Trivia: Largest Conurbation with open line but no station.

[thenorthern]

While looking at Peterlee on the map I always notice there is no station there despite the fact that there is an open line running right through the town with regular services.

It made me think though what is the largest Conurbation with a railway line running within 1/2 mile of it but there being no stations serving it.

So far the highest I have got is Peterlee with 30,000 with other high ones being Kenilworth 22,000 and Wellington (Somerset) 14,549. Washington may win it with 67,000 but I am not sure how close the East Coast mainline runs to the town.

The largest ever places with passing trains but no stations I would think are Telford (1986) 108,000+ Milton Keynes (1982) 123,000 both of which are new towns hence why it took so long to build stations there.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The largest ever places with passing trains but no stations I would think are Telford (1986) 108,000+ Milton Keynes (1982) 123,000 both of which are new towns hence why it took so long to build stations there.

Milton Keynes had 5 stations that were already there in the new town area - Bletchley, Wolverton, Fenny Stratford, Bow Brickhill and Woburn Sands. It now has 6 with the addition of MKC - but that doesn't mean it wasn't served from day one.

Neil

 

[Wolfie]

The largest ever places with passing trains but no stations I would think are Telford (1986) 108,000+ Milton Keynes (1982) 123,000 both of which are new towns hence why it took so long to build stations there.

As someone who originates from the area which is now Telford I have to say rubbish! Wellington (Salop) [aka Wellington Telford West] and Oakengates have been there for a VERY long time and fall within what is now Telford....

 

[Clip]

Theres a jolly good reason theres no station at Peterlee

But this was a previous thread on the subject at hand

 

[yorkie]

. Washington may win it with 67,000 but I am not sure how close the East Coast mainline runs to the town.

Given that you discounted stations such as Bletchley & Wolverton from serving Milton Keynes, then any ECML station west of Birtley (the station there was closed in 1955) would not be considered to be serving Washington by your definition, as the ECML is well over half a mile away from the centre of Washington.

Also, when you quote the population figures, does your figure of 180,000 for Milton Keynes in 1982 include the population of Bletchley and Wolverton? If so, that doesn't make sense to include the population of those areas as not being served by a station, so I'm very confused as to what it is your asking and what your criteria are.

 

[thenorthern]

Also, when you quote the population figures, does your figure of 180,000 for Milton Keynes in 1982 include the population of Bletchley and Wolverton? If so, that doesn't make sense to include the population of those areas as not being served by a station, so I'm very confused as to what it is your asking and what your criteria are.

I don't think it did include Bletchley and I am not sure if MK extended to Bletchley at that time.

The criteria is any Conurbation or Settlement including suburbs where there is an open line passing through regularly carrying passengers but there is no station serving the area but I would suggest 3-5 miles from the outskirts of the area. An Example of this is Peterlee where the Durham cost line passes through the town but the nearest station is Seaham 6 miles away. However Skelmersdale doesn't fit this criteria as although the Kirkby-Wigan line is close and there is no Skelmersdale station Upholland station is still very close so its hard to argue that Skelmersdale not served by any station.

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

Some towns that spring to my mind are:
Fleetwood and Skelmersdale.
Ilkeston and Swadlincote.
Ashington and Blyth.
Louth and Mablethorpe.
Guisborough and Stocksbridge.
Brixham and Tiverton.
Daventry and Rushden.
Galashiels and Grangemouth.

I am counting heritage and light rail as connecting towns.

 

[221129]

Some towns that spring to my mind are:

Brixham and Tiverton.


I am counting heritage and light rail as connecting towns.

There are no lines that run through (Or near these two) plus Tiverton has Tiverton Parkway.

 

[steamybrian]

Plympton has a population of about 30,000 but is a suburb of Plymouth.

Ilkeston has a population of approx. 37,000 and their station is now under construction

Basildon did not have a station until 1974 but the population has risen steadily over the years and I think now is approaching 100,000.

 

[Bevan Price]

There are no lines that run through (Or near these two) plus Tiverton has Tiverton Parkway.

Although it is something like 6 - 7 miles from Tiverton.

 

[DarloRich]

Milton Keynes had 5 stations that were already there in the new town area - Bletchley, Wolverton, Fenny Stratford, Bow Brickhill and Woburn Sands. It now has 6 with the addition of MKC - but that doesn't mean it wasn't served from day one.

Neil

Woburn Sands isn't in Milton Keynes

Theres a jolly good reason theres no station at Peterlee

It is a dump?

 

[ic250]

Newcastle-under-Lyme (75,000)? I have no idea why this station/branch isn't re-opened as the trackbed seems to be mostly still intact.

Or else, there's Gosport (85,000). Ashby-de-la-Zouch (13,000) is another one I can think of with no station, but the line trundles through. Madness that they don't re-open the line.

 

[muddythefish]

What's the population of Dudley ? Drove through the other day and it seems a decent sized town that ought to have a railway service..

Used to be on the Stourbridge - Wolverhampton line I think.

 

[plastictaffy]

Woburn Sands isn't in Milton Keynes

You sure? I checked, and found out it is........
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woburn_Sands

 

[muddythefish]

Some towns that spring to my mind are:

Daventry and Rushden.
.

Rushden was on a small branch line from Wellingborough to Higham Ferrers that lost its passenger service in the early 1960s I think.

The town is also close to the Midland main line and there has been a proposal to reopen Irchester station but like many other reopening plans it seems to have been kicked into the long grass.

 

[SussexMan]

Basildon did not have a station until 1974 but the population has risen steadily over the years and I think now is approaching 100,000.

Is that because Basildon didn't exist as a town? Laindon and Pitsea had stations and seeing there was no real housing in between the two that could account for the lack of a station.

 

[IanD]

Woburn Sands isn't in Milton Keynes

Half of it is and the station is in the half that's part of Milton Keynes.

 

[DarloRich]

You sure? I checked, and found out it is........
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woburn_Sands

Half of it is and the station is in the half that's part of Milton Keynes.

it is within the Borough of Milton Keynes but not within the town (they say city!) boundary.

It is a point of pedantry in any event

 

[IanD]

You sure? I checked, and found out it is........
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woburn_Sands

Wikipedia as accurate as ever.

 

[DarloRich]

Wikipedia as accurate as ever.

I will dig the OS out............

 

[IanD]

I will dig the OS out............

The MK boundary runs up the middle of Station Road for a short way so the Wethercock pub and Deep Blue fish shop or not in MK.

 

[thenorthern]

Although not a Settlement Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield has a railway line running past it and no station and so does Edinburgh Airport although with Robin Hood with low passenger numbers and a limited number of trains on the Doncaster to Lincoln line I can't see a station working at the moment.

As things stand though I don't think Peterlee or Washington are going to be beaten and I would say this is a consequence of being a new town. I remember back in the early 1980s in Livingston when the town was beginning to touch the Shotts line but Livingston South station didn't open until 1984 which at the time Livingston must have been one of the places that fitted this criteria.

 

[PeterC]

Is that because Basildon didn't exist as a town?

IIRC it was originally a policy decision not to have a station at Basildon despite the town centre being adjacent to the railway. I believe that the idea was that local people would have local jobs and they didn't want longer distance commuters taking the houses. I don't know about MK but I wouldn't be suprised if the same idea applied originally.

 

[adrock1976]

What's the population of Dudley ? Drove through the other day and it seems a decent sized town that ought to have a railway service..

Used to be on the Stourbridge - Wolverhampton line I think.

Dudley was on the Oxford, Worcester, & Wolverhampton Railway.

The OWWR still exists in parts today - the obvious operational sections being what's billed as the present day Cotswold Line from Oxford to Worcester, and from Worcester to Stourbridge Junction.

The route beyond Round Oak to Dudley, along with the South Staffordshire Railway from Dudley to Lichfield, was mothballed around 1993 when the Freightliner depot at Dudley closed. The West Midlands PTE (Centro) have aspirations to re-open the mothballed route to provide an alternative route for freight to avoid Birmingham and the Lickey Incline, and also to provide better public transport connectivity too amongst the regions. The passenger service may or may not be in the form of a light rail system i.e. extension of the present Midland Metro tram system.

In peace

Adam

 

[snowball]

I will dig the OS out............

Several websites have OS maps online.

 

[KeithP]

...there's Gosport (85,000).

Gosport has Portsmouth Harbour Station within half a mile of it's High Street, although perhaps not what most people would consider 'within walking distance'.

 

[Quakers Yard]

What about in south Wales...
Margam?
Nelson?

 

[Western Lord]

IIRC it was originally a policy decision not to have a station at Basildon despite the town centre being adjacent to the railway. I believe that the idea was that local people would have local jobs and they didn't want longer distance commuters taking the houses. I don't know about MK but I wouldn't be suprised if the same idea applied originally.

This is spot on. New Towns were designed to be self contained. You were supposed to live, work and play within the town and no consideration was given to commuting. Neither Basildon, nor Stevenage had stations until the 1970's (Stevenage was served by the old Stevenage station to the north of the new town). In Harlow, the original Harlow station became Harlow Mill and Burnt Mill station was rebuilt as Harlow Town although it was, and is, a lengthy hike uphill to the town centre. Similarly, Hemel Hempstead station is a long way from the New Town centre. In Scotland, East Kilbride , Cumbernauld and Glenrothes are all examples of how rail provision was well down the list of priorities in the design of New Towns.

 

[crehld]

Newcastle-under-Lyme (75,000)? I have no idea why this station/branch isn't re-opened as the trackbed seems to be mostly still intact..

Trackbed between Newcastle and Stoke-on-Trent (the sensible route) all but gone or built over. The line from Silverdale to the WCML is still in situ albeit very overgrown, but it's not a particularly useful route.

Gosport has Portsmouth Harbour Station within half a mile of it's High Street, although perhaps not what most people would consider 'within walking distance'.

Gosport ferry right outside Portsmouth Harbour and takes less than 5 minutes to cross the harbour. It's a shame there's no through ticketing - I imagine a lot people think it's better to travel up to Fareham and catch the train from there.

 

[W-on-Sea]

This is spot on. New Towns were designed to be self contained. You were supposed to live, work and play within the town and no consideration was given to commuting. Neither Basildon, nor Stevenage had stations until the 1970's (Stevenage was served by the old Stevenage station to the north of the new town). In Harlow, the original Harlow station became Harlow Mill and Burnt Mill station was rebuilt as Harlow Town although it was, and is, a lengthy hike uphill to the town centre. Similarly, Hemel Hempstead station is a long way from the New Town centre. In Scotland, East Kilbride , Cumbernauld and Glenrothes are all examples of how rail provision was well down the list of priorities in the design of New Towns.

Thanks - that's really interesting. I know all of these places (other than East Kilbride), and hadn't realised that there was a conscious intention behind the lack of convenience of rail access to these towns. (Skelmersdale too, now I think of it). Yet another black mark to place besides this kind of town planning that was associated with the new towns - - it seems particularly odd given that many of the initial residents would have been "decanted" (as today's terminology would put it) from larger cities 20-50 miles from them (ie London, Glasgow, Liverpool), and might reasonably be expected to still have relatives in them - a convenient railway station might have come in handy ..