Towns with no station - where there could be...

[dickdarlington]

Not thinking of towns where there isn't any track. But for me, I've never been able to work out why Peterlee hasn't got a station. It's on the Durham coast line. It (well Horden) borders the railway yet it has never had a station. Surely the simple investment of a couple of platforms and a bridge, and a car park and so on would dramatically alter the commuting patterns of those who travel in to work to Sunderland and Teesside.

Can't think of any others off the top of my head.

 

[sprinterguy]

Horden did have a station, up until 1964. Peterlee was never very well placed for the Durham Coast line, as it was set back behind Horden and so that station served both Horden and Peterlee. You would think though that by this time, with the expansion of Peterlee new town towards the coast that thought would have been given to reopening a basic station there. That said, investment in the Durham coast route has been low ever since the local station closures in the mid sixties.

I can’t quite remember what the deal was with the lines “round the back” of Peterlee, running through Wingate. I know that some of the lines in this area were NCB freight lines, but I have a strong suspicion that not all of them were (there was the old Ryhope-Haswell-ECML line for a start). When I get back home later I’ll have a dig through a few old maps for confirmation.

 

[DarloRich]

I think the most recent RUS knocked back recent proposals becuase NR didnt think there was the demand for it

 

[richw]

I think the most recent RUS knocked back recent proposals becuase NR didnt think there was the demand for it

they wouldnt know a true demand without asking customers who are sat in the traffic jams etc each day,

 

[DarloRich]

that may be cover for "we cant afford it"!

 

[sprinterguy]

I think the most recent RUS knocked back recent proposals becuase NR didnt think there was the demand for it

It’s not at all surprising that such a conclusion was reached. The Durham Coast route has an exceptionally poor service frequency and slow journey times thanks to the complete lack of attention given to it for the last three decades (barring the introduction of Sprinters and Pacers), and towns on the route south of Sunderland lost out when the Sunderland Metro extension opened. It’s no wonder that Peterlee locals don’t feel inclined to use the train given the current situation.

At the very least reintroduce a Hartlepool to Metrocentre train to double the frequency through Hartlepool, Peterlee and Seaham to half hourly and then let Network Rail assess the benefit a station would bring. Although I am of course fully aware that there are insufficient trains available for this and insufficient paths available between Sunderland and Pelaw to allow anything to happen.

 

[Oracle]

Hythe and possibly Marchwood on the Fawley branch.

 

[imagination]

Wootton Bassett (used to have a station)

 

[142094]

I think the most recent RUS knocked back recent proposals becuase NR didnt think there was the demand for it

It is included in the Durham County Council LTP, and most probably will be in the one next year.

 

[W-on-Sea]

Corringham, Essex (between Stanford-le-Hope and Pitsea).

 

[PinzaC55]

Horden did have a station, up until 1964. Peterlee was never very well placed for the Durham Coast line, as it was set back behind Horden and so that station served both Horden and Peterlee. You would think though that by this time, with the expansion of Peterlee new town towards the coast that thought would have been given to reopening a basic station there. That said, investment in the Durham coast route has been low ever since the local station closures in the mid sixties.

I can’t quite remember what the deal was with the lines “round the back” of Peterlee, running through Wingate. I know that some of the lines in this area were NCB freight lines, but I have a strong suspicion that not all of them were (there was the old Ryhope-Haswell-ECML line for a start). When I get back home later I’ll have a dig through a few old maps for confirmation.

See my clipping from the Sunderland Echo from 1977 discussing the idea of reopening Horden station. Like everything else related to rail in the North East it was just hot air.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinzac55/5143791539/

Off the top of my head Ferryhill (Co Durham) and Badminton and Kenilworth stations surely deserve reopening.

 

[northwichcat]

Middlewich (Cheshire)
Rudheath (Cheshire): a village but a freight only line runs next to Gadbrook Park in Rudheath which is a major employment centre which includes the HQ for zavvi.com, Roberts Bakery and a regional Morrisons warehouse.
Baguley (Greater Manchester)
Cheadle (Greater Manchester)

 

[43167]

Ripon. Largest city without a railway station.

 

[cuccir]

S
Off the top of my head Ferryhill (Co Durham) ... surely deserve reopening.

At the moment though I'm not sure what service would stop there, the TPE Manchester > Newcastle would probably be the only one realistically that could be done, along with the handfull of Newcastle>Boro trains that pass through. I'm not sure it would be a popular or worthwhile addition to a long distance train.

It could form part of the possible re-opening of the Leamside Line, which would hopefully provide space for some sort of more regular local Newcastle > Middlesbrough service...

 

[142094]

It could form part of the possible re-opening of the Leamside Line, which would hopefully provide space for some sort of more regular local Newcastle > Middlesbrough service...

That is the most likely thing taht would make it viable to reopen the station, or you could have a stopping pattern such as like at Chester-le-Street with the odd TPE/XC service stopping during the day.

 

[4SRKT]

Wellington in Somerset looks like a big enough town to have a station. Also South Brent in Devon.

There's no station called Sodding Chipbury, but I suppose Yate is within that town.

 

[PinzaC55]

At the moment though I'm not sure what service would stop there, the TPE Manchester > Newcastle would probably be the only one realistically that could be done, along with the handfull of Newcastle>Boro trains that pass through. I'm not sure it would be a popular or worthwhile addition to a long distance train.

It could form part of the possible re-opening of the Leamside Line, which would hopefully provide space for some sort of more regular local Newcastle > Middlesbrough service...

Well CrossCountry trains stop at Chester-Le-Street, so there's no reason why they couldn't stop at Ferryhill. The station had a large catchment area including Sedgefield and Spennymoor and I see no reason why it shouldn't be as successful as say Bristol Parkway.
Croft Spa would be another useful candidate as it was one of those stations where the service was decimated until it was closed.

 

[Eric]

Leigh & Coalville to name just two.

 

[4SRKT]

Leigh & Coalville to name just two.

Coalville at a push could have one, but it'd mean reopening the line to passenger services. There's no line to reopen at Leigh so this would be a bit harder. The thread title is 'Towns with no station - where there could be....', i.e. the town is on an existing [passenger?] railway but the trains don't stop.

 

[dickdarlington]

Well CrossCountry trains stop at Chester-Le-Street, so there's no reason why they couldn't stop at Ferryhill. The station had a large catchment area including Sedgefield and Spennymoor and I see no reason why it shouldn't be as successful as say Bristol Parkway.
Croft Spa would be another useful candidate as it was one of those stations where the service was decimated until it was closed.

Although, I originally said that it was for towns never to have had a station, discussing reopening viable ones is definately where this thread should be going.

Ferryhill for me has potential. It would have to be like Chester Le Street, slow Newc to Boro, and the potential XC. Nothing else would be worthwhile. It wouldn't be used purely for the commuter customers either. There is no direct bus service from Ferryhill to Newcastle. You have to go to Durham and change. PLus it would take about 90 mins on the bus. Reopening the Leamside line (as nice as it would be) is a non starter in relation to this thread because it means relaying track etc.

 

[j0hn0]

Kenilworth is finally getting its station reinstated

 

[The Planner]

Kenilworth is finally getting its station reinstated

It is being looked at again by a study funded by warwickshire county council as far as I'm aware but nothing has been decided. It needs extra track for it to work.

 

[PinzaC55]

Although, I originally said that it was for towns never to have had a station, discussing reopening viable ones is definately where this thread should be going.

Ferryhill for me has potential. It would have to be like Chester Le Street, slow Newc to Boro, and the potential XC. Nothing else would be worthwhile. It wouldn't be used purely for the commuter customers either. There is no direct bus service from Ferryhill to Newcastle. You have to go to Durham and change. PLus it would take about 90 mins on the bus. Reopening the Leamside line (as nice as it would be) is a non starter in relation to this thread because it means relaying track etc.

Interestingly some years ago I needed to go to Darlo (from York) at a time when there were no trains so I decided to look up bus times....it was astonishing. There were only about 3 buses a day and they took about 3 hours!
As for Leamside, there are only small sections of track missing although arguably the bits which still have wooden sleepers would be shot to pieces and probably the bearing pads on the concrete sleepers. It wouldn't be difficult if they wanted to do it.
I don't suppose GNER/NXEC/EC/(whoever it is at the moment) would want to stop there but more fool them.

 

[Ivo]

called Sodding Chipbury, but I suppose Yate is within that town.

You mean Chipping Sodbury (which is more a partner of Yate than the other way round; Yate is the main centre).

As for locations that have no station? Most of the obvious ones were looked at in the Connecting Communities report last year. Of those not in the report, though, I would put forward a station in the eastern part of Cardiff; most of the city has local stations, so why not the Trowbridge area? Using the excuse that local trains don't go that way could be refuted using services to Taunton and Cheltenham, giving two an hour.

 

[4SRKT]

You mean Chipping Sodbury (which is more a partner of Yate than the other way round; Yate is the main centre).

It was no typo, just an excuse for a juvenile spoonerism.

 

[Deerfold]

Ripon. Largest city without a railway station.

And where are the rail lines near there?

 

[Philip Elliott]

Ilkeston, Derbsyhire - now has a 1/2 hourly service passing through it!

Also on the MML, Desborough, Burton Latimer, Irchester & Wigston Magna.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

On the note of 'Ferryhill could be like Chester-le-Street', I know that, from Eureka's May introduction, Chester-le-Street will cease to be an 'InterCity' station, as XC Reading-Newcastle stops will be replaced by TPE calling hourly on their Manchester Airport-Newcastle runs.

I think we've discussed this to death at times, but my favourites (for likely (re)opening) would be Parkway stations in the middle of nowhere, like the one proposed at Worcester to replace Shrub Hill (whose passenger figures have plummeted over recent years) with a vast Parkway station on the site of land where the Cotswold Line (between Worcester and Evesham) and XC Line (between Cheltenham and Bromsgrove) cross each other. Kenilworth, Ilkeston (in the heart of Toton's vast yard) and a station in the Edinburgh Airport region of Scotland (south of South Gyle, north of Haymarket IIRC), called something like Gongar look the most probable new stations within the foreseeable future.

I have seen tonnes of documents from NR's website about this topic, just can't remember where...

Probable schemes (at least before the spending cuts etc):
Alloa-Dunfermline, Pye Corner station (on the new Newport-Ebbw Vale Line curve), and not too much more...

 

[londonbridge]

It’s not at all surprising that such a conclusion was reached. The Durham Coast route has an exceptionally poor service frequency and slow journey times thanks to the complete lack of attention given to it for the last three decades (barring the introduction of Sprinters and Pacers), and towns on the route south of Sunderland lost out when the Sunderland Metro extension opened. It’s no wonder that Peterlee locals don’t feel inclined to use the train given the current situation.

At the very least reintroduce a Hartlepool to Metrocentre train to double the frequency through Hartlepool, Peterlee and Seaham to half hourly and then let Network Rail assess the benefit a station would bring. Although I am of course fully aware that there are insufficient trains available for this and insufficient paths available between Sunderland and Pelaw to allow anything to happen.

The slow journey times account for why,on a Saturday,if you take the 7.57 Grand Central from Kings X you arrive in Sunderland at roughly the same time as if you take the 8.00 East Coast to Newcastle and then the metro. On GC you invariably end up sitting outside Hartlepool for at least five-ten minutes waiting for a Northern train to come through.

 

[northwichcat]

Ripon. Largest city without a railway station.

That doesn't mean much when Ripon has a tenth of the population of Huddersfield, which is a town.

Ripon's not that different in size to the town of Middlewich that I mentioned.