National Infrastructure Strategy

[swt_passenger]

It's interesting that Ferryhill Station is described as "New Station at Ferryhill, Ferryhill - Stockton-on-Tees", does this mean that any new station would be on the Stillington line and not the ECML? Would it be a terminus station? And how would a Ferryhill station tie-in with the NPR/Transport for the North announcement regarding re-opening Leamside.

I’d have thought the logical thing through there is to use the four track corridor between Ferryhill and Tursdale Junction in “paired by use” mode, with ECML and Stillington <> Leamside on separate tracks, with platforms only on what would be the new route...

 

[theironroad]

The higher speeds would need a costly Safety Case, which, as I understand it, is why the Swanage Railway has not gone down that road. Perhaps the DfT and SWR could bear the major part of the cost with the Swanage chipping in as they will also benefit. Get the up bay at Wareham reopened for a steam shuttle from Swanage to Wareham. SWR services would have to be 158s at the moment - not sure if they are cleared for passenger use up from Wareham.

Certainly ok for ECS. Now you mention it, not sure about passenger service. Think a 159 did run from Waterloo to Swanage via via Bournemouth a few years ago as a charter but can't recall where it stopped.

Only issue station wise might be Poole due to curvature of platforms and size of platform to train gap.

Can't see it happening realistically though.

 

[camflyer]

What are the plans for Sunderland, as £16m has been provided "to redevelop Sunderland Central Station"?

Looks like a new station concourse and car park.

New Sunderland Railway Station a Step Closer to Being Built - Sunderland Magazine

Sunderland’s plans for a first-class railway station have moved a step closer to becoming reality.

sunderlandmagazine.com

The decision to include the plans in the bid was made by the North East Joint Transport Committee yesterday afternoon during a meeting at South Shields Town Hall.

It is estimated that the new station concourse would cost £14 million and the carpark £5 million. The committee will ask the Transforming Cities Fund for £12.6 million toward the concourse and £4.5 million towards the carpark.

In the grand scheme of things, £16m doesn't buy you a lot of redevelopment so calling it "first class" station is surely wishful thinking.

 

[Mikey C]

Looks like a new station concourse and car park.

New Sunderland Railway Station a Step Closer to Being Built - Sunderland Magazine

Sunderland’s plans for a first-class railway station have moved a step closer to becoming reality.

sunderlandmagazine.com

In the grand scheme of things, £16m doesn't buy you a lot of redevelopment so calling it "first class" station is surely wishful thinking.

Agreed, it's a pretty minor scheme really, considering the size of Sunderland and the uninspiring current station!

 

[Bald Rick]

Stratford - Honeybourne is going to need a tunnel under the A4390 presumably.

There is discussion on the subject, possibly in the ‘next 50 bids’ thread. The campaign group seem to think its cheap and easy, who appear to be relying on an old study that was done without any proper surveys, and has several very significant caveats. As ever in life, anything described as cheap and easy usually turns out to be trouble.

 

[Horizon22]

There is discussion on the subject, possibly in the ‘next 50 bids’ thread. The campaign group seem to think its cheap and easy, who appear to be relying on an old study that was done without any proper surveys, and has several very significant caveats. As ever in life, anything described as cheap and easy usually turns out to be trouble.

I mean the rest of the route seems to be fairly cheap and easy, but this part is a substantial stumbling block. I did mention this before - and a few others where a cursory look at any satellite imagery tells you there will be problems - so it was probably that thread.

 

[JamesT]

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/18895151.160m-bid-oxford-station-railway-upgrades/ suggested that the Chancellor's statement could have contained something about upgrades that might have included Oxford Station. As I've not seen anything about this, has that been postponed to a later date or did it get dropped?

To begin improvements on the railways across the county, the Growth Board heard, Oxford station’s train tracks need an upgrade.

The Growth Board, which is made up of the leaders of Oxfordshire’s different councils and representatives of local businesses, agreed to write to the Government, pressuring it to pay out for the upgrades.

The report said: “The Chancellor of the Exchequer is expected to make a decision on the Network Rail’s Phase 2 investment bid shortly, either as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review announcement on November 25 or in early 2021.”

 

[swt_passenger]

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/18895151.160m-bid-oxford-station-railway-upgrades/ suggested that the Chancellor's statement could have contained something about upgrades that might have included Oxford Station. As I've not seen anything about this, has that been postponed to a later date or did it get dropped?

Probably newspaper confusion? An Oxford station rebuild seems far beyond what these various funds are all about.

 

[Railwaysceptic]

Agreed, it's a pretty minor scheme really, considering the size of Sunderland and the uninspiring current station!

I thought the usual complaint about Sunderland Station was concerning the sub-surface platforms and diesel fumes, not the concourse. Are the problems with the platforms and the air quality being addressed?