Trivia: Railways that were proposed for closure but did not closed.

[Pinus contorta]

Blackpool North to Poulton was initially going to close but the council lobbied to have Blackpool Central closed as part of a redevelopment of the town centre.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Ashford- Ore

Reprieved, like some other lines, because it served a nuclear power station (Dungeness)

I can add Nottingham - Newark - Lincoln. Reprieved to maintain a connection to Lincoln when it was decided to close the Grantham - Lincoln line instead

 

[Kingston Dan]

North Berwick

 

[MP33]

My father had an Eastern Region timetable from 1974 and the Romford to Upminster shuttle was listed as being under review. Was this the round of closures that included Alston and Cambridge to St Ives, now the Busway?

 

[zwk500]

Are we allowed to be incredibly pedantic and suggest that Horsted Keynes never actually closed, but was instead handed over from one railway company to another? The BRPS started operating services into the station before BR withdrew it's own over the Ardingly line in 1963.

There's also an honourable mention to the entire Culver Junction-East Grinstead line which had to be re-opened after it's initial closure in 1955 as it was found to be against the original act of parliament authorising the line (and therefore had never legally closed in 1955, if I've understood the situation right). However it did very much close at the second attempt in 1958.

 

[YorksLad12]

Why were they so desperate to remove trains from Stratford-upon-Avon?

They had to go as they were Bard...

(My coat's already on, before you ask.)

 

[d9009alycidon]

I wonder whether the need to serve the MoD at Giffen was a factor in that decision, given that all the stations between Barrhead and Kilmarnock were closed (albeit three have since re-opened, two quite soon after closure) and the route is fairly steeply graded, compared to the Ayr main line ?

It would have been a closure decision with lots of implications, had the Beeching proposal gone ahead "by the book" then the diversions via the GSW during the WCML electrification would have been a lot more challenging due to track capacity between Central and Paisley, in fact the Dalry to Kilmarnock line didn't close until 22/10/1973 and was actually used for some Sunday WCML diversions. Then again I wonder if it had stayed open as the through passenger route from Glasgow to Kilmarnock would Dalry to Kilmarnock been wired as part of the Ayrshire Electrification?

 

[The Quincunx]

Stockport-Stalybridge - twice, I think.

 

[StretfordEnd96]

Yes play that one back when people talk about the Beeching cuts being sensible!

Bidston-Wrexham
Norwich-Sheringham
Oldham-Rochdale
Colchester-Sudbury

*Technically* that was eventually formally closed...in 2009 to become Metrolink (with the rest of the Oldham Loop)

I don't think it was Oldham-Rochdale set for closure - it was more specifically Shaw and Crompton to Rochdale (which included stations at New Hey and Milnrow)

GMPTE or something then stepped in and it was saved, in the early 70s, although this part of the line was singled (with Shaw acting as a terminus for alternate trains from Victoria - i.e. I think 1tph terminated at Shaw and 1tph continued to Rochdale, or similar)

Today's Metrolink configuration is something of a nod to these heavy rail days - today's Shaw and Crompton Metrolink stop hosts a bay platform, with half the trams terminating here and half continuing through New Hey and Milnrow to Rochdale.

Someone may wish to correct me but I don't think Oldham-Shaw was ever marked for closure.

 

[billio]

Liverpool to Southport, amazingly.

Along similar lines the Bury - Manchester electric line was proposed for closure by Beeching: now Metrolink. Bury - Rawtenstall clung on for a while but eventually closed.

 

[mike57]

Not listed in the Beeching report, but Hull - Scarborough was slated for closure in 1969 and escaped.

 

[Falcon1200]

Then again I wonder if it had stayed open as the through passenger route from Glasgow to Kilmarnock would Dalry to Kilmarnock been wired as part of the Ayrshire Electrification?

A good point, and I would think, with it not being a great distance, it might well have been electrified.

 

[Elecman]

Blackpool North to Poulton was initially going to close but the council lobbied to have Blackpool Central closed as part of a redevelopment of the town centre.

And it still hasn’t been redevloped beyond a scrappy car park

 

[Pinus contorta]

And it still hasn’t been redevloped beyond a scrappy car park

Slightly off thread... I walked along the road/ track bed from South to Central before Covid started and there was a patch where the platforms were still visible. I think there is a bingo hall or a casino on part of the site though.

 

[Rob F]

Radford Jct to Trowel Jct in the late 80s. Got as far as all trains being routed via Toton before the decision was reversed.

 

[Pinus contorta]

I think either or both of Wigan to Liverpool lines were proposed for closure in the 60's . Both still open. ( I was told that 40 odd years ago when I was about 6 year old. So can't remember which)

 

[A0wen]

Kettering to Corby was closed, reopened, closed again, reopened again. Unique?

Pedantically, the line never closed - Corby station closed, reopened, closed and reopened. The line through Corby stayed open throughout.

 

[Deafdoggie]

Blackpool North to Poulton was initially going to close but the council lobbied to have Blackpool Central closed as part of a redevelopment of the town centre.

And everyone who has dealt with Blackpool North staff since is very grateful!

 

[Djgr]

*Technically* that was eventually formally closed...in 2009 to become Metrolink (with the rest of the Oldham Loop)

And of course a small section no longer incorporated within Metrolink