To answer some of the other points :
Pilning is in the middle of nowhere. Trust me i've been there.
Its not far from the M4 and the other road that crosses the Severn.
Ive been there too. See earlier post with comparison to Mottisfont & Dunbridge.
My opinion is that the station is being kept open because if it were to close then it would be very difficult to reopen it again if it were needed in the future, by stopping one train a week doesn't really cost much and keeps options open for the future. No one uses it so theres not much wear and tear on the station.
You are entitled to your view , but I disagree. Standardised European Rules of the Air (
SERA▸ ) documents show that there were plans to close it as part of the new franchise.
Did you know that there is another
FGW▸ station , not too far away , that closely fits most of John's criteria?
1. Pilning itself has a pretty small population.
2. The village isn't within a sensible walking distance of the station.
4. It's on a very busy main line, operating close to capacity, with a mix of trains.
If I lived in Pilning I'd be more miffed that the village is surrounded by motorways (and presumably noise), and very close to a junction, but you still have to drive for miles to access the motorway network.
Here are a few clues :
1) Its service was increased from 2 - hourly to hourly in December 2006.
2) Its passenger numbers have grown from 50534 in 2002 / 2003 to 72113 in 2005 / 2006.
3) Nobody (as far as I am aware) is suggesting that it should be closed.
4) See link below.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cam_and_Dursley_railway_stationAgreed with most of that, apart from 4
I live right next to the line, it isnt really what i'd call a "busy line" (about C&D)
there are 3 passenger trains each way every hour with the ocasional freight, and this will be reduced to 2 tph when the new
XC▸ service comes in,
it's not the busiest line in the world, and is no where near capacity!
also, those figures were published before it changed to 1tph each way at C&D iirc, i wouldnt be suprised if the stats had gone through 100,000 as a result.
One thing it has over pilning though, it has an incredibly reliable bus service purely for connections to local towns for the train!
Not sure where you got your information from , as there will still be 3 passenger trains each way every hour passing through Cam & Dursley , although only 1 each way , as now , will stop there. The line currently has a tonnage level of 10 - 15 million tonnes per year (indicating a reasonable amount of freight) and is projected to acheive medium - level tonnage growth to 2016.
Agree about the passenger figures and , in my view , this indicates the potential of such stations.
Regarding your point on bus links , here is a section from the "Gateway To The Future" proposals regarding their potential for Pilning. Bear in mind this only refers to EXISTING bus services , which would require a small , but minimal , diversion :
PILNING & SEVERN GATEWAY
Gateway Connect services to :
Clifton Down
Henbury
Severn Beach
Full bus service list :
624 Pilning Village - Severn Beach Station.
624 Easter Compton - Cribbs Causeway - Hallen - Henbury Station - Westbury - Clifton Down Station - Bristol City Centre.
The main difference between Pilning and C&D is that the latter was built to serve the populations that give it its name, and are within a few minutes drive. It's not obvious what populations of similar size Pilning could serve.
Quotes from
FOSBR▸ 's Pilning proposals :
"
P&R▸ facilities here also have the opportunity to attract use from Almondsbury & Thornbury. Whilst those are closer to Patchway station, lack of parking here would make Pilning more attractive for journeys into Bristol City Centre."
"Due to possible low usage, and the fact that nearly all users will be local, an hourly service off peak should be adequate ^ and this could be achieved using the existing passing services"
"Improving facilities at Pilning will mean this area retains a rail service. First Great Western should be supportive of this as it will mean more income, especially as no additional trains are needed. Additional patronage from nearby towns/villages in South Gloucestershire should also make investment worthwhile."
Personally , I dont think that Pilning has the catchment area to be able to match (say) Cam & Dursley's passenger figures , but I DO think that , if an hourly service is introduced and
BRB‡ land is used for car parking & bus / rail interchange , 30000 - 40000 passengers per year would not be out of the question.
On the other hand if (as is perfectly possible) a housing developer gets permission to build "Severnside Stadium II" , then those figures could rise significantly.
CURRENT PILNING VILLAGE - BRISTOL VIA SEVERN BEACH STATION JOURNEY :
- A 5 minute drive to Severn Beach.
- 10 minutes to find a parking space and walk to the rail - replacement bus stop.
- A 15 minute bus journey with a 4 minute connection to the train at Avonmouth.
- A 27 minute train journey to Bristol.
OVERALL JOURNEY TIME - 1 HOUR 1 MINUTE
Sorry, Lee - that doesn't work for me. You're assuming that you know it's gooing to take exactly 10 minutes to park and that you'll not need any connection time at Severn Beach station into the bus. Shouldn't you allow an extra 10 minutes or so in case you have more problems parking than normal
As a non - driver , I have approximated on such driving / parking timings (using Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways (FOSBR) research.) You may well have a point though....
Edit: VickiS - Clarifying Acronyms
