Fishguard & Goodwick station on course to re-open March 2012

[whole diary]

[anthony215]

Good News:

http://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/content.asp?id=23546

Hopefully this time we won't get any stupid cable thieves to spoil the party

[Rhydgaled]

Better late than never I suppose, but really the way this has been handled is dreadful. It took Network Rail under two days to put the track back within stepping distance of the platform and I doubt the remaining works will take very long either. With the amount of actual working time involved, had they started work as soon as the demolision of the station building made it safe to do so the station could probablly have been opened in time for the start of the new services.

Alternativly, the time between the building being knocked down and work actually starting could have been sufficent to make the building safe without demolishing it, and maybe even find some grant money to restore it to useable condition. We would then have had a wonderful station building to photograph for promotional material for the new service, instead of a choice of a bare platform or a ferry port.

[IndustryInsider]

Better late than never I suppose, but really the way this has been handled is dreadful.

I thought it was quite quick work, bearing in mind the speed at which the railway operates!   

Still, good news, I don't know the area that well, though it seems this second station is important if these extra services are going to get anywhere close to paying their way.

[anthony215]

Better late than never I suppose, but really the way this has been handled is dreadful.

I thought it was quite quick work, bearing in mind the speed at which the railway operates!   

Still, good news, I don't know the area that well, though it seems this second station is important if these extra services are going to get anywhere close to paying their way.

It is especially in encouraging more commuters to use the services and Fishguard & Goodwick will have a large free car park and will be well served by local bus services

[Chris from Nailsea]

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

Goodwick railway station near Fishguard to reopen


Engineers working for Network Rail have already lowered and realigned the track closer to the existing platform at Goodwick

Rail campaigners say the reopening of a station near Fishguard will make train services more attractive for many people in north Pembrokeshire.

Trains are to start calling at Goodwick station for the first time in almost 50 years in March.

A passenger group says the existing Fishguard station at the ferry terminal is too far outside the town and parking charges are prohibitively expensive.

Around ^325,000 is being spent to reopen the old station closer to town. It follows an increase in the number of trains calling at Fishguard from two to seven.

Hatti Woakes, secretary of the North Pembrokeshire Transport Forum, said Goodwick station was more convenient for many people. "The problem with the [existing] station is it's quite far out - at least 10 minutes walk from the town - and most people are taken there by car. There is a car park which is expensive, it's ^7 a day. It's a bit of a disincentive and it's putting some people off - especially people who live outside of Fishguard.


Trains have not stopped at Goodwick since 1964

"Goodwick is more convenient for many people. It's going to be very simple because of the funding constraints but people will be able to park for free and the bus service will stop right outside the gates."

The old derelict timber station building has been cleared and Network Rail has lowered and re-aligned the track closer to the existing platform.

Services on the main south Wales line to Fishguard were enhanced in September.

The Welsh government is spending ^1.4m funding five extra trains running Monday to Saturday. It follows a long running campaign for better services.

Pembrokeshire council deputy leader Jamie Adams said improvements to rail services west of Swansea were not only a priority for Pembrokeshire but for the south west region as a whole. "The re-opening of the station will be a positive step for the communities of Fishguard and Goodwick and help attract passengers onto the new enhanced rail services," he said.

Pembrokeshire council owns the station site while the work to reopen it is being funded through the Welsh government's regional transport plan.

[Rhydgaled]

Is there a detailed breakdown of how much of the ^325,000 was spent on each aspect of the work? Mostly labour I'm guessing, but how does that divide between Network Rail and other staff? That is a very wild guess though, since I don't really know anything.

[Chris from Nailsea]

I don't have any more detailed information on the figures, Rhydgaled, other than what is available from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page).

However, there's a bit more financial background in a previous BBC news item, from June 2011:

Fishguard and Goodwick Station may reopen 50 years on

A railway station which closed almost 50 years ago may be reopened after a town secured five extra services a day.

A feasibility study is being funded to look at renovating the old Fishguard and Goodwick station although major work would be needed.


The existing timber framed station, last used for passenger services in 1964, may be beyond repair

There are currently two trains a day to a station at Fishguard Harbour but extra trains will run from September.

It is argued reopening the old station will mean the new services will be better used.

The Welsh Government announced in March it would provide ^1.4m funding for five extra trains to run to Fishguard every day from Monday to Saturday.

It followed a long running campaign to secure extra services which included an online petition organised by school pupils Sam Faulkner and Joanne Griffiths.

There have been calls to re-open the old station because there is limited parking at Fishguard Harbour and campaigners say it would be more convenient for passengers arriving by car, bus, bike or on foot.

After talks between Pembrokeshire council, the South West Wales Integrated Transport Consortium (SWWITCH), the Welsh Government, Network Rail and the train operator Arriva Trains Wales, funding has been secured for the study.

It will include track and platform surveys and designs will be developed for consideration by Network Rail.

The county council will also look at the possibility of providing car parking at the rear of the old station together with nearby bus stops.

Pembrokeshire council deputy leader Jamie Adams said reopening the station would be subject to the availability of funding. He said: "Refurbishing the existing timber framed station building will be difficult as it is in very poor condition with significant sections beyond repair."

But he added: "The re-opening of the station will be a positive step for the communities of Fishguard and Goodwick and help attract passengers onto the new enhanced rail services."

[Lee]

Russell Luckock uses the example of Fishguard & Goodwick to make a case for re-opening rail routes in the Birmingham area here.

[Rhydgaled]

Station code = FGW^▸ (First Great Western), that's going to be confusing, given that acronym is frequently used to refer to First Great Western.

[Lee]

From Network Rail:

Fishguard and Goodwick station to reopen after 50 years

We^ve almost finished rebuilding Fishguard and Goodwick station - it will reopen on 14 May 2012 with seven trains a day.

The station will boast a brand new station building and a new car park that will also be equipped with disabled access. We^ve also resurfaced the platform and moved 150 metres of track towards the station to allow passengers to hop on and off trains safely.

New ways of working

Mark Langman, our route managing director Wales said: ^This ^450,000 scheme has been made possible because of a successful partnership between local government and the railway industry. It is driven by a shared vision and Network Rail^s devolved strategy that has enabled this scheme to be delivered affordably and in less than half a year. This is great testimony to how new thinking and new ways of working in the rail industry and with government and other stakeholders could continue to help the railway grow and become even more responsive to the needs of passengers.^

Fact file

Fishguard and Goodwick station is linked on the main bus route and is easily accessible from both Goodwick and Fishguard town centres making it a potential gateway, especially for tourists visiting Pembrokeshire.

^Goodwick station was first opened in 1899
^The station was renamed Fishguard and Goodwick in 1904
^It was a terminus until an extension to Fishguard Harbour was built in 1906