Mind you, the difficulty of extending the railway from Hythe to Fawley might make it viable for someone to start up a passenger ferry service from the new Calshot development to Southampton. If operated by the Hythe Ferry Company, they could use it to offset losses from the Soton - Hythe ferry and would mean no need to reinstate passenger rail service south of Hythe.
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Fawley branch: could the line reopen to passenger services?
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I doubt that will be sufficient population to support such a route if Hythe can only support a service with government funding.
The cheapest option for reopening the line would be terminating passenger services on the north side of West Street in Hythe. A station there would be adequate although not optimal for Hythe but it would allow space for a large car park. It would capture some of the market that "Hythe and Fawley Parkway". It would avoid building one station, replacing or rebuilding 3 level crossings and over 2 miles of track. The line could stay in situ from West Street to the oil refinery in case extra funding was found for a second phase.
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Romsey
Member
The Fawley branch was maintained to a high standard for the oil trains many of which were RA10. It will certainly need some repairs, but not a wholesale renewal which would completely stuff the economics. Likewise the signalling is suitable for passenger services, although it it described in the Sectional Appendix as a "Goods Line".
The LC refurbishment costs will start with converting Marchwood and School Lane to MCB OD or MCB CCTV as the current standards. School Lane retained manual gates due to its poor sighting and location next to a school. ( The other signalling cost will be adapting the interlocking for main signal aspects in and out of Southampton Central platform 5.) Some of the ahb crossings are close to housing and there isn't room to build overbridges with nice gentle ramps and footpaths wide enough for assault grade baby buggies!
The idea of a fast ferry from the Fawley development has some merit, but I understand that most of the channels to Fawley and Ashlett Creek are shallow and meandering. It would take nearly as long as the Red Jets Between Southampton and West Cowes which take 22/23 minutes so say 20 minutes allowing for slow speed pottering up and down Ashlett Creek.
The LC refurbishment costs will start with converting Marchwood and School Lane to MCB OD or MCB CCTV as the current standards. School Lane retained manual gates due to its poor sighting and location next to a school. ( The other signalling cost will be adapting the interlocking for main signal aspects in and out of Southampton Central platform 5.) Some of the ahb crossings are close to housing and there isn't room to build overbridges with nice gentle ramps and footpaths wide enough for assault grade baby buggies!
The idea of a fast ferry from the Fawley development has some merit, but I understand that most of the channels to Fawley and Ashlett Creek are shallow and meandering. It would take nearly as long as the Red Jets Between Southampton and West Cowes which take 22/23 minutes so say 20 minutes allowing for slow speed pottering up and down Ashlett Creek.
Romsey
Member
The thought of one of those hovercraft sliding sideways towards the Fawley marine terminal is a bit alarming......
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Also no obvious location for landing in Southampton. And if the economics of running a ferry to Hythe are borderline, a hovercraft to Fawley has no chance!
All in all this doesn’t sound like it’s going to survive first contact with a realistic scope and costing appraisal!
A P&R station to the west of Hythe would be in the National Park so good luck with that!
Just spend the money on better bus services feeding the ferry!
A P&R station to the west of Hythe would be in the National Park so good luck with that!
Just spend the money on better bus services feeding the ferry!
Romsey
Member
The slipway that was used in Southampton in the early 1970's is still in-situ used by a rowing club. I suspect the slipways for the former floating bridge downstream would be too narrow.
Thread re-opened
It would appear there is another test train tomorrow down the Fawley line.
www.realtimetrains.co.uk
Realtime Trains - 1Z21 1005 Southampton Central to Southampton Central
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D6130
Established Member
Let's hope that the 159's paintwork isn't too badly damaged by all the overhanging vegetation!
It would appear there is another test train tomorrow down the Fawley line.
Realtime Trains - 1Z21 1005 Southampton Central to Southampton Central
Realtime Trains provides live realtime running information for the Great British railway network using open data.
Looks like this has run today.
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