Castle Cary station - services, incidents, facilities, car parking and awards (merged topic)

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

I'm sorry that I don't have an answer to your question myself, 72c - but may I offer you a very warm welcome to the Coffee Shop forum instead?

Chris 

[72c]

Thank you for your warm welcome.

[thetrout]

Unless it's been taken away, IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly) there was a TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) on the London Platform just outside the booking office. You can press a green button on the bottom left hand side of the screen to collect your tickets (You'll need your payment card and your booking reference )

As an aside, I note that Frome now has it's TVM back only accepts cards though 

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Western Gazette:

Commuters to one the region^s busiest railway stations face diversions of up to 17 miles for the next four months.

Access to Castle Cary train station will only be possible to traffic travelling along the southward carriageway of the A371 from next month.


Ansford Bridge on the A371 will be closed to undergo strengthening work, causing disruption for months

Ansford Bridge will undergo strengthening and repair work with Station Road being closed for 315 metres from Turnpike Cottage until the entrance of the station.

It means the station will only be accessible to traffic from the Shepton Mallet direction from Monday, September 10, leading to traffic bypassing Castle Cary in both north and south directions.

A Somerset County Council diversion will divert traffic westward along the B3153 to the A37 at Lydford-on-Fosse, up to Shepton Mallet and back down the A371 to the station.

Network Rail has issued an advance apology to Castle Cary and Ansford residents, businesses and station passengers.

A full road closure will last until Sunday, December 23, between the bridge and the station, with work likely to last for 19 weeks into the new year.

Robin Basu, Network Rail^s community relations manager for Wales & West, said: ^We^d like to apologise in advance for the disruption this work is likely to cause. This is obviously going to have a big impact on local residents, businesses and passengers, who will have to go on a long diversion in order to reach the station.^

Advance warning notices will be placed on site and posters will go up around Castle Cary Railway Station informing rail users about the works, which are scheduled for completion by the end of January 2013.

Additionally, Network Rail will be writing to local residents and Ansford parish councillors, as well as contacting businesses who will be affected by the works.

The work comes following a routine inspection which found repairs were needed.

Network Rail said separate diversion routes will be put in place for both car and heavy goods vehicles to ensure minimal disruption is caused to journey times.

Mr Basu added: ^We will be providing Somerset County Council and other concerned parties with weekly updates on progress. We will be working hard to minimise the disruption and would be grateful if local people, businesses and passengers can bear with us while this work is taking place. We are expecting seven-day working where possible and will try to complete the strengthening as quickly as possible.^

Scaffolding and screening will be erected around the bridge while the works are carried out.

Fifty-four new support beams will be put in place and the road will be resurfaced.

People with additional questions or concerns can contact Network Rail^s 24-hour national helpline on 08457 114141 or e-mail on crwest@networkrail.co.uk.

[smokey]

Migtht mean an increase in foot passengers from Castle Cary using the footpath down to the Station. 

[bobm]

Bridge work postponed according to Somerset County Council.

A controversial plan to close a major road in Somerset has been overturned thanks to people power.
Network Rail was due to close a section of the A371 at Castle Cary railway station for 19 weeks from next Monday in order to repair a railway and road bridge. But at a fiery public meeting last night, its officials said they would review their decision when confronted by 200 local residents and business people. They have now agreed to postpone the work, possibly for January 2013.

"This is the sensible and the right thing to do," said Somerset County Council Cabinet Member Bob Little, who also is the Local Member for Castle Cary. "We are welcoming this change of heart as it's a victory for common sense."

"We have seen the community in action and we have had acknowledgement that Network Rail got this wrong, they failed to consult with the community and they have apologised. They have made the right decision to delay this work so they can put all that right, consult properly and treat our resident and business people fairly."

Also FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Website.

First Great Western would like to inform customers that a full road closure will come into force on Monday 07 January to Monday 20 May 2013 between Ansford Bridge and Castle Cary Railway Station.

The road will be closed to allow for vital strengthening work to Ansford Bridge to be carried out by Network Rail and customers are advised to allow additional time if driving to Castle Cary Station.
 
Network Rail^s community relations manager for Wales and West Robin Basu said: ^This is obviously going to have a big impact on local residents, businesses and passengers, who will have to go on a long diversion in order to reach the station.^We^d like to apologise in advance for the disruption this work is likely to cause.^
 
Advance warning notices will be placed on site and posters will go up around Castle Cary Railway Station informing rail users about the works, which are scheduled for completion by the end of May 2013.

Additionally, Network Rail will be writing to local residents and Ansford parish councillors, as well as contacting businesses who will be affected by the works.
 
Separate diversion routes will be put in place for both car and heavy goods vehicles to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum. Network Rail has stated that they will be providing Somerset County Council and other parties with weekly updates on progress. People with additional questions or concerns should contact Network Rail^s 24-hour national helpline on 08457 11 41 41 or email us.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From thisisSomerset:

Network Rail set up email account ahead of A371 Ansford Bridge work

Network Rail has set up a public email address for residents in Castle Cary and Ansford ahead of the proposed 19-week closure of the A371, starting in January.

The company needs to undertake essential improvement works to Ansford Bridge near Castle Cary Railway Station.

Robin Basu, Network Rail's community relations manager, Western, said: "We acknowledge that we did not liaise with the community in a timely or adequate manner and we apologise for this. Our next steps will be to give an opportunity for people to share their concerns and also to provide suggestions on how the impact of the road closure can be minimised."

To enable this, Network Rail has set up a special email account, ansfordoverbridge@networkrail.co.uk, where concerns and suggestions can be directed. This facility will be open until Sunday, October 7, 2012.

The company will then collate all information received and hold two meetings in October, with representatives from the community present, to discuss the concerns raised and agree on an achievable plan of mitigation measures.

Anyone with additional questions or concerns should visit www.networkrail.co.uk or telephone our 24-Hour National Helpline on 08457 114141.

[eightf48544]

Just a thought.

I don't know the bridge and layout but is there be room for Royal Engineers to put in a modern Bailey bridge alongside it could be a narrow one with traffic lights. Good practice for the REs^▸ (Religious Education)

[bradshaw]

That follows my thinking as well. I emailed it as a suggestion to NR^» (Network Rail - home page) the other day. Google Earth should show if there is room.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Western Gazette - South Somerset:

Question time for Network Rail on A371 road closure near Castle Cary

Network Rail has promised to field questions from concerned Castle Cary residents ahead of a major 19-week road closure.

Part of the A371 near Castle Cary railway station will be closed in both directions between July and November. It is feared that the closure ^ which will create a 17-mile diversion for motorists ^ could cripple local trade.

After mounting public pressure during the past few months, Network Rail officials have vowed to allay any fears at a community drop-in session, proposed for Monday, April 5. The venue has yet to be confirmed.

Janette Cronie, chairman of Ansford Parish Council, said: ^I have lived in Castle Cary for 47 years and have never experienced anything of this size. The road closure will have an impact on absolutely everyone in the town. It will be upon us very quickly. I think it^s important for us all to look forward rather than back at some of the mistakes made in the past.^

Network Rail originally planned to close the road to carry out engineering work on Ansford Bridge in September 2012. However, after facing staunch opposition from the local community, the work was delayed until this summer to allow residents and businesses time to prepare for the resulting disruption.

Network Rail will stage a meeting with councillors and businesses later this month to discuss the project^s potential impact on local trade. The public will then be invited to attend April^s drop-in session.

A Network Rail spokesman said: ^We are working with community representatives to establish how we can minimise the impact of the bridge works at Ansford and will be meeting for a second time this month. We will then look to facilitate a community drop in event in mid-April. This is 12 weeks before the commencement of the planned road closure and we are satisfied that these are suitable timeframes for communicating our plans to the wider public.^

The 19-week closure will take place from Monday, July 8 until Friday, November 1. After this, a single-file traffic management scheme will be enforced until Sunday, December 1.

[JayMac]

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

Ansford public meeting on rail bridge repairs

About 400 people have attended a public meeting in Somerset to voice concerns about road repair work which could last almost five months.

Network Rail organised the drop-in session to hear views from local residents about work to mend the A371 Ansford Bridge near Castle Cary. The work starts on 8 July after it was postponed in September following complaints about poor consultation. It is expected to take 19 weeks and means an 18-mile diversion for some.

'Every sympathy'

Chair of Ansford Parish Council Janette Cronie said: "People locally are very anxious. They are concerned about the impact on local business and the increase of traffic. One of the biggest concerns this morning is that there is no-one from highways, we invited them but they said there was no need to come."

John Baker from Network Rail said: "We have every sympathy with the local residents but the fact is we have consulted very widely with them. We've also, following consultation with Somerset County Council, already reduced the original road closure programme from 24 weeks to 19 weeks." He added that they were also investigating the costs of advertising for local businesses.

'Final straw'

He said: "We are planning to run a series of weekly advertisements for them in order to boost their businesses as much as we possibly can."

Lyn Powell, who runs the Brook House Inn on Station Road, said: "If you've got a customer base that has to go that distance to get to you, after a while they're not going to actually bother. They're going to find somewhere else a bit nearer to them and you may lose that trade when the road reopens. It could be the final straw which breaks the camel's back."

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the First Great Western press release:

Ticket to ride: Glastonbury founder buys train ticket vending machine

Striking a chord with the local community, Glastonbury Festivals founder Michael Eavis is partnering with First Great Western to provide a new ticket vending machine at Castle Cary Station.

Helping you to get to Glastonbury, First Great Western will run over 50 additional trains to and from Castle Cary Station during the festival. Added to the regular hourly service from London Paddington, these trains will provide almost 13,000 extra seats.

First Great Western are delighted that Michael will mark the installation of the new ticket facility at 11.00 on Thursday 23 May.

Welcoming the festival founder and philanthropist, FGW^▸ (First Great Western)^s Castle Cary Station Manager Nicholas Reid said: ^FGW are continually looking at ways to improve our stations and improve access to the full range of services that we can offer. In the last year over ^85 million has been invested across our network of 210 stations, by working with rail industry partners, the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about), and local authorities. The work we mark today will allow even more Castle Cary residents to use the station, whether you wish to go down by the seaside or just have the hots for nowhere -helping us to keep people moving in these congested times.^

[rogerpatenall]

Who is claiming that the extra trains will be "added to the regular hourly service from London Paddington"? Someone is working to a different timetable, methinks.

[Southern Stag]

Going off on a tangent slightly, some of the extra services to Castle Cary this year will be Turbos, a rather unusual opportunity to see them out of there usual operating area.
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/V40761/2013/06/26/advanced
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/V40762/2013/06/26/advanced
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/V41487/2013/07/01/advanced

[bobm]

.. and from which services are the Turbos being "pinched"?