St Erth to St Ives line - ongoing discussion, including a book about the line (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[RailCornwall]

Does anyone know whether the loadings on the line have reduced sufficiently to feel comfortable travelling on it now? I fancy a lunch in a hotel there soon, but will hold off until a pleasant trip is assured. There's usually a drop immediately after the Bank Holiday, I wonder if that's happened yet.

[LiskeardRich]

Does anyone know whether the loadings on the line have reduced sufficiently to feel comfortable travelling on it now? I fancy a lunch in a hotel there soon, but will hold off until a pleasant trip is assured. There's usually a drop immediately after the Bank Holiday, I wonder if that's happened yet.

Bus duplicate is booked until end of September as an alternative from St Erth

[RichardB]

Does anyone know whether the loadings on the line have reduced sufficiently to feel comfortable travelling on it now? I fancy a lunch in a hotel there soon, but will hold off until a pleasant trip is assured. There's usually a drop immediately after the Bank Holiday, I wonder if that's happened yet.

Bus duplicate is booked until end of September as an alternative from St Erth

I'd add that I can't imagine that there will be any move to reduce the trains back from four coaches to two any time soon.  Given this, I'd say if you aim for the front coach at St Erth and again the front coach when returning from St Ives, all should be fine.  Most people will be in the rear two coaches given, of course, that they are closest to the station entrance/exit.

[RailCornwall]

If the weather looks decent I'll do the trip on Wednesday and report back that night, thanks for guidance.

[RailCornwall]

As suggested above I have visited St. Ives this afternoon using the P&R^▸ (Park and Ride) as my startpoint after an unexpected personal issue earlier.

Observations....

1. Issues with some of the payment machines at St. Erth annoyed. The APCOA^▸ (Car parking company used at GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) - controlled stations in the area) app steadfastly refusing to update card information on the go. Tickets for travel and CP issued by GWR staff stood below the ramp.
2. St. Erth Station - I'm perfectly reasonable imo but the marshalling staff continue to exhibit Jobsworth tendancies. I'm sorry if this annoys some but they really could do with some tact and persuasion skills. They're far too abrupt in my view and today was no different, they seem to want to be seen rather than melt into the crowd and only act if really necessary. Once again apologies but this irks. Roll on the winter and their disappearance. Not withstanding this reminders about face coverings seemed to work.
3. St. Erth - St. Ives - No issues reasonably spreadout in the 'St. Ives end unit' less so in the other one. Boarding however failed to recognise Social distancing at all. No revenue protection operation, assume that the wisdom was that the GWR staff had captured enough at St. Erth to make a trip through unnecessary.
4. St. Ives Station Arrival - Both entrances/exits in operation which was good, disembarking another challenge for Social Distancing, as was crowding towards the units by intending returning pax.
5. St. Ives Station Departure - Ticket check on entrance to station. As before both entrances available, which at this time of year from early afternoon is usually unheard of. This prompted a much more spreadout pattern of intending departing passengers. Much better behaviour with the unload and load operations people clearly exhibiting SDing.
6. St. Ives - St. Erth - Some barmy gathering of passengers around the doors leaving seats further into the carriages unfilled. Revenue Protection walkthrough after Carbis Bay. All Pax enquired of but without actual physical document/app check.
7. St. Erth Station Arrival -Disembarking sensibly done too, with much fewer pax at St. Erth travelling to St. Ives in the afternoon.

That sums it up.

[Thatcham Crossing]

I was in St Ives for the first 2 weeks of August. I'm used to going there in holiday seasons and it being busy, but it was really busy.

Observing various webcams around the town over the last few days it appears to be nearly as busy as we approach mid-Sept, so not surprised the trains are still busy aswell.

A good thing for the town and the local economy    (as long as people are sensible). When we were there most of the hospitality venues we visited were observing the rules and managing things well. The caravan site we use, especially well (which was one of the main reasons why we were happy to go).

[bradshaw]

West Dorset has had its busiest summer for years!

[TonyK]

Our place in North Devon has been booked solid since 4 July.

[bobm]

https://www.gwr.com/travel-updates/planned-engineering/st-ives

From Monday 4 January to Sunday 7 February 2021:

buses will replace trains between St Erth and St Ives

buses will run every 30 minutes with all services calling at Carbis Bay. Services will also call hourly at Lelant

replacement buses will depart at different times to normal trains in order to connect with trains at St Erth

[Thatcham Crossing]

The linked article above talks about 5 weeks of track renewal work. Does anyone know how much of the branch is being re-layed?

[Jamsdad]

In four week I would have thought they could relay a great deal. Although I have to say when I went down a few weeks ago there was very little sign of rough riding. But there are a lot of rather ancient looking wood sleepers in places

[RichardB]

The linked article above talks about 5 weeks of track renewal work. Does anyone know how much of the branch is being re-layed?

One and a half miles, I believe.  A third of the branch.

[RailCornwall]

from the FAQs^▸ (Frequently Asked Questions) -

Where is the work taking place?
Network Rail will be working between Carbis Bay and St Ives to renew the track along that section of line.

[Thatcham Crossing]

Where is the work taking place?
Network Rail will be working between Carbis Bay and St Ives to renew the track along that section of line.

I walked the coastal path that follows the line back in August and I would say a lot of that stretch is made up of very old-looking wooden sleepers and non-continuous rails. Good to see the investment. I assume linespeeds will stay the same? (not above 30mph on the branch IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly))

[TonyK]

A little more detail from Rail Advent

Cornwall set to have ?3m track upgrade on the St Ives Bay Line
Buses will replace trains while the work is carried out
 By Alan Holden


Credit: Network Rail
Work will start in the new year on upgrading the track between Carbis Bay and St Ives in a ?3m project by Network Rail.

In what has been described as the biggest track investment in Cornwall since the 1950s, Network Rail will be carrying out work over a 5 week period between Sunday the 3rd of January and Monday the 8th of February 2021

Around 1.5 miles of new track will be laid along with 3,600 new railway sleepers and over 400 tonnes of ballast.

While the work is being carried out, train operator Great Western Railway will be operating a half-hourly replacement bus service.

The bus will run between St Ives and St Erth and passengers are asked to plan ahead and check times before travelling.

Trains between Plymouth and Penzance will still run on the mainline while this improvement work takes place.

Lee Hildreth, Network Rail?s project manager, said: ?This is a huge piece of work, but it will make a real difference as it will reduce delays and improve reliability for passengers in Cornwall.?

?It is the biggest track upgrade for generations, and it has been planned so it can be done as safely and as quickly as possible.?

?However, buses will replace trains while the work is ongoing, so we urge passengers to check before they travel and thanks them in advance for their patience.?

Mark Chorley, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Regional Station Manager, West, said: ?We have been working hard to make sure that people can be confident to travel safely, and that includes running as many replacement buses as we can to make extra room, as well as enhanced cleaning and social distancing measures.?

?This work is important to ensure we can continue to maintain and improve reliability on this very popular and scenic branch line, and we thank customers for their patience in advance.?

Councillor Andrea Davis, chair of Peninsula Rail Task Force, said: ?At this time of uncertainty with the ongoing pandemic it is heartening that Network Rail is investing in the Cornish network, this substantial upgrade is very welcome and will give a much-needed boost to the far South West economy as we move to the recovery phase.?