GNER / GNWR website online

[Skimble19]

By all means, these proposals look great.. as for the parkways, well, this should explain it:

"Proposed parkway stations
A keystone of Alliance’s application is the
development of parkway stations, where
the company is set to make significant
investment averaging £2 million per
station.
The application lists stations at Thorne
South (close to the M18), Guide Bridge
(M60), Eccles (M602 and Manchester
Metrolink), Newton-le-Willows (M6/
M62), and Winsford (A556), but the key
one is probably King’s Langley, which is
almost directly underneath the M25 close
to Junction 20.
While, for example, a large percentage
of central London to central Manchester
journeys are made by rail, few north
London to central Manchester trips are -
they are largely on the M1/M6.
Car owners are increasingly reluctant to
take their cars into city centres (one-way
systems and limited, expensive parking).
Instead they will choose to use the
motorway, perhaps as far as the outskirts
of London or Manchester. Thus a parkway
at King’s Langley will be beneficial, and
create a new market for rail.
At its selected parkways, Alliance plans
not only to provide a proper car park, but
also improve facilities in the shape of ticket
offices, waiting rooms and real-time train
information as required. This investment
would be available to other train operators
at that station"

Source: http://www.alliancerail.co.uk/alliancerailarticle.pdf

 

[EWS 58038]

A good thing I think is that they are on Twitter and Facebook as well, so you can ask them questions without to much hassle.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

If there's the problem of the Welwyn Viaduct, send them via Cuffley?
Probably would have to do slow lines Euston-Keynes and Rugby-Stafford, but these are really exciting proposals
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Suddenly got an urge to type a massive essay about this:

1 - Isn't Mickefield Parkway East Leeds Parkway? There would be quite a big catchment area?
2 - When NR move to Milton Keynes, it wouldn't suprise me if MKC suddenly became a must-stop station, like Newcastle or Preston or Reading.
3 - The point of 'it'll be easier to go to Leeds/Carlisle/Preston and get on a Pendo/HST and be there in 2/3 hours': if this company can become a copy of WSMR (cheap walk-on, flat fares, superb 1st class service, nice trains, relaxed atmosphere, friendly staff) believe me they cold suceed.
4 - I take it Winsford/Kings Langley/Eccles etc Parkway is the samwe station with a new name?

Bring on 2014 - sounds cool - I'll defo use them from Preston

 

[YorkshireBear]

Look forward also to their stock, they will not be like pendilino's they want them with an engine seperate to carriges like a new HST.

some of them seem a bit hard to do, can't see without signaling and capacity improvement between retford sheffield and huddersfield there being much room for them on that route. The transpennine route though will become very valuable i think as FTPE are struggling

 

[142094]

1 - Isn't Mickefield Parkway East Leeds Parkway? There would be quite a big catchment area?

East Leeds Parkway is meant to be a seperate station in the Micklefield area, if it comes to fruition.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

East Leeds Parkway is meant to be a seperate station in the Micklefield area, if it comes to fruition.

Thought the building of East Leeds P was going to signify the closure of Micklefield ?

 

[hairyhandedfool]

I can't get over 'Guide Bridge Parkway', the 'car park' is nothing but the concreted over remains of platforms 3 and 4

Luxury!

Eccles Station carpark is where the station building and main road used to be (approx. 20 marked spaces, regularly 30 cars parked in it!) and Newton-Le-Willows doesn't even have a carpark!

The 'Parkway' stations are to be done up as part of the bid, or so the website says, which frankly can only be a good thing, if you've seen Eccles and Newton-Le-Willows, you wouldn't want a brand new intercity train being seen there!

Interesting that the picture of the trains on the website show an electric power car, even though it'd need to be diesel!

 

[cuccir]

Odd that they're not proposing to stop at Ravenglass in Cumbria - not the most important town I know but the only one up the west coast to be actually inside the Lake District. Call it 'Ravenglass West Lakes', put up posters in London advertising '4 hours to the Lake District' and surely you'd see some return on that?
---
Edit: and of course they could sell through tickets onto Ratty!

 

[142094]

Thought the building of East Leeds P was going to signify the closure of Micklefield ?

Never heard of that, thought it would be a seperate station with Micklefield still exisiting.

East Leeds Parkway

A new Park and Ride facility to the east of LeedsA new strategic Park & Ride facility including 500 parking spaces is proposed to the East of Leeds in Micklefield. The proposed parkway site is located to the west of the existing settlement adjacent to the A656 and close to the existing Micklefield station on the rail line that serves Selby, Hull and York.

The new facility will provide Improved connectivity within the Leeds city region and beyond.

Design work is currently ongoing with Network Rail and subject to the necessary approvals could be open by 2013.