Medium Sized Cities with Heavy Rail Metro Potential

[AlastairFraser]

The existing Cambridge-Haverhill service suggests otherwise, with 4 bph, plus the Granta Park private service.

The passenger capacity of 4bph pales in capacity to traffic on the A1307 though. A train would be much more competitive.

People from Bottisham are unlikely to head for Dullingham, Stetchworth and Cheveley are not big numbers. The big win for an A11 parkway is places beyond Newmarket, particularly Mildenhall.

Why would they be unlikely to use it? Dullingham station seems to be a 10 minute drive away from Bottisham, and then the train into Cambridge is only 16 minutes, so overall around 30 mins. It takes slightly less time driving directly off peak, but you also have to contend with the unreliability of predicting Cambridge traffic issues and the insane cost of parking in central Cambridge.

My fallback plan for Whittlesford is to move the station a bit nearer to Cambridge with a central reversing platform like Beaulieu Park and better road access to the car park.

Surely that wouldn't be wise as that area looks to be on the floodplain of the River Cam?

Pushing 4tph to A11 parkway is likely to be technically difficult, requiring double track and increased costs. 6tph to Whittlesford is viable with a bay platform, providing a genuine turn up and go service with 2tph to Newmarket. On the other hand a 2tph service from A11 isn't particularly attractive for non science park users. Charging can happen on the move. A light rail route is probably the best solution for Haverhill.

I was suggesting 2tph from A11 Parkway, you could increase that to 3tph if needed. Whittlesford doesn't bring the same benefits - it's a bit further away from the main road and thus less attractive to A11 traffic, you'd lose the science/business traffic to bus, and you wouldn't serve Sawston.

Charging can happen on the move, but it's less reliable than a fast charge at a terminus, and with a Newmarket service, you only have approx 4.75 miles to charge on the wires from the junction at Shelford to Coldham Lane junction (if you were to reopen the Haverhill branch as far as A11 Parkway initially), then the unelectrified section to Newmarket from Coldham Lane junction is approx 13.4 miles with several station stops.

The issue with light rail to Haverhill is that it would have to be tram-train, otherwise you have no viable path into central Cambridge. As a second phase of Haverhill line reopening, it's not a bad idea.

 

[Severnia333]

Plymouth must be in with a shout. The Gunnislake branch already does this, and if Tavistock ever got reopened that would enhance the branch patronage. Then if a station or two were built at Plympton this could serve as a decent Park & Ride into the city centre, plus potentially reopening the railway to Yealhampton to at the very least serve Plymstock.

The eastern side of Plymouth is very empty. Stations at Mutley and/or Liara plus Plympton would give you the basis of a metro route running Plympton (or Ivybridge) to Bere Alston/Gunnislake. 2tph there and another 2tph St Germans - Plympton for 4tph on the core city section? Probably lots of work required but not unfeasible.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 16 Apr 2025 ==

To be fair that will depend on the individual. I would personally use a timetable at pretty much any frequency until you get down to every couple of minutes - I certainly find it a very poor feature of Metrolink that they don't properly publish times.

I think thought that you can still create a metro style network with low frequencies, though - the Swiss semi rural S-Bahnen such as that round Lausanne are a good example. These are typically based on 1tph patterns, but with a metro style map, a fully clockface timetable and fully standardised calling patterns. This is I think the sort of thing the Cornwall Metro is looking at.

If you want an example of a service that is basically what is being described, though, I'd say the Birmingham Snow Hill Lines are it.

When I lived in Birmingham, the cross city line was 6tph on the main section (Longbridge to Sutton Coldfield) which was easily enough for turn up and go.

 

[Trainlog]

I wouldn't qualify it as a large metro per say, however, I think the Medway towns should have a metro ticket zone as there is a high frequency between Rainham-Rochester of trains in this section of the Chatham mainline and the traffic in some parts of the towns feels like it is getting worse in the past 2 years.

Whilst there are plenty of buses in these towns, they are very stop start in nature and for buses such as the 700 from Chatham to Bluewater, the bus runs parallel to the rail line from Chatham to Strood but because of the stop start nature and its affordability its incredibly slow through this section and adds more people than necessary on the already crowded bus route. If a metro rail ticket was available and affordable, it could help alleviate some of the pressure on this bus route.

It's very easy to get around the Medway towns by train, but it's unfortunately not cheap. Without a railcard a journey from Chatham to Rochester is £4.20, with one £2.75.

I would have it so that the East-West would be NKML (Higham, Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, Rainham) Chatham mainline (Sole street, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, Rainham) and the third component - Medway Valley (Strood, Cuxton, Halling, Snodland).

What I would do is have a similar system to TFL's Oyster and Contactless, and make it so that you are Fare capped for the day, with a paper ticket version also being available.

 

[Magdalia]

The passenger capacity of 4bph pales in capacity to traffic on the A1307 though. A train would be much more competitive.

Train would be more competitive, but it would also be much more costly. For getting rail from the A11 to Haverhill, I don't think that the bang is worth the buck, most of the benefit comes from getting to the A11.

Why would they be unlikely to use it? Dullingham station seems to be a 10 minute drive away from Bottisham, and then the train into Cambridge is only 16 minutes, so overall around 30 mins. It takes slightly less time driving directly off peak, but you also have to contend with the unreliability of predicting Cambridge traffic issues and the insane cost of parking in central Cambridge.

Bottisham-Dullingham does start by going 4-5 miles in the wrong direction for getting to Cambridge. Six Mile Bottom or Fulbourn are much more plausible as a potential railhead for Bottisham.

Surely that wouldn't be wise as that area looks to be on the floodplain of the River Cam?

You are right that building on the River Cam flood plain would be unwise, and my proposal doesn't require that. The new station would be just north of the existing station on the land currently occupied by the up side sidings and the down loop.

Whittlesford doesn't bring the same benefits - it's a bit further away from the main road and thus less attractive to A11 traffic, you'd lose the science/business traffic to bus, and you wouldn't serve Sawston.

You are right that Whittlesford has less benefit, but it doesn't mean that Sawston can't be served. Sawston could have a station next to the bypass near to the Spicers Mill crossing. The Whittlesford and Sawston stations would only be a bit more than a mile apart but that's already the case with Shepreth and Foxton.

 

[AlastairFraser]

Train would be more competitive, but it would also be much more costly. For getting rail from the A11 to Haverhill, I don't think that the bang is worth the buck, most of the benefit comes from getting to the A11.

Fair enough, I think a phased approach of reopening would allow us to determine if extension as far as Haverhill is justified.

Bottisham-Dullingham does start by going 4-5 miles in the wrong direction for getting to Cambridge. Six Mile Bottom or Fulbourn are much more plausible as a potential railhead for Bottisham.

I know it's psychologically counterintuitive to head in the wrong direction, but it would be a pretty reliable 30 mins into Cambridge, compared to road journeys. I'm not convinced Six Mile Bottom is a good location for a station (A11 parkway down the road potentially, not much of a surrounding settlement and the local A11 junction is limited access). Fulbourn with a decent sized car park and Cherry Hinton as a local station for eastern Cambridge seems a decent plan.

You are right that building on the River Cam flood plain would be unwise, and my proposal doesn't require that. The new station would be just north of the existing station on the land currently occupied by the up side sidings and the down loop.

What are these sidings currently used for?

You are right that Whittlesford has less benefit, but it doesn't mean that Sawston can't be served. Sawston could have a station next to the bypass near to the Spicers Mill crossing. The Whittlesford and Sawston stations would only be a bit more than a mile apart but that's already the case with Shepreth and Foxton.

This seems to be right next to the River Cam? A Sawston station on the A11 parkway branch would also be closer to much of the newer residential areas of Sawston it seems.

 

[Brubulus]

The passenger capacity of 4bph pales in capacity to traffic on the A1307 though. A train would be much more competitive.

Absolutely, and any bus based solution is unlikely to truly encourage modal shift.

Why would they be unlikely to use it? Dullingham station seems to be a 10 minute drive away from Bottisham, and then the train into Cambridge is only 16 minutes, so overall around 30 mins. It takes slightly less time driving directly off peak, but you also have to contend with the unreliability of predicting Cambridge traffic issues and the insane cost of parking in central Cambridge.

Going in the wrong direction isn't really an issue if total journey time is competitive plus Burwell has over double as many people.

I was suggesting 2tph from A11 Parkway, you could increase that to 3tph if needed. Whittlesford doesn't bring the same benefits - it's a bit further away from the main road and thus less attractive to A11 traffic, you'd lose the science/business traffic to bus, and you wouldn't serve Sawston.

Sawston could easily be served from Whittlesford with some good paths, much of the village is actually closer to Whittlesford.

The issue with light rail to Haverhill is that it would have to be tram-train, otherwise you have no viable path into central Cambridge. As a second phase of Haverhill line reopening, it's not a bad idea.

Convert the southern busway, it's highly underutilized and would be a perfect light rail route. While a heavy rail link to the A11 would be useful for the science parks, they aren't major drivers of congestion and I feel a full length light rail line alongside parkways at Dullingham and Whittlesford are probably a better solution to relieving the A1307. Also from Haverhill, once people are in their cars for a substantial distance, they're unlikely to get out of them and wait up to 29 mins for a train.

Secondly much of the funding for an extension from A11 to Haverhill could be provided by a large number of homes on the non bypassed side of Linton and running a dedicated light rail route through there.

I know it's psychologically counterintuitive to head in the wrong direction, but it would be a pretty reliable 30 mins into Cambridge, compared to road journeys. I'm not convinced Six Mile Bottom is a good location for a station (A11 parkway down the road potentially, not much of a surrounding settlement and the local A11 junction is limited access). Fulbourn with a decent sized car park and Cherry Hinton as a local station for eastern Cambridge seems a decent plan.

Giving Fulbourn a big car park simply loads more traffic onto Balsham Road, which is getting to be a key commuter route. An advantage of Dullingham is it keeps traffic off main roads and commuter routes, instead keeping them on side roads.

 

[AlastairFraser]

Absolutely, and any bus based solution is unlikely to truly encourage modal shift.

Agreed.

Going in the wrong direction isn't really an issue if total journey time is competitive plus Burwell has over double as many people.

I think it's a decent idea to have a car park at Dullingham too, but Fulbourn has the benefit of a significant local settlement around it too.

Sawston could easily be served from Whittlesford with some good paths, much of the village is actually closer to Whittlesford.

Again we come to the issue of flooding in the Cam valley though - would those paths be usable in winter?

Convert the southern busway, it's highly underutilized and would be a perfect light rail route. While a heavy rail link to the A11 would be useful for the science parks, they aren't major drivers of congestion and I feel a full length light rail line alongside parkways at Dullingham and Whittlesford are probably a better solution to relieving the A1307. Also from Haverhill, once people are in their cars for a substantial distance, they're unlikely to get out of them and wait up to 29 mins for a train.

I agree with this idea, however sadly I doubt that Cambridgeshire CC will ever give up on the busway. They're trying to build another one towards Cambourne as well.

Giving Fulbourn a big car park simply loads more traffic onto Balsham Road, which is getting to be a key commuter route. An advantage of Dullingham is it keeps traffic off main roads and commuter routes, instead keeping them on side roads.

Not necessarily. If you reinstate the old Fulbourn station site, people can use Station Road and Wilbraham Road as the primary access route.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Personal opinion again, but I’m sure I’m not alone amongst ‘normals’ with the word ‘metro’ setting off images in my head of the Parisian underground hence a typically non-public timetable service where if you just miss a train another one will be along in a few minutes, not 2 tph or even 3tph where you would want to be aiming for a specific timed departure.

Completely agree with this. I don’t like nor understand this new obsession with calling everything a Metro. The “Devon Metro” and upcoming “Cornwall Metro,” for example, will have hourly frequencies on multiple routes, for goodness’ sake.

 

[Zomboid]

I've had the crayons out for the "Oxfordshire Metro", which is mostly stuff that I haven't made up myself. The Cowley branch looks to more likely than not to happen at some point soon, Kennington and Begbroke stations have at least been mentioned as possible enhancements, and for me Kennington ought to follow along when Cowley is opened.
The dotted line to Charlbury is from my imagination, but 2tph out there ought to be doable with a loop at Hanborough.
And I've shown the slightly unlikely but still actually proposed Witney & Carterton line.
It's more of a ticketing concept than S-bahn, but I don't think it's too far from the realms of possibility.
The yellow area is the Oxford Smart zone bus ticketing area, and ideally the train services in that area could be integrated into that system, it's a real faff to get from north to south Oxford using the buses as it is, and there's lots of employment around Littlemore and Cowley that could be accessed more easily from Parkway than by wrestling with the ring road or changing buses in the city centre.

 

[dk1]

I came up with this crayon-special a few years ago (before EWR spoiled things by choosing the other route into Cambridge)

The distances involved might be a bit far to count as a Metro though!

View attachment 178319

Cherry Hinton looks like it’s going to come to fruition as Cambridge East as part of EWR.

 

[Zomboid]

Cherry Hinton looks like it’s going to come to fruition as Cambridge East as part of EWR.

EWR aren't proposing a station there at the moment, though I suspect that might be a ploy aimed at getting someone else to pay for it.

 

[dk1]

EWR aren't proposing a station there at the moment, though I suspect that might be a ploy aimed at getting someone else to pay for it.

From what I read the plan is trains will run through Cambridge and turn back at Cambridge East. I’m sure someone will stump up any cash.

 

[Zomboid]

From what I read the plan is trains will run through Cambridge and turn back at Cambridge East. I’m sure someone will stump up any cash.

I've seen the same. A turn back out there is just crying out for someone to provide a platform or two, otherwise turning back in the south facing bays at Cambridge seems a much more sensible idea.

 

[Brubulus]

From what I read the plan is trains will run through Cambridge and turn back at Cambridge East. I’m sure someone will stump up any cash.

Seems a shame to not run to Newmarket, unless there's some massive impediment. I get that everything shouldn't be good plated and that allowing a somewhat frequent service to Newmarket might need to be a separate project.

 

[dk1]

Seems a shame to not run to Newmarket, unless there's some massive impediment. I get that everything shouldn't be good plated and that allowing a somewhat frequent service to Newmarket might need to be a separate project.

Yes mate I totally agree and it’s criminal that the route isn’t better given how successful it is these days with the frequency and train quality.

 

[cle]

A one platform station off the mainlines (as a turnback) would be a bare minimum. Single platform stations tend to be accessible etc etc - but if there is going to be development there - be it residential, commercial or science/business/health park-y - as Cambridge expands in all directions, then you'd probably want a three platform station - a centre road for turning or for for freight to pass.

And stop the Ipswich services there too. You'd see 3tph into Cambridge which is decent enough, with two to South for the local journeys. Ideally you could get 2tph to Newmarket and Bury at least, which feels a reasonable catchment for Cambridge. Ipswich hourly is probably fine.

 

[popeter45]

if reopening lines is a option then Swansea could benefit from a network involving 1-2 new stations between Swansea station-Gowerton, a few Stations on the Swansea District line and maybe even rebuilding the Llandmorlais-Gowerton-Sketty line to serve into the Gower

 

[Severnia333]

A few that haven't been mentioned I've considered in the past:

Worcester - small city but site of a junction and doesn't typically have the long distance cross country trains running through it.

A suburban station each north and south of Shrub Hill, and another west of the river would give the city itself and surrounding areas a decent service.

Something like Worcestershire Parkway - Droitwich and Shrub Hill - Malvern/Hereford.

Coventry - WCML hard to add stations to, but the lines to Leamington and Nuneaton could have suburban stations added (1 or 2 between the central station and Coventry arena and 1 in the South towards Kenilworth) for a solid north- south shuttle.

Portsmouth - sort of already a thing, could be improved with more services stopping at Hilsea and a station at North Fratton/Copnor.

 

[JLH4AC]

Using Mid-Cornwall Metro as the standard, a Lincolnshire Metro would have decent potential, but it does rely on a fair number of Trubostars being transferred to EMR and improvement works along the whole route especially east of Grimsby Town. The possible new stations would also likely be tied to new development.

Cleethorpes–Lincoln–Newark: increase to 1tph non-peak, 2/3tph peak, possible new stations at Reepham/Cherry Willingham, Langworth/Sudbrooke, and Moortown/North Kelsey/Caistor

Barton line: possible increase to 1tph, possibly with 1 tp2h heading to Gainsborough Central instead of Cleethorpes

Lincoln to Sleaford: remains 1tph, possible new station at Washingborough/Heighington

 

[Meerkat]

Reading (technically a town but larger than other cities suggested) with the following suggestions:

- Double the frequency to Bracknell from 2-4tph, with the additional 2tph terminating there. Bracknell is a large town with a poor service for its patronage, so would benefit from a better link to Reading (more paths to London probably don't exist). Also improves the frequency at Wokingham to 6tph.
- Make Didcot, Newbury and Basingstoke outer limits. The former two already have 2tph stopping, with some non-stop runs on top), the latter could become 2tph stopping all day if electrification/battery stock and faster accelerating BEMUs are deployed to the route.

looks like there is space for a reversing siding to the east of Ascot station. Extending your extra trains to there would include Martins Heron and maybe make the train from Bagshot and Camberley via Ascot viable.
Need a link line built from North Camp to Aldershot, so that a Reading to Aldershot/Farnham stopper could run - I reckon that would be pretty popular considering the traffic along there is awful.

 

[43096]

Reading (technically a town but larger than other cities suggested) with the following suggestions:

- Double the frequency to Bracknell from 2-4tph, with the additional 2tph terminating there. Bracknell is a large town with a poor service for its patronage, so would benefit from a better link to Reading (more paths to London probably don't exist). Also improves the frequency at Wokingham to 6tph.

The service back in the mid-1990s was 2tph Reading - Waterlooo and 2tph Reading - Ascot. Later, the Ascot terminator was joined with the Hounslow loop service from Staines to provide 4tph Reading - Waterloo.

That dropped back to 2tph (daytime) / 4tph (peaks) after the early 2000s recast. SWR were meant to be re-introduing 4tph all day, but as with everything SWR have touched, it's a big steaming pile of manure.

 

[Snow1964]

I've had the crayons out for the "Oxfordshire Metro", which is mostly stuff that I haven't made up myself. The Cowley branch looks to more likely than not to happen at some point soon, Kennington and Begbroke stations have at least been mentioned as possible enhancements, and for me Kennington ought to follow along when Cowley is opened.
The dotted line to Charlbury is from my imagination, but 2tph out there ought to be doable with a loop at Hanborough.
And I've shown the slightly unlikely but still actually proposed Witney & Carterton line.

Seems you aren't only ones with crayons looking at Witney and Carterton

West Oxfordshire Council has published a study showing it is economically viable (not really surprising given the thousands of new homes being built in the area that was previously mainly rural when line was closed).

West Oxfordshire District Council has published the findings of an independent study exploring the potential benefits of reinstating a rail link between Carterton, Witney and Oxford.
The study was carried out by specialist consultants, Lichfields, and used national guidance to examine how the proposed Carterton-Witney-Oxford Rail Corridor (CWORC) could affect travel, the environment, housebuilding and the economy.
The study examines how a new railway line connecting Carterton, Witney and Eynsham to Oxford could help reduce congestion on the A40 in the context of road improvements alone not being enough to meet future travel demand. It concludes that investing in a more sustainable transport option, such as rail, would not only relieve pressure on the road network but also support population growth and help the district progress towards its net zero carbon targets.

Council publishes independent study that shows potential rail link from Carterton to Oxford is economically viable | West Oxfordshire District Council News

West Oxfordshire District Council has published the findings of an independent study exploring the potential benefits of reinstating a rail link between Carterton, Witney and Oxford.

news.westoxon.gov.uk

 

[Zomboid]

I included it because it wasn't a crayon creation purely of my own. Though how realistic a proposal it is I don't know.

If/ when the Cowley branch gets reopened then there will be the start of a local heavy rail system, and in a sensible world you'd be able to get a rail add on at least to the smart zone bus ticket.

 

[Falcon1200]

Seems you aren't only ones with crayons looking at Witney and Carterton

West Oxfordshire Council has published a study showing it is economically viable

Interesting interpretation of the words 'economically viable' by West Oxfordshire Council! Because that surely doesn't mean that income from fares will pay for, not re-opening or re-instating, but effectively building a new railway from Yarnton Junction to Witney, and then the operating costs of the service? It is a great pity that the Witney branch did not survive as a freight-only line, as per Cowley, but it is long gone and parts of the route, eg the B4449 Eynsham bypass section, no longer exist.

 

[Zomboid]

Interesting interpretation of the words 'economically viable' by West Oxfordshire Council! Because that surely doesn't mean that income from fares will pay for, not re-opening or re-instating, but effectively building a new railway from Yarnton Junction to Witney, and then the operating costs of the service? It is a great pity that the Witney branch did not survive as a freight-only line, as per Cowley, but it is long gone and parts of the route, eg the B4449 Eynsham bypass section, no longer exist.

The proposal is for an entirely new alignment which leaves the OWW further along than Yarnton, passes to the NW of Cassington and then pretty much follows the A40 between Eynsham and Witney.

Would probably be easier if the old route was still there, but since it's not and has been built on then the best approach is to forget about it and build something that fits with the world as it is now.

I doubt it'd pay for its construction, but the S1 bus from Carterton/ Witney to Oxford runs very frequently, which suggests that there is already a decent market for public transport in the area, and rail is likely to increase that since it appeals to people who would never consider a bus. So it might cover most of its operating costs, at least as well as any other route.

 

[Brubulus]

Seems you aren't only ones with crayons looking at Witney and Carterton

West Oxfordshire Council has published a study showing it is economically viable (not really surprising given the thousands of new homes being built in the area that was previously mainly rural when line was closed).

Council publishes independent study that shows potential rail link from Carterton to Oxford is economically viable | West Oxfordshire District Council News

West Oxfordshire District Council has published the findings of an independent study exploring the potential benefits of reinstating a rail link between Carterton, Witney and Oxford.

news.westoxon.gov.uk

Reinstatment is absolutely necessary, much like how some sort of rail link to Haverhill is needed (light or heavy), Cambridge and Oxford have both struggled with their large and far-away dormitory communities not having rail links to the city, leading to excruciatingly long commutes.

 

[Falcon1200]

I doubt it'd pay for its construction, but the S1 bus from Carterton/ Witney to Oxford runs very frequently, which suggests that there is already a decent market for public transport in the area, and rail is likely to increase that since it appeals to people who would never consider a bus. So it might cover most of its operating costs, at least as well as any other route.

Reinstatment is absolutely necessary,

Such new lines would indeed be wonderful, and useful, but the cost of construction would be so great that they will not happen.

 

[Zomboid]

Such new lines would indeed be wonderful, and useful, but the cost of construction would be so great that they will not happen.

I'm not holding my breath for it.
But it's probably a fair bit more reasonable than some of the other proposals floating around. It certainly beats Tweedbank to Carlisle!

 

[Falcon1200]

It certainly beats Tweedbank to Carlisle!

Can't argue with that!

 

[The exile]

Completely agree with this. I don’t like nor understand this new obsession with calling everything a Metro. The “Devon Metro” and upcoming “Cornwall Metro,” for example, will have hourly frequencies on multiple routes, for goodness’ sake.

It’s basically as we have yet to invent a word for “S-Bahn” (and of course because we don’t use the word Metro for either of our 2 urban underground systems- Tyne & Wear being more S-Bahn)