Idea for junction change on St Ives Branch

[Busaholic]

Adding yet another 2 trains an hour over the single line approaching Penzance doesn't seem like a good idea for reliability. Better to ensure the additional hourly local service on the main line always calls at Hayle, all day. With a more respectable local service, calls by some of the longer distance trains might be withdrawn. A distinctly local service alternating with the fasts could also call at Marazion and any new stations built en route to Truro. Carn Brea for instance.

It would cause havoc at the level crossing just to the east of Penzance depot - you can already have to wait there for a good five minutes after the barrier has gone down. A nearby crossing for pedestrians was closed, to the fury of many locals, when an old lady got killed a few years ago, despite previous decades of virtually trouble-free operation.

 

[Warwick]

Is it that badly sited? I’d certainly have quite happily used it to visit St Michael’s Mount by train from St Ives earlier this year - the walk is only about 15 minutes, and no doubt a taxi company could provide a service for people who won’t or can’t walk.

"Is it that badly sited?"
It must be because no-one used it. That's why the good Doctor had it closed. Much easier to get a bus from Penzance that'll drop punters off right in the centre of Marazion.

 

[The Ham]

"Is it that badly sited?"
It must be because no-one used it. That's why the good Doctor had it closed. Much easier to get a bus from Penzance that'll drop punters off right in the centre of Marazion.

This is possibly one of those stations where because of the change in the way things are that in the past it wasn't needed, however there could be a case for it if there was scope to have local trains call there.

There's quite a lot of people who would walk along the coast from Penzance and get the train back.

The car park there is well used by people so it's not insurmountable that a rail station would also be used.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was used as much to get to Penzance by those not wanting to park in Penzance as it was to get to St Michael's Bay.

 

[Warwick]

This is possibly one of those stations where because of the change in the way things are that in the past it wasn't needed, however there could be a case for it if there was scope to have local trains call there.

There's quite a lot of people who would walk along the coast from Penzance and get the train back.

The car park there is well used by people so it's not insurmountable that a rail station would also be used.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was used as much to get to Penzance by those not wanting to park in Penzance as it was to get to St Michael's Bay.

The changes from the past is that in days gone by people were prepared to walk. My mother-in-law used to walk from her house just off Penzance prom to church at Paul every Sunday morning (she fell out with the then vicar at St. Mary's in Pz).
The reason that the car park adjacent to the station at Marazion is well used is because it's convenient for the beach for people coming in from "around and about". If the station were to be rebuilt - only the remains of the "down" platform are still there plus the building Network Rail would be costing it as at least £10,000,000 - even though any number of local construction firms would do the job for half that. The people in those little homes that have been built on the down side close to where the camping coaches used to be might have something to say too.

 

[jj1314]

The people in those little homes that have been built on the down side close to where the camping coaches used to be might have something to say too.

Aren't they holiday lets? Could actually be quite a selling point. "Start your holiday in style abroad the Night Riviera sleeper, which will drop you right at the door at 07:45 on arrival day. We will greet you at the platform with fresh, local Cornish pastries...", etc.

Could also be of benefit for those heading to work at the ever-growing Long Rock Industrial Estate, not to mention the forthcoming Penzance Heliport. The area has changed enormously in the past 10 years, let alone since Beeching.

The station doesn't need much in the way of facilities. Stick a TVM near Jordan's Cafe, route passengers via the road bridge and stick a shelter on either platform. There are public toilets on-site, too.

 

[ainsworth74]

Stick a TVM near Jordan's Cafe

Wonder if this cafe would fancy being a third party retailer and therefore function as a ticket office as well as a cafe?

 

[DynamicSpirit]

The operational argument is very persuasive. A 30 minute interval service is currently possible with just one train. Very economic. Access to Hayle by road is hardly difficult though, straight in along the causeway from the A30 roundabout, and parking could be improved. Something really needs to be done about Hayle's atrocious train service which has some huge gaps. It's the only station in the far west of the county that gets such a rubbish service. Long distance trains all typically call at Redruth, Camborne and St Erth but only a few also call at Hayle. As once you're this far west long distance trains are providing much of the local service, this leaves Hayle with the short straw, not because it's an insignificant stop or because its station is poorly sited (it's extremely well sited in fact) but simply because it's too close to the next station which happens to be the junction for St Ives. Even many local trains from Bristol or Exeter miss out Hayle especially in that infamous three hour gap in the evening. If the branch had been built from Hayle in the first place, I would not have thought a station at St Erth would have survived the Beeching era. Maybe it would not even have been built.

Isn't the Plymouth-Penzance service going to 2tph later this year? If so, is it possible that will allow Hayle to get a much better service?

 

[MarkyT]

Isn't the Plymouth-Penzance service going to 2tph later this year? If so, is it possible that will allow Hayle to get a much better service?

I hope that will be the case. Having a distinct local service pattern as well as the longer distance trains holds out the hope of other stations en route opening such as Marazion and Carn Brea. It can't be expected that long distance services would be able to stop at these in addition to the current regular calls without some inconvenient skip-stop patterns being devised that could make certain local journeys practically impossible.

 

[Parallel]

I think a Marazion station would be fairly well used, at least in the summer months. The area is always very busy in summer, and may encourage more day trippers from places like Exeter or Plymouth. I would probably also use it myself. Getting a train to Penzance, waiting and then a bus journey adds extra time.