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Next exciting reopening
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Train Maniac
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Bicester to Bedford (East West Rail) with construction starting in December
Bristol to Portishead is as good as confirmed
All year round services from Okehampton to Exeter (Not entirely sure if still definitely happening or not)
Bristol to Portishead is as good as confirmed
All year round services from Okehampton to Exeter (Not entirely sure if still definitely happening or not)
EWR and Okehampton would probably do me! A lot more than we hoped for 20 years back.
An alarm has just gone off in the admins room!Carmarthen to Aberystwyth
Glenn1969
Established Member
Hope Skipton to Colne will get greenlit eventually
It’s green already - lots of trees - and will stay that way.
HS2 isn’t really exciting in this way - too whizzy and modern
That’s a matter of opinion, and to me it’s more exciting then any other new railway in the country.
HS2 doesn't excite me that much because it won't take me anywhere I can't already go.
Now if they re-opened the lines to Fowey or Padstow, that would be very exciting as I have to get the bus currently. Keswick would be another one in a similar vein, or any of the South coast branches (Lyme Regis, Seaton, Swanage etc).
Now if they re-opened the lines to Fowey or Padstow, that would be very exciting as I have to get the bus currently. Keswick would be another one in a similar vein, or any of the South coast branches (Lyme Regis, Seaton, Swanage etc).
Glenn1969
Established Member
And Helston, Bideford, Bude, Ilfracombe, Launceston and Westward Ho!
Highlandspring
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Levenmouth or, at a push, Ellon.
johnnychips
Established Member
No. See post #11
randyrippley
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no, see #11
duffield
Established Member
I've learnt that it's not time to get excited about any re-opening until all** the contracts are awarded and the work is underway.
**Even though some contracts have been awarded and £billions spent it still looks highly likely HS2 will be cancelled, the relevant 'noises' are getting louder all the time and political situation looks very bad for this project.
**Even though some contracts have been awarded and £billions spent it still looks highly likely HS2 will be cancelled, the relevant 'noises' are getting louder all the time and political situation looks very bad for this project.
Swanage is already open, of course, with mainline connection.
Well, I suppose, but it's not that easy to get there on the train at present !
There's an argument that by building HS2 (especially with the talk of the UK being carbon neutral by 2050) that the case for more reopenings goes up as more people use rail for long distance travel and so rail becomes accepted as a more acceptable mode of travel for people to use.
Well, it would be a nice thought.
However, the much commented on doubling of passengers in recent years hasn't achieved much in that respect.
Reopenings, and new lines are indeed "exciting" as the OP says.
If you read railfuture website, they are a membership organisation, pushing for lots of reopenings.
What strikes me is if you read Network Rail RUS however you see that professional rail engineers are focused more on getting more efficiency from the existing network rather than extending it. It already goes most places it needs to go. And Network Rail have a pretty good idea of what needs to be done to do that, and in which order. Things like extra tracks, electrification, station remodelling, resignalling, and fly-overs. Lower than expected funding could set these projects back, but they'd still basically be done in the same order.
If you read railfuture website, they are a membership organisation, pushing for lots of reopenings.
What strikes me is if you read Network Rail RUS however you see that professional rail engineers are focused more on getting more efficiency from the existing network rather than extending it. It already goes most places it needs to go. And Network Rail have a pretty good idea of what needs to be done to do that, and in which order. Things like extra tracks, electrification, station remodelling, resignalling, and fly-overs. Lower than expected funding could set these projects back, but they'd still basically be done in the same order.
That's possibly down to needing to catch up on past investment & trying to keep pace with growth.
You also have to remember that it wasn't that long ago that things like zero growth franchises or back a bit further the thought of managed decline were part of the perception of the government for the railways. That's quite a massive cultural shift to where we are with HS2, East West Rail, Trans Pennies Upgrade, Northern Powerhouse Rail, etc.
And yet, the pace of reopenings remains glacial. Governnments are keen on providing warm words about such things, but rarely cough up the cash. I don't see HS2 making a ha'porth of difference to this situation.
Maybe HS2 will lead to a slew of reopenings. I'll believe it when I see it.
It must be lovely to be so certain of everything and be able to see into the future with such crystal clear clarity.
I hope you are wrong.
My bet from 2011 still stands...
And I'm still hoping to collect one day !
Well the bet was over 8 years ago with SELRAP, and for me to pay out needed the line open for traffic before 2030, so there’s 10 years, 6 months and 17 days to go. Not that I’m counting
(In any event, they didn’t take me up on it)
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