Weymouth - station, facilities, improvements, events and incidents - merged posts

[whole diary]

[johnneyw]

It is OK to say "go on the train".  My very crowded 3 coach train to Weymouth last Saturday only had one out of three toilets in working order.  I suspect that ran out of water long before the end of the day.

Reminds me of a two (or was it three) coach Sprinter I got back from after the Cardiff FA Cup final in 2006. I had been in the huge queue outside Cardiff Central for what felt like an age, just missing being allowed through for the previous service. "Bursting" would be an understatement of mine and my fellow travellers condition by the time of the following service (due to a small amount of drowning of sorrows). Fortunately, I was first on the train when station staff allowed the queue to move again and first to it's loo. There was still a queue for it through the coach when I got off at Temple Meads.

Edit: I still feel more reassured using a public convenience only used by people who have already ( in theory at least) purchased a railway ticket.

[froome]

I've been away in Weymouth this weekend, so had a chance to see how much of a disappointment the station is. I have been there many times before, as I particularly like Weymouth as a resort.

Yes the toilets are closed, permanently by the look of it, and the station isn't particularly welcoming, but I know many that feel worse. I quite like the way you can walk from the platform straight out onto the street by the side and be in the heart of the town immediately, and while the area around the station is probably Weymouth's poorest, it only takes a minute to have the vista of the glorious crescent beach and all its activity and a walk along its prom.

In terms of toilet provision, Weymouth must now be one of the few main towns in the south-west which still has a reasonable number of public toilets and all free to use, unlike most tourist places where all are charged.

Personally I would have thought toilet provision ought to come under the remit of the Disability Discrimination Act, as many of us have disabilities which require frequent access to toilets. And provision on trains is no real substitute, as when they are working (which IME^▸ (in my experience) they often aren't), the trains can be so overcrowded that it can be very difficult to get to one, and for those who are very frail, trying to in a moving train is not practical.

[Surrey 455]

Many towns in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) have pissoirs that rise from the ground in the evening or are dropped off from a lorry on a Friday / Saturday night. A very sensible idea. Sorry ladies.

Of course in many European cities they are available 24/7. I don't know how much maintenance they need. Some may feel uncomfortable using them but I'm perfectly ok with them.

[Robin Summerhill]

Many of the male gender who have, like me, now got to "a certain age," can certainly empathise with this man's character...

[johnneyw]

The 1980s Weymouth Station modification/rebuild is certainly not without it's critics on this forum as has been the case for other examples of post WW2 station architecture . This got me thinking, do forum members have any examples of post WW2 Station architecture that they actually think works well, both aesthetically and functionally? Also, are there any notable "dishonourable mentions" that forum members would like to let off some steam about?

To avoid a total topic drift fiasco, I'll start a new thread in a couple of mo's somewhere under "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" heading.

[Bmblbzzz]

Many towns in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) have pissoirs that rise from the ground in the evening or are dropped off from a lorry on a Friday / Saturday night. A very sensible idea. Sorry ladies.

A version for women has been designed as well, but AFAIK^▸ (as far as I know) so far only used at festivals.

[bradshaw]

It is intended to remove sections of the line in order to determine the cost of complete removal.

https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/18237062.end-line-weymouths-harbourside-tracks/

[bradshaw]

It looks like the end of the line is very near

Dorset Council and Network Rail are celebrating after winning over £1.1m in special government funding to improve road safety in Weymouth by removing the rail tracks from the old Weymouth Harbour Branch Line.

The Department for Transport (DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)) announced today that Dorset Council was successful in its joint bid with Network Rail for funding to dismantle and remove the rails and to reinstate the carriageway. This will remove an ongoing hazard to cyclists and other vulnerable road users, reducing the number of incidents resulting in personal injuries.   

https://news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/2020/02/28/dorset-council-and-network-rail-win-funding-to-improve-road-safety-in-weymouth/

[JayMac]

I know the Tramway has been mothballed, but has the statutory formal closure procedure for the line and Weymouth Quay Station been started yet? That procedure is required by the Railway Act 2005 I believe.

[paul7575]

I know the Tramway has been mothballed, but has the statutory formal closure procedure for the line and Weymouth Quay Station been started yet? That procedure is required by the Railway Act 2005 I believe.

The line is “permanently out of use”, and no longer shown in the online sectional appendix, but I’ve been monitoring this for years and don’t recall any recent closure procedures as per the 2005 Act requirements...

Perhaps its effective closure predates the Act?

[stuving]

I know the Tramway has been mothballed, but has the statutory formal closure procedure for the line and Weymouth Quay Station been started yet? That procedure is required by the Railway Act 2005 I believe.

The line is “permanently out of use”, and no longer shown in the online sectional appendix, but I’ve been monitoring this for years and don’t recall any recent closure procedures as per the 2005 Act requirements...

Perhaps its effective closure predates the Act?

According to this article in rail.co.uk it is closed:

NR^» (Network Rail - home page) agreed to give the council until the end of 2015 to make a decision on their tram plan. The deadline passed and the line now stands to be closed permanently on 8th May 2016.

It's not listed by the ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) has having been closed under the 2005 act, so I wonder if it wasn't open - in the sense of that act, at least. If there was no scheduled service, what was there to close? NR may have been able to close it without all that ... stuff required by the act.

[MVR S&T]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-51677959

[grahame]

From the Dorset Echo

CONTROVERSIAL plans to remove Weymouth's historic harbour railway line are on track to start this autumn.

Drivers are being warned of disruption as roads will need to be closed when the project gets underway in October.

[bradshaw]

Work to start on removing tramway on October 5th

https://twitter.com/dorsetcounciluk/status/1307988426755579904?s=21

[grahame]

Work to start on removing tramway on October 5th

And the article to support that tweet spawns letters and comments on those letters. The prophets of doom are at work in the Dorset Echo

As posters have correctly said previously, it is highly likely that the Poole/Wareham - Weymouth line will be downgraded to branch line status in the next few years, then finally closed. (Similarly, Yeovil - Weymouth line also closed).

If you look back at the massive loss of Weymouth rail infra-structure in the last 50 years, in 50 years time @ 2070 it is totally apparent that Weymouth will not have a rail connection at all, unless there is major rail/tram investment, or its saved by very rich heritage rail enthusiasts.

Yes, one can't help thinking that any long-term switch to home working will seriously undermine the finances of the London to Weymouth line. And the fuss a year ot two ago over the proposed switch to one direct train to London an hour with the other becoming Weymouth to Portsmouth train will seem quite odd in retrospect.

And as you say, the Yeovil to Weymouth line looks even more vulnerable.

I don't agree with the views quoted - I'm sharing them to flag that there are people who hold them ...