Closed Lines That Could Re-Open.

[yorksrob]

You are right.

Maybe though they could clean it up to run railtours on it?

I‘d settle for that compromise

 

[Whistler40145]

I very much doubt passenger trains will return to the Burton-on-Trent to Leicester freight line, due to subsidence, along with a lack of a curve at the Leicester end to avoid reversing.

 

[yorksrob]

I very much doubt passenger trains will return to the Burton-on-Trent to Leicester freight line, due to subsidence, along with a lack of a curve at the Leicester end to avoid reversing.

That‘s a shame. It‘s one that I genuinely would have thought might have a case. It‘s not as though the trains would be Deltics travelling at hundreds of miles an hour on it anyway so perhaps subsidense would just warrent a permanent speed restriction.

 

[Eagle]

Reopening Leicester to Burton very nearly happened. It was approved by BR in about 1991 (same time as the stations between Leicester and Loughborough reopened; the intention was for a Loughborough–Leicester–Burton–Derby service). Privatization intervened and it got lost down the cracks.

 

[Whistler40145]

AFAIK the subsidence is around Coalville, whether it would be financially viable to stabilise the line would then decide if the line reopened.

 

[yorksrob]

Someone needs to take the bold decision (the sort BR were able to take) to reopen and get it going again.

 

[The Planner]

If it was a serious proposition, then the councils, DfT and all sorts would be behind it, pushing it and it would appear in a HLOS, but it hasn't....

 

[The_Rail_WAy]

Yes I was a bit surprised that it's only about 50,000 though perhaps that's not so "smallish". I was asked recently what the largest "place" in UK never to have had league football. I came up with Weymouth as a possible but was told it was Weymouth's neighbour Poole.....unless anyone knows better?

Leigh, Greater Manchester.

Ironically, the largest town in UK not to have a railway station.

And even more ironic than that, the football club were called Leigh Railway Mechanics Institute.

Ahh ive got headache now - need some stress relief: "hmmm now where's me herbal tea??"

 

[Buttsy]

And even more ironic than that, the football club were called Leigh Railway Mechanics Institute.

The reason they were called that was down to a move to Leigh by Horwich Railway Mechanics Institute FC (Horwich RMI for short) because their ground was not up to standard to move through the leagues. They shared Leigh RLFC (now Centurions) ground upon their move.

More ironically, Bolton Wanders now play on the site of the RMI works in Horwich...

 

[quarella]

The Gaerwen-Amlwch branch, at least as far as Llangefni? Has the advantage that the track is still there, albeit very overgrown.

Seemed to go quiet when a certain Assembly member ceased to have responsibility for transport.

 

[yorksrob]

If it was a serious proposition, then the councils, DfT and all sorts would be behind it, pushing it and it would appear in a HLOS, but it hasn't....

Well, they must have been at the time to get BR involved.

Perhaps the current situation hasn't engendered a lot of confidence in partner organisations.

 

[Morgsie]

Camp Hill Lines in Birmingham

 

[Eagle]

Well those aren't closed. They're used regularly by freight and passenger trains.

 

[Philip Elliott]

Well, they must have been at the time to get BR involved.

Perhaps the current situation hasn't engendered a lot of confidence in partner organisations.

I believe it was Malcolm Rifkind, then SoS at the DoT (as it was then) who gave the 'green light' to the scheme only for Railtrack to be formed shortly after who immediately doubled the price. Various editions of the Leicester A-Z road map have shown the planned stations with 'open 1997' and 'open 2001' on them. In the past 20 years, the Tories have gained a complete strangehold on the county council and have reverted to type - money is used on road bypasses..... of villages the councillors live in...allegedly.

Or misappropriating expenses... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-16924147 and http://www.hinckleytimes.net/news-i...s-down-over-expenses-scandal-105367-31323968/

He has also come under attack for his expenses which included using public money to pay for a chauffeur to drive him to, among other things, his daughter’s wedding.

Leicester City Council are just as bad. Having once proposed re-opening much of the GCR in the city as a tram route they are now actively hostile to the idea as they don't want to lose the Great Central Way cycle route...despite having proposed two long sections to have been converted to roads.:roll:

North West Leicestershire District Council still want it to re-open but they have stopped pursuing it because they just don't have the money - only county or unitary authorities could ever afford it. Mr. Pickles certainly hasn't helped.

 

[Eagle]

Leicester City Council are just as bad. Having once proposed re-opening much of the GCR in the city as a tram route they are now actively hostile to the idea as they don't want to lose the Great Central Way cycle route...despite having proposed two long sections to have been converted to roads.:roll:

You can't fault their logic. Cyclists can still use the roads. :P:roll:

 

[yorksrob]

You can't fault their logic. Cyclists can still use the roads. :P:roll:

Surely by that logic, cyclists can still use tram routes (bearing in mind street running etc ).

 

[Eagle]

Only if they are indeed street running, and not non-street sections of tram lines as this would be (which are often ballasted like railway lines). Also not if there's a "trams only" sign of course.

 

[yorksrob]

Only if they are indeed street running, and not non-street sections of tram lines as this would be (which are often ballasted like railway lines). Also not if there's a "trams only" sign of course.

Theoretically, it should be possible to develop a previously tram only route as a available for bicycles.

But you never know these days!

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I've always wondered how viable Great Yarmouth-Lowestoft would be to reopen - I could imagine however that it would be dead from September-May. Another couple for me would be Penrith-Keswick and Fareham-Gosport.

Poole sounds about right (population of about 140,000 for the borough).

I believe that honour falls to the mighty Wakefield - 326,000 in their borough and the highest they've ever got is 2nd in the old Northern Premier.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Always hoping against hope for the reincarnation of the Wick and Lybster Light Railway.

 

[Tobbes]

I've always wondered how viable Great Yarmouth-Lowestoft would be to reopen - I could imagine however that it would be dead from September-May.

Not sure on that, MattE2010 - I can't imagine that the case for doing it would be that strong, especially as it would require a new crossing of Breydon Water (unless you could get a Connel Ferry style agreement to send trains over the new swing bridge).

I'd much prefer the reinstatement of the higher speed line via St Olaves....

Tobbes

 

[yorksrob]

I'm inclined to agree withh MattE2010. Yarmouth - Lowestoft serves a much larger population , and would have had more chance of developing a year round local traffic.

 

[AndyHudds]

Said this many times and I'll say it again, The Spen Valley line would be a good candidate for re-opening. The trackbed in intact as a cycle route with a only a small bit built over around the Low Moor area. Stations at Heckmondwike, Cleckheaton and Liversedge, build a curve in the Huddersfield direction to join the Wakefield line with and rejoin the line into the Wakefield line in the Wakefield direction. A revamped Ravensthorpe with platforms on the Wakefield line could give changes for Leeds and Dewsbury. Metro just seem indifferent to the idea.

 

[anthony263]

Mumbles to Swansea city Centre continuing to Fabian way serving the new university campus where they are also proposing to build a new student accomodation are in order to close down the current student housing in Hedrofoilen.

It will be most on street running through the SA1 development before passing through the site of Swansea Victoria station and the civic centre before running along the promenade past Singleton Hospital/Swansea University down to Blackpill and Oystermouth. A lot of the promenade is used by a cycleway however a single line with passing loops at Blackpill and West Cross should be able to be accomodated.

I am not sure if you would get planning permission to build a tramway up through the Clyne Valley as that is used as a cyleway now as well even though traffic frm Gowerton & Gorseinon is terrible and a railink is needed from the latter.

A link can also be built from the civic centre along the kingsway and high street station to Morriston Hospital via the Liberty Stadium which now that Swansea city are playing premiership football should start getting even busier

 

[swcovas]

I've always wondered how viable Great Yarmouth-Lowestoft would be to reopen - I could imagine however that it would be dead from September-May. Another couple for me would be Penrith-Keswick and Fareham-Gosport.



I believe that honour falls to the mighty Wakefield - 326,000 in their borough and the highest they've ever got is 2nd in the old Northern Premier.

But that's the borough's population.....the city itself is about 75,000. Poole still appears to be the largest. Much bigger than Leigh too.

 

[southern442]

Only if they are indeed street running, and not non-street sections of tram lines as this would be (which are often ballasted like railway lines). Also not if there's a "trams only" sign of course.

But in Cambridgeshire, there are the paths alongside the buses for cyclists to go on... surely the same concept could be used for tramways?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

But in Cambridgeshire, there are the paths alongside the buses for cyclists to go on... surely the same concept could be used for tramways?

On the subject of guided busways, is there any similar proposal to mirror that Cambridge path facility for cyclists on the TfGM Leigh Guided Busway project ?

 

[first_ade]

Another couple for me would be Penrith-Keswick and Fareham-Gosport. .

Farnham to gosport should have happened but its now a very expensive bus route

Penrith Keswick... Would that have the same use as the oxenholme-Windermere branch which is now going to be electrified?
It seems possible that the planning authority who have safeguarded the line might be in danger of scuppering the project?
http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/o...-penrith-rail-project-1.1027101?referrerPath=
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Farnham to gosport should have happened....

I love my iPad, correcting my typing and ruining geography... Should be Fareham of course


(There is a definite Surrey bias going on here from apple..... In trying to correct my msg this infernal device thinks the hants town is a spelling mistake, but loves its Surrey correction?)

 

[nw1]

Farnham to gosport should have happened but its now a very expensive bus route

Penrith Keswick... Would that have the same use as the oxenholme-Windermere branch which is now going to be electrified?

It would improve access to the northern Lake District which otherwise is a little difficult to get to. (e.g. Borrowdale would require the WCML then two buses). Also isn't Keswick itself big enough to merit a railway station for its own residents, as opposed to visitors?

I love my iPad, correcting my typing and ruining geography... Should be Fareham of course


(There is a definite Surrey bias going on here from apple..... In trying to correct my msg this infernal device thinks the hants town is a spelling mistake, but loves its Surrey correction?)

I'm guessing there's a Farnham in America, but no Fareham.
EDIT: confirmed by Wikipedia.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I would probably start with Totton-Hythe (maybe as far as Fawley) The track is still there as it is used by the Oil Refinery. I would suggest a Southampton Shuttle calling all stations between Southampton Central and Hythe. If a crossover could be installed at say Netley I would love this service to then run Netley-Hythe (again calling all Stations) which would make a proper little Southampton Metro and improve the service levels from Netley to Central. Traction would have to be diesel for the time being most probably 158s which SWT has already. So it would really just boil down to pathing, money for the new stations at Hythe and Marchwood and maybe for a crossover at Netley to allow trains to turn back.

What do people think?

I've heard this proposed before, would be definitely good if it happened as the Waterside area is well-populated yet has no train service. For Hythe to Southampton you have the ferry and the (indirect) bus however it's a pain to get anywhere further afield.

This could presumably be done relatively easily by integrating with the existing Chandlers Ford service? They could alter that to run Salisbury-Romsey-Eastleigh-Southampton-Fawley, calling all stations. Actually when they divert the Salisbury-Southampton section of this service via Eastleigh, it always has a better path on the main line anyway from the POV of providing good connections from Swaythling and St Denys and an even-interval service from St Denys.

The Netley idea is interesting too, though I've always quite liked the idea of 2 SWT locals an hour Southampton-Portsmouth, or at least Fareham.

How easy would Brockenhurst-Ringwood be? Most of the eastern end is either a cycle path or a road, though beyond the Burley area the track bed, while present, is in a bit of a state. I don't know what the western end of the route is like. It would mean closing lengths of cycle path but they could always be altered to run alongside. And is it feasible beyond Ringwood to Ferndown and back into Poole? ISTR some of that is a cycle path.

 

[first_ade]

Although it has been stated that its too difficult I wonder if the reinstatement of the connection from alresford to winchester really is that expensive/difficult? The alternative to the busy sw mainline would be good both for passengers and freight... Is suspect it's the connections into the city that cause the problem also I am not sure how the line negotiates the m3/a34?

Also as the a32 is so busy what about meon valley line or at least the southern part. And wasn't there a connection to bishops Waltham somehow?