Places on existing lines where new stations could be built.

[61653 HTAFC]

Lots of stations opened in recent years don't have a footbridge, or a subway, or any dedicated method of changing platforms. Instead they are effectively two single platform stations, one for each direction. Getting from one platform to the other involves a sometimes lengthy walk round existing roads, overbridges and underbridges. This doesn't matter to most people of course as long as they know how to approach the station for their desired direction of travel. It's only cranks who want to leap from one platform to the other and go back whence they came. How many people arriving at somewhere like Sandal and Agbrigg want to swap platforms on arrival?

Not at Sandall, but at Brighouse there's a lot of interchange between the two platforms: Sowerby Bridge to Halifax or Mirfield to Huddersfield (as the direct services are bunched together at 05 and 20 past the hour, and BGH gives a convenient connection). The walk between platforms isn't huge if you can cope with steps, but if you need the ramps you'll be going for a while!

 

[PR1Berske]

I have started a thread on stations which could/should be closed as a result of the brief tangent on page 10/11 here : http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=2961736

 

[infobleep]

What is the largest settlement on the east and west coast routes to Scotland that doesn't have a train station or any nearby settlement that doesn't?

With HS2 could they add stations.

There is some lovely countryside in the Lake District, could they build a station at Shap for the walkers. Ok I'll fully admit the latter idea isn't anyway practical and a purely selfish sentimental idea.

 

[Firesprite]

New Parkway Station on the Kings Lynn- Ely, Between the A47 bridge and Hardwick Road with road access from the A147 link road. This is near the site of the long closed M&GN South Lynn Station. The car park at Kings Lynn Station is far to small and can not be expanded unless upwards. The roads in Lynn are very crowded with jams common (In peak hours it can often take the X1 20-25 miniutes to reach Hardwick Road from the bus station . Plus a bridge over the line would give access to the large retail park and the industrial Estates to the north and south of the retail park.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Has anyone mentioned Sutton Bonington between Nottingham and Loughborough on this thread? Although it's only a small village, the University of Nottingham have a sizeable campus there, and with the MML having both fast and slow lines at this point, there might be a case for a new station where the NOT-LBO stopper could call.

 

[gg1]

What is the largest settlement on the east and west coast routes to Scotland that doesn't have a train station or any nearby settlement that doesn't?

The previously mentioned Garstang could well be.

 

[neilmc]

What is the largest settlement on the east and west coast routes to Scotland that doesn't have a train station or any nearby settlement that doesn't?

With HS2 could they add stations.

There is some lovely countryside in the Lake District, could they build a station at Shap for the walkers. Ok I'll fully admit the latter idea isn't anyway practical and a purely selfish sentimental idea.

Shap would be an excellent idea; it's a gateway to many small villages and, considering it's on the main A6, has a disgraceful bus service which isn't even daily. Tebay and Plumpton at least could also be re-opening contenders. Shap people must be really cross that trains whizz past their small town every few minutes but to actually catch one involves a long trek to Penrith or Oxenholme.

 

[richieb1971]

Kempston/Wixams area. Kempston has a 20000 strong population with 2 railways and has zero stations. Once EWR gets going in Bedfordshire I will ask the council to consider a station there. It really needs a bridge crossing the branch line as many people work on one side of the track and have to walk a mile or so around it to get on the other side. The retail park is a stones throw from the houses.

 

[PR1Berske]

Shap would be an excellent idea; it's a gateway to many small villages and, considering it's on the main A6, has a disgraceful bus service which isn't even daily. Tebay and Plumpton at least could also be re-opening contenders. Shap people must be really cross that trains whizz past their small town every few minutes but to actually catch one involves a long trek to Penrith or Oxenholme.

Virgin would be very snooty about a local station being on the WCML, particularly Shap (imo).

 

[Skimpot flyer]

Virgin would be very snooty about a local station being on the WCML, particularly Shap (imo).

Indeed. Weren't Virgin asking for Welwyn North on the ECML to be closed, to free-up more paths through the 2-track Digswell Viaduct ?

 

[MK Tom]

I'm not looking through the thread to see if this has already been said but with the huge housing development going on there it's really time to give Roade back its station.

 

[adrock1976]

Not sure if it has already been mentioned, but how about Warrington where the Grand Junction Railway crosses the Cheshire Lines Committee route, so as to provide an interchange between the 2 routes?

Obviously this would mean that this location would be on the western side of town, with the possibility of both Bank Quay and Central closing down.

 

[The Planner]

You mean like Warrington West that is proposed, not an interchange but close. No way would Bank Quay ever close and please use line names that people understand.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm not looking through the thread to see if this has already been said but with the huge housing development going on there it's really time to give Roade back its station.

Given its location not too far from one, I think it should be called "Roade Junction", just because

 

[fowler9]

Not sure if it has already been mentioned, but how about Warrington where the Grand Junction Railway crosses the Cheshire Lines Committee route, so as to provide an interchange between the 2 routes?

Obviously this would mean that this location would be on the western side of town, with the possibility of both Bank Quay and Central closing down.

Little demand for the disruption.

 

[jamesst]

Potential Stations on Merseyrail that crop up occasionally are St James (Hunts Cross line)& Town Meadow (West Kirby line).
As far as I know work is starting on Maghull North (Ormskirk line) soon

 

[70014IronDuke]

New Parkway Station on the Kings Lynn- Ely, Between the A47 bridge and Hardwick Road with road access from the A147 link road. This is near the site of the long closed M&GN South Lynn Station. The car park at Kings Lynn Station is far to small and can not be expanded unless upwards. The roads in Lynn are very crowded with jams common (In peak hours it can often take the X1 20-25 miniutes to reach Hardwick Road from the bus station . Plus a bridge over the line would give access to the large retail park and the industrial Estates to the north and south of the retail park.

Interesting suggestion. Has it ever been mooted at official levels? This would be, what, about 1.25 miles south of Kings Lynn terminus?
Would it be on single track there? In which case, could the timetable cope with the extra needed capacity?

 

[backontrack]

What places (excluding those that are already planning to have a station built) on existing lines would be good placed to have new stations built?

Shap, Cumbria
Wellington, Somerset
Evanton, Easter Ross
Bagillt, Flintshire
Tebay, Cumbria
Caerleon, Newport
St Clears, Carmarthenshire
Bowstreet, Ceredigion
Culgaith, Cumbria
Gilsland, Northumberland
Belford, Northumberland
Holme, Cumbria
Bolton-le-Sands, Lancashire
Halbeath, Fife
Clackmannan, Clackmannanshire
Kincardine, Fife
Standish, Lancashire
Coppull, Lancashire
Golborne, Lancashire
Garstang Parkway, Lancashire
Goldsborough, North Yorkshire
Strensall, North Yorkshire
Cullompton, Devon
Hethersett, Norfolk
Kingsnorth, Kent
Newtonhill, Aberdeenshire
Pendleton, Lancashire
Menai Bridge Parkway, Gwynedd
Bawtry, South Yorkshire
Rossington/New Rossington, South Yorkshire
Tuxford, Nottinghamshire
Warsop, Nottinghamshire
Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire
Ollerton, Nottinghamshire
Ampthill, Bedfordshire
Wixams, Bedfordshire
North Tawton, Devon
Marazion, Cornwall
Probus, Cornwall
Pinchbeck, Lincolnshire
Deeping Road, Lincolnshire (on Peterborough-Lincoln line)
Peterlee Parkway, Durham
Ferryhill, Durham
Croft and Hurworth, North Yorkshire
Wooton Bassett, Wiltshire
Corsham, Wiltshire
Purton, Wiltshire
Oakley, Hampshire
Wilton, Wiltshire

 

[backontrack]

Would you include Dent in that? The nearest settlement (Cowgill) is tiny and the village of Dent is several miles away down the valley. The nearest main road is also several miles away.

Useful for walkers. There must be some reason why they reopened it.

 

[backontrack]

What is the largest settlement on the east and west coast routes to Scotland that doesn't have a train station or any nearby settlement that doesn't?

With HS2 could they add stations.

The previously mentioned Garstang could well be.

What about Moffat? Would be another candidate along with a station at Beattock. And you could probably throw Gretna East and Symington/Biggar Parkway into the mix, as well as Standish, Golborne, Coppull, Shap, Tebay and Bolton-le-Sands. Maybe even Holme, too...

 

[backontrack]

Mauchline is one that's hardly ever suggested, but I think would probably be viable.

 

[birchesgreen]

The Fort needs a station badly, its public transport connections are woeful. The railway runs right next to it and a station would serve it and be perfect for Castle Bromwich jaguar factory too. Better than the plan to re-open the old Castle Bromwich station IMO.

 

[The Planner]

Diasgree, if you are going to build a station down there (and someone would need to fund it first) you put it at Castle Bromwich, close to Castle Vale and just as close to Jaguar. The Fort has no housing around it. It wont be cheap either if the aspriation to redesignate the lines come off as it will need to be 4 platforms.

 

[birchesgreen]

Well it should have been part of The Fort's plan when it was built. Anyway the station would have housing near it, including mine lol

 

[The Planner]

It is just another non-descript out of town shopping park from what I can see, whats so special about it?

 

[Bald Rick]

you can imagine a large number of people thinking 'hmm, I'm in central Birmingham, but the shops just don't cut it, let's spend some cash to get the train out to the Fort so we can go to Boots and Wilkos'

 

[70014IronDuke]

What about Moffat? Would be another candidate along with a station at Beattock. And you could probably throw Gretna East and Symington/Biggar Parkway into the mix, as well as Standish, Golborne, Coppull, Shap, Tebay and Bolton-le-Sands. Maybe even Holme, too...

No TOC wants to stop at Carstairs, so I'm sure they won't want to stop at Moffat, or Beattock or ...... any of the stations you suggest on the WCML, except, perhaps, some of those in Lancs with decent populations around them.

I posit:

Higham Ferrerrs and Rushden Parkway (on, or near, the site of Irchester, around MP 61 on the Midland)
&
Bedford North Parkway - somewhere around the former site of Oakley (MP 54) on the same MML.

 

[Harbornite]

Diasgree, if you are going to build a station down there (and someone would need to fund it first) you put it at Castle Bromwich, close to Castle Vale and just as close to Jaguar. The Fort has no housing around it. It wont be cheap either if the aspriation to redesignate the lines come off as it will need to be 4 platforms.

In hindsight, closing Castle Bromwich seems odd when you consider that the Castle vale housing estate was being constructed at the time.

 

[Harbornite]

Shap, Cumbria

Why? The population is only around 1000 and the station would just slow down journey times for no real benefit.

 

[Morgsie]

Somerton or Langport in Somerset on the Reading to Taunton Line between Taunton and Castle Cary. This has not been mentioned so I am mentioning it.