Rural lines booming, says BBC report

[Shimbleshanks]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14580224


Makes you wonder whether other lines like Keswick-Penrith, Blaenau-Bala etc wouldn't be equally prosperous if Beeching hadn't got them...

[Dave Rowland]

Originally Posted by Shimbleshanks

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14580224


Makes you wonder whether other lines like Keswick-Penrith, Blaenau-Bala etc wouldn't be equally prosperous if Beeching hadn't got them...

it sure does. Especially since rural bus services are now being abandoned, leaving anyone without a car stuck at home. Time for a major rethink, I reckon.

[Belmont Road]

Entirely agree. Terrible traffic problems on the Keswick roads now, and virtually no usuable buses.

Might strengthen the case for the Fawley - Southampton line to be opened to passengers again

[Dave Rowland]

Originally Posted by Belmont Road

Entirely agree. Terrible traffic problems on the Keswick roads now, and virtually no usuable buses.

Might strengthen the case for the Fawley - Southampton line to be opened to passengers again

I mean all over the country; when the railways were closed in the 60s, they were REPLACED by 'bustitution'. Now, owing to cuts, and county councils withdrawing their subsidies, the sparce bus services which have struggled on are being whittled down to such a degree that the inhabitants in many locations previously served by rail, then bus, will have NO means of public transport whatsoever. In this age of supposedly trying to create a greener world, it seems that unless someone has at least one car, then it doesn't matter one fig what happens to them. We are TOLD how to save energy and resources by using public transport, which is then snatched away from us, or priced out of our reach. Those telling us how to live invariably drive cars, they're OK, the rest of us are not remotely important.
End of rant.
Yes, it would be good for the Fawley line to be reopened. And all the rest....

[wyvern]

county councils withdrawing their subsidies

I'm pretty certain the lines mentioned in the BBC report are all subsidised by the local councils to some degree.

Certainly Derbyshire County County has a strong interest in the Matlock Line since roadworks along the A6 through the Derwent Valley are almost impossible particularly as a it is a World Heritage Area. Businesses are happy for their rates to go towards it as it facilitates tourism.

Yes, it would be good for the Fawley line to be reopened. And all the rest....

What you need then is to start a "Friends of the Fawley Line" and look for public support particularly from local businesses and then get the council involved.

[Belmont Road]

Just a small point Dave, almost all of the replacement bus services in Beeching report failed in a relatively short space of time.

To be honest some Beeching closures were justified, similar things happened in France and Germany, but not on the Beeching savage scale though, and most of these corridors have been safeguarded for future transport use.

[Dave Rowland]

Originally Posted by wyvern

I'm pretty certain the lines mentioned in the BBC report are all subsidised by the local councils to some degree.

Certainly Derbyshire County County has a strong interest in the Matlock Line since roadworks along the A6 through the Derwent Valley are almost impossible particularly as a it is a World Heritage Area. Businesses are happy for their rates to go towards it as it facilitates tourism.

What you need then is to start a "Friends of the Fawley Line" and look for public support particularly from local businesses and then get the council involved.

While is said it would be good to see it reopened, it wouldn't actually do ME much good, except I'd no doubt travel over it a couple of times. I'm not likely to set up a group either. My local railway (Gosport to Fareham) was closed in 1953, and within the last three years ANY chance of a reopening has gone completely, despite a really appalling road traffic problem.
All reopenings, and, dare I say it, REBUILDING of lines can only be to the advantage of many.
However, as I pointed out, that don't matter one bit to those with the power to authorize/finance these things. 'Convenience' is a word perhaps best confined to the archives; I can see someone discovering it in a long-lost dictionary many years from now:
" 'Convenience' I wonder what THAT means?"
"It says here it means 'toilet facility'"

I think 'Toilet Facility' describes it very well....

[wyvern]

Originally Posted by Dave Rowland

All reopenings, and, dare I say it, REBUILDING of lines can only be to the advantage of many.
However, as I pointed out, that don't matter one bit to those with the power to authorize/finance these things.

If it was 1953 it was before Beeching

However to reopen any line, its not enough to say it would be a good idea. Enough people have to get together and make a case. Local authorities then have a a duty to consider it. Finally a TOC will be happy to run it if it can can make even a small profit.

As it happens, EMT are tickled pink with the Matlock Line. That's why they've given such support to the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway and Peak Rail.

However the Matlock Line had always been toddling along. Perhaps a better example would be the Robin Hood (Worksop) Line.

[Master Cutler]

Regarding the Robin Hood line, the general consensus in the North Notts area is that it would do more business if the Shirebrook to Ollerton branch was upgraded for passenger service.
The cost would not be excessive due to there still being existing coal traffic lines in situ.

[Belmont Road]

As I have said before on this forum. When I see Oxford Bletchley and the Woodhead route re-opened I think we shall see real progress, but not before