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New station at Cranbrook (Devon) ...Now open

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bluenoxid

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This Summer (between June and September). They are having issues with a major sewer running through the site and the railway signalling system.
 

Kite159

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Went pass the site of the new station on Sunday, looks like the platforms have been built with a little waiting shelter having been installed.
 

Romilly

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To clarify for those from the SE rather than the SW, this is Cranbrook near Exeter and not Cranbrook in Kent.
 

yorkie

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To clarify for those from the SE rather than the SW, this is Cranbrook near Exeter and not Cranbrook in Kent.
I've amended the title accordingly. Cranbrook (Kent) is the bigger place and I'd have had no idea this other Cranbrook existed or was in Devon!
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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I've amended the title accordingly. Cranbrook (Kent) is the bigger place and I'd have had no idea this other Cranbrook existed or was in Devon!

I thank you for clarifying matters for Romilly but to be fair, to the best of my knowledge, there has not been any plans to reopen the Hawkhurst branch line in Kent where the Cranbrook station there was closed some 54 years ago on 12th June 1961 was situated.

There were two new station openings in Devon there were commonly known to take place in 2015. The one at Newcourt in the line to Exmouth has now opened and the one at Cranbrook, situated between Whimple and Pinhoe, was the other one and was the subject of my thread.
 

HowardGWR

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It's planned to have 15,000 houses built there over the next decade - it'll be bigger soon enough!;)

It's good news for the redoubling to Honiton, as the development will hasten the day when an all day half hour frequency will be required along that stretch.
 

fgwrich

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It's good news for the redoubling to Honiton, as the development will hasten the day when an all day half hour frequency will be required along that stretch.

Am I right in thinking that the addition of Cranbrook to East Devon another key player in the addition of a Honiton/Axminster service to the Devon Metro Phase 2, creating a Axminster or Honiton All stops service to Okehampton or Barnstaple while allowing the SWT's to be sped up a little with the removal of some stops like Pinhoe or Whimple?
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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Am I right in thinking that the addition of Cranbrook to East Devon another key player in the addition of a Honiton/Axminster service to the Devon Metro Phase 2, creating a Axminster or Honiton All stops service to Okehampton or Barnstaple while allowing the SWT's to be sped up a little with the removal of some stops like Pinhoe or Whimple?

What officially produced information shows the intended removal of either the existing stations of either Pinhoe or Whimple...or have I misread your posting?
 

455driver

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Am I right in thinking that the addition of Cranbrook to East Devon another key player in the addition of a Honiton/Axminster service to the Devon Metro Phase 2, creating a Axminster or Honiton All stops service to Okehampton or Barnstaple while allowing the SWT's to be sped up a little with the removal of some stops like Pinhoe or Whimple?

As the SWT services already sit at Exeter for 40 minutes before returning why would they want to speed them up, the few minutes saved wouldn't make any difference?
 

fgwrich

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Fair enough, I just had a feeling that any double tracking, combined with line speed improvements and an all stops service would have allowed SWT to remove some of the stops from some of its services - I know some already stop / skip stations such as Feniton / Whimple or Pinhoe.
 

fairysdad

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What officially produced information shows the intended removal of either the existing stations of either Pinhoe or Whimple...or have I misread your posting?
I think you misread: it was removal of stops not stations that was said, ie, the SWT services from Waterloo to Exeter not stopping at Pinhoe and Wimple, with trains on a new Axminster or Honiton to Barnstaple service (presumably run by FGW) taking on these stations instead. That's how I read it anyway.

Then again, I've not seen any documentation to that effect either!
 

Rapidash

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EAST Devon’s latest railway station is taking shape with the platform and shelters now in place along with the access road and car parks.

Cranbrook is the growing new town near Clyst Honiton which will eventually have 15,000 residents say planners. However the promised railway station is more than a year behind schedule although it is expected to open this year.

Express and Error

Hope that helps, Paul!
 

Martin_1981

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I think you misread: it was removal of stops not stations that was said, ie, the SWT services from Waterloo to Exeter not stopping at Pinhoe and Wimple, with trains on a new Axminster or Honiton to Barnstaple service (presumably run by FGW) taking on these stations instead. That's how I read it anyway.

Then again, I've not seen any documentation to that effect either!

As I understand it, the intention is for an hourly all stations Exeter-Axminster service to supplement the Exeter-Waterloo service, giving Cranbrook, Honiton and Axminster effectively a half hourly service to Exeter, while Whimple, Pinhoe and Feniton will then have at least one train every hour instead of alternate stops every 2 hours. Won't be for a while yet though.
 
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HowardGWR

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As I understand it, the intention is for an hourly all stations Exeter-Axminster service to supplement the Exeter-Waterloo service, giving Cranbrook, Honiton and Axminster effectively a half hourly service to Exeter, while Whimple, Pinhoe and Feniton will then have at least one train every hour instead of alternate stops every 2 hours. Won't be for a while yet though.

Is such not planned for the 'rush hours'* by this December?

* a difficult concept to grasp down here.
 

Martin_1981

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Is such not planned for the 'rush hours'* by this December?

* a difficult concept to grasp down here.

I think there are a couple of additional services in the rush hour from December between Exeter and Honiton/Axminster, as well as an additional service from Yeovil Pen Mill to Exeter in the afternoon.
 

Martin_1981

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I have heard on the grapevine that the opening of Cranbrook station has yet again been delayed, this time to late October/Early November. Whilst the construction of the station is nearing completion, I have heard that Network Rail have still not done the necessary alterations to the track height and signalling. The raising of the track was due to be carried out this month, but allegedly the tamping machine to be used for this has been needed in the South East to repair buckled rails. It has been said that there is only one tamping machine in the UK of this kind-surely this can't be the case?
 

fgwrich

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I have heard on the grapevine that the opening of Cranbrook station has yet again been delayed, this time to late October/Early November. Whilst the construction of the station is nearing completion, I have heard that Network Rail have still not done the necessary alterations to the track height and signalling. The raising of the track was due to be carried out this month, but allegedly the tamping machine to be used for this has been needed in the South East to repair buckled rails. It has been said that there is only one tamping machine in the UK of this kind-surely this can't be the case?

I wonder if there talking about using Network Rails HBOC for that job then?
 

Martin_1981

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Is sometime in October or November 2015 still the latest hoped-for time period for the opening of Cranbrook station?

That is the latest I heard last week on my community Facebook page. I just don't think Network Rail are committing themselves to anything. Frustrating thing is the station which is 18 months overdue has almost been constructed, and now we hear Network Rail still have work to do. God knows why this work has not been done sooner in readiness for the station opening is beyond me. And when October comes, no doubt we will have the first bout of stormy weather i.e. floods, gales, etc which will cause damage elsewhere on the network and push the station back for about the millionth time to 'sometime next year'. Because it's the South West and not the South East, they don't give a toss.
 

D1009

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I wasn't aware any signalling alterations were needed as the timetable which has been in force since December has allowed time for the stops to be inserted. The only thing I can think of is alterations to the equipment to activate the nearby Crannaford AHB crossing.
 
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