Government Seeking Ways to Reverse Some Beeching Cuts.

[yorksrob]

An interesting announcement on the Today programme that the Government is looking at possible ways to reverse some of the Beeching Cuts, noting that the railways are a good way to get people to employment.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42157853

...some rail routes lost under Richard Beeching in the 1960s and British Rail in the 1970s could be restored.

Some 4,000 miles of track was closed in the 1960s, mainly in rural areas, which became known as the Beeching cuts.

Mr Grayling said rail lines would be re-opened if they unlock jobs, encourage house building, ease congestion and offer "value for money".

Work on the Oxford to Cambridge route starts next summer, and plans to re-open routes around Bristol, Birmingham, Exeter and the North East are being considered....

Labour is pointing out that there is no funding as such. Gmt is said to be asking Councils for ideas on which routes to open and ways to reopen.

It certainly seems to be a welcome change in the direction of rhetoric from the past fifty years. I hope that Mr Stride, the member for mid-Devon (I think) will be bending Mr Graylings ear regarding the mid-Devon route.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Well, if they are going to keep the workforce immobile by only relieving stamp duty on first homes then they need to make it easier to commute, I suppose...

 

[deltic]

Given huge cost escalations on east-west rail leading to massive descoping and Watford Met extension leading it to be dropped this is a classic case of raise people's expectations before crushing them in a few years time having spent a few million on yet more feasibility studies.

 

[yorksrob]

Given huge cost escalations on east-west rail leading to massive descoping and Watford Met extension leading it to be dropped this is a classic case of raise people's expectations before crushing them in a few years time having spent a few million on yet more feasibility studies.

Yes, there is that danger. I still hope (and believe) that Portishead will be completed and if anything does happen, Tavistock and Wisbech must be shoe-ins.

I suppose my hope is that as Gmts seem to be able to find funding for infrastructure projects (including George Osborne fairly recently) some of these may be included in the next lot.

 

[83G/84D]

Also mentioned was the proposal to split the GWR franchise with high speed and local services run by separate TOC's.

Not a new idea but being considered.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Also mentioned was the proposal to split the GWR franchise with high speed and local services run by separate TOC's.

Not a new idea but being considered.

An extremely silly idea. As it is it works rather well.

What he wants is not an operational thing. What he wants is to quietly farm funding for branch lines off to local authorities, who can then cut them without damaging his reputation.

With no national authority paying, "nichts bestellt" (nothing ordered) is rather more common in Germany.

 

[Ash Bridge]

Grayling is on Breakfast TV at the moment,when questioned about reopening he mentioned both Henbury and Portishead.

 

[deltic]

Schemes mentioned in the DfT documentation are usual suspects
Bristol to Portishead
Bristol to Henbury
Exeter to Okehampton
Bere Alston to Tavistock
Ashington-Blyth-Tyne
opportunities around Birmingham (no details given)
four new stations in the West Yorkshire area: Elland, Thorpe Park, White Rose and Leeds Bradford International Airport Parkway.

And that seems to be it

 

[delt1c]

This is the goverment that is cutting back investment, talk is cheap. Until I see positive action in the form of reinstatment works being carried out i will not believe it.

 

[yorksrob]

An extremely silly idea. As it is it works rather well.

What he wants is not an operational thing. What he wants is to quietly farm funding for branch lines off to local authorities, who can then cut them without damaging his reputation.

With no national authority paying, "nichts bestellt" (nothing ordered) is rather more common in Germany.

Yes, this one keeps cropping up. Given the branchline services in Cornwall seem to be one of the parts of the National network that are working particularly well, this is definitely better left unchanged.

Local Authorities need a stronger role specifying local services, but mustn't be left carrying the funding can.

 

[KashmireHawker]

Other bits in this very packed announcement include (see in full here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/strategic-vision-for-rail):

• Current Great Western Franchise to be extended until 2022, providing FirstGroup can come up with a satisfactory plan: Separate article can be seen here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-future-of-the-great-western-franchise
• East Coast to be slowly replaced by "The East Coast Partnership"
• East Coast, South Eastern and East Midlands all to be run be joint management teams (Latter 2 at start of new franchises)
• And finally, South Eastern's ITT has been released, which includes a requirement to remove ALL First Class accommodation and piloting a "Pay As You Go" Ticketing system- more can be seen here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/better-journeys-for-south-eastern-rail-passengers

Various threads will be needed for these separate stuff!

 

[yorksrob]

Schemes mentioned in the DfT documentation are usual suspects
Bristol to Portishead
Bristol to Henbury
Exeter to Okehampton
Bere Alston to Tavistock
Ashington-Blyth-Tyne
opportunities around Birmingham (no details given)
four new stations in the West Yorkshire area: Elland, Thorpe Park, White Rose and Leeds Bradford International Airport Parkway.

And that seems to be it

Schemes mentioned in the DfT documentation are usual suspects
Bristol to Portishead
Bristol to Henbury
Exeter to Okehampton
Bere Alston to Tavistock
Ashington-Blyth-Tyne
opportunities around Birmingham (no details given)
four new stations in the West Yorkshire area: Elland, Thorpe Park, White Rose and Leeds Bradford International Airport Parkway.

And that seems to be it

Well, any movement on these would be welcome.

Exeter to Okehampton and Plymourh to Tavistock. Go on Mr Grayling, carry on right through. You know it makes sense !

 

[83G/84D]

An extremely silly idea. As it is it works rather well.

What he wants is not an operational thing. What he wants is to quietly farm funding for branch lines off to local authorities, who can then cut them without damaging his reputation.

With no national authority paying, "nichts bestellt" (nothing ordered) is rather more common in Germany.

Grayling is on Breakfast TV at the moment,when questioned about reopening he mentioned both Henbury and Portishead.

Agree GWR has it's issues but splitting up the franchise? Not sure that is the right way to go.

Grayling interviewed on BBC breakfast was an anticlimax.

Not much talk about railways before the subject moved on to brexit.

Guess the railways aren't "sexy" or worth further discussion!

 

[Scotrail84]

Woodhead route, the remainder of the borders line, Cowdenbeath to Perth, that line that runs from Northallerton to redmire, that could open right through again.

 

[Malakriss]

Woodhead route, the remainder of the borders line, Cowdenbeath to Perth, that line that runs from Northallerton to redmire, that could open right through again.

I was thinking Woodhead but it's now mostly the Trans Pennine Trail, would be a lot of effort to uproot all that. Would be fantastic to reconnect more rural parts of South Yorkshire with Manchester though

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Still, the crazy White Rose Centre station proposal won't die...

More quarts being squeezed into pint-pots on North TPE then.

 

[whhistle]

But no mention of the Leicester to Burton line... again.

 

[YorkshireBear]

And now comes the main thing.

Plan is for the ECML to be handed over to a public private partnership for one company to maintain the railway and run the trains. Although details seem vague and sketchy and it might simply be Virgin having far more say in Network Rail's maintenance and renewals strategy.

 

[bnsf734]

And splitting the Thameslink/Southern/Great Northern franchise back into its component parts.....

 

[YorkshireBear]

And splitting the Thameslink/Southern/Great Northern franchise back into its component parts.....

Hardly suprising that franchise always seemed too big.

 

[A0wen]

Many of the routes which people on these boards keep pining for won't be reopening any time soon.

It will be routes which improve connectivity into major centres of employment - so forget many of the long semi-rural cross country services.

The branches around Bristol are a case in point - the track is largely there, getting people into and out of Bristol provides the link to jobs. There will be other lines like that.

What won't make the grade are routes like Woodhead, S&D, Peterborough - Northampton or Peterborough - Rugby, S&MJR, M&GNR.

 

[Julia]

Yes, there is that danger. I still hope (and believe) that Portishead will be completed and if anything does happen, Tavistock and Wisbech must be shoe-ins.

Except that Cambs County Council now want to sever the path of the Wisbech line with a road and new development. https://wisbechrail.org.uk/2017/11/16/wisbech-access-strategy-consultation/

...By linking Boleness Road and New Bridge Lane, the new road will permanently cut the railway line in this location. This means that it will not be possible for the Wisbech Rail Line and the new railway station to be north of the A47. The new station will have to be south of the A47, probably in the Redmoor Lane area...

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Looks like a major revamp of Cross Country is on the cards for 2019, with possible new destinations.
Looks like the Birmingham Moor St upgrade is still on.
GWR being extended to 2020 and very likely 2022 by direct award, before the likely split into two.
The "Devon/Cornwall" franchise is far more than that, it's basically anything served off the B&H and extending back to Paddington.
"West London Line" probably going to TfL after TSGN is split - does that turn Milton Keynes-Croydon over to London Overground?
Otherwise the emphasis is on closer TOC/NR working, with single management.
Rather surprised the West Coast ITT isn't out as promised. The franchise schedule hasn't been updated (yet).

 

[sprinterguy]

I was thinking Woodhead but it's now mostly the Trans Pennine Trail, would be a lot of effort to uproot all that. Would be fantastic to reconnect more rural parts of South Yorkshire with Manchester though

That the National Grid own and occupy all three of the Woodhead tunnels would seem to be a much bigger showstopper than reacquiring the recreational pedestrian route either side. Plus I have difficulty envisaging what additional demand it would serve in the modern day.

Woodhead route, the remainder of the borders line, Cowdenbeath to Perth, that line that runs from Northallerton to redmire, that could open right through again.

A vague reference to "that line that runs from Northallerton to Redmire" clearly a national case for reopening, then. Not sure what sort of additional traffic, passenger or freight, a reopened Borders railway to Carlisle would generate or support, either.

Many of the routes which people on these boards keep pining for won't be reopening any time soon.

It will be routes which improve connectivity into major centres of employment - so forget many of the long semi-rural cross country services.

The branches around Bristol are a case in point - the track is largely there, getting people into and out of Bristol provides the link to jobs. There will be other lines like that.

What won't make the grade are routes like Woodhead, S&D, Peterborough - Northampton or Peterborough - Rugby, S&MJR, M&GNR.

Hear hear. For the greatest chance of success, railways should go where the people are, where they link to a prominent centre of demand, and where the formation is largely still extant. Start with comparatively "quick win" suburban or commuter routes, and, perhaps, work up from there.

 

[deltic]

One reason for splitting franchises is that they are becoming so large businesses in terms of turnover that fewer companies are able / willing to bid. DfT is hoping that smaller franchises will reduce financial risk and encourage more bidders

 

[mwmbwls]

Grayling is on Breakfast TV at the moment,when questioned about reopening he mentioned both Henbury and Portishead.

The latter being, purely by coincidence, in the constituency of the Right Honourable Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade, Doctor Liam Fox who has according to a reliable source been pressing the Secretary of State for Transport on this matter. For the benefit of those who would be surprised at this, my source is https://www.liamfox.co.uk/news/liam-fox-demands-action-over-portishead-railway

 

[WelshBluebird]

What he wants is not an operational thing. What he wants is to quietly farm funding for branch lines off to local authorities, who can then cut them without damaging his reputation.

Indeed that is my reading of it too

 

[ivanhoe]

Well if the Electrification of the MML has been put back indefinitely beyond Kettering, good luck with the wish lists. This is a day to deliver some candy because of the Brexit Bill of circa 50 billion.

 

[PHILIPE]

Perhaps smirking Grayling is trying to gain some popularity

 

[yorksrob]

Except that Cambs County Council now want to sever the path of the Wisbech line with a road and new development. https://wisbechrail.org.uk/2017/11/16/wisbech-access-strategy-consultation/

That's certainly bad news. One would hope they'd include a bridge.