish-bone next Christmas dinner....

OTC

Good list - I also like Vacman's Launceston proposal and would add Lostwithiel-Fowey.

For "way out", I'd like to see the planned redevelopment of Plymouth airport at Derriford pay for a spur from there to the former Plym Valley line and on to Tavistock junction and North Road. It'd be great if commuters could travel from Tavistock, Gunnislake & Devonport to the airport & the Derriford area.

[vacman]

I like the thought of Lostwithiel-Fowey but probably wouldn't be that commercially viable, ever seen how quite the Looe branch is? I had forgot about St Austell-Newquay, but again, probably wouldn't be viable to have that line AND retain the route via Luxulyan.

[Btline]

Surely a Weymouth to Swindon service every two hours would be better than an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) waving around for hours taking forever to reach London. just run a 150 a few times Minehead - Taunton.

Linked with an hourly Portmouth to Cardiff service (axe trains to Brighton).

Axe LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) Gloucester services, and run an hourly Great Malvern to Bristol FGW^▸ (First Great Western) service using 17Xs (100 mph).