My idea - for better connections in the Peak District.

[yorksrob]

We've had a lot of infrastructure improvement on the Hope Valley recently, and there seems to be an aspiration for a fourth passenger train.

If you look at the map, the capital of the Peak district Chapel en le Frith is but a stones throw from the Hope Valley main line.

So far, so Crayonista - however there is already a line to the middle of Chapel en le Frith directly from the Hope Valley.

What's more, there's already a triangular junction, so you could reverse the stopper and perhaps a new semi-fast between Manchester and Sheffield at Chapel en le Frith - Eastbourne and Castleford manage.

My main concern about such a proposal is that it could potentially undermine the existing main line to Buxton, however, purely anecdotally when I've been on the Buxton line, relatively few have joined or alighted at CelF, possibly due to the out of town location of that station, with the majority going to Buxton anyway, so perhaps that's not too much of an issue.

It would be a stop-gap at least until the country comes to its senses and reopens the main line through Bakewell to Derby anyway.

 

[Dr Hoo]

Chapel is sometimes referred to as the Capital of the (High/Dark) Peak but it’s a pretty meaningless term. It’s not an administrative centre or a tourist honeypot and it isn’t even within the Peak District National Park.

 

[yorksrob]

Chapel is sometimes referred to as the Capital of the (High/Dark) Peak but it’s a pretty meaningless term. It’s not an administrative centre or a tourist honeypot and it isn’t even within the Peak District National Park.

Maybe, but it's a biggish town that the Hope Valley just about misses !

 

[InkyScrolls]

It would be a stop-gap at least until the country comes to its senses and reopens the main line through Bakewell to Derby anyway.

At, that old chestnut!

 

[yorksrob]

At, that old chestnut!

I'd say "that sensible project whose time has come" , but don't let that stop you commenting on my more modest proposal

 

[HSTEd]

The mess of track in the Hope Valley is far from ideal, but I'm not sure that this is the best move.
When I look at it I keep looking at the south side of Chapel en le Frith and how close the Buxton and Hope valley connected lines are to each other.

Would need some impressive earthworks, but what else are crayons for!

 

[yorksrob]

The mess of track in the Hope Valley is far from ideal, but I'm not sure that this is the best move.
When I look at it I keep looking at the south side of Chapel en le Frith and how close the Buxton and Hope valley connected lines are to each other.

Would need some impressive earthworks, but what else are crayons for!

It wouldn't need any earthworks at all. There is a triangular junction from the Hope valley into Chapel en le Thrith today.

 

[Iskra]

Chapel is by far, far from being the main attraction of the Peak District. I really don't believe there is a case for doing anything here I'm afraid.

 

[yorksrob]

Chapel is by far, far from being the main attraction of the Peak District. I really don't believe there is a case for doing anything here I'm afraid.

That's what's on the current station boards !

Even if that's not entirely true, it's still a biggish town, not far from the Hope Valley..

 

[Dr Hoo]

That's what's on the current station boards !

Even if that's not entirely true, it's still a biggish town, not far from the Hope Valley..

How often do you visit and how much time do you spend in Chapel?

 

[yorksrob]

How often do you visit and how much time do you spend in Chapel?

Probably not as much as I spend in Hope (which is a lot smaller as a settlement)

But I'm not so egocentric to assume that just because I've not visited somewhere very often, there aren't other people who could benefit from a train service !

I should probably put my cards on the table that I use the Hope Valley and the Buxton line - couple of times a month for the Hope.

 

[biggerisbetter]

If you couldn’t fit an additional stoping service through the whole of the Hope Valley could you squeeze in an extension of the New Mills service to a new station in Chapel?

 

[Dr Hoo]

The existence of two quite long single track chords between the Hope Valley Line and the busy freight route towards Dove Holes, Tunstead and the area south of Buxton makes it seem quite unlikely, at least without significant remodelling and enhancement.

 

[A0]

That's what's on the current station boards !

Even if that's not entirely true, it's still a biggish town, not far from the Hope Valley..

Bit in bold - with a population at the last census of 8,635, it"s a long, long way from being a "biggish" town - in fact Tiptree in Essex which is classed as a village has a larger population.

A "biggish" town would be 30-40k not under 10k.

 

[Western Lord]

Chapel en le Frith's only claim to fame is the former Ferodo brake linings factory. I am old enough to remember the adverts in the papers after a Grand Prix won using Ferodo pads and clutch linings and always mentioning where they were made.

 

[yorksrob]

Bit in bold - with a population at the last census of 8,635, it"s a long, long way from being a "biggish" town - in fact Tiptree in Essex which is classed as a village has a larger population.

A "biggish" town would be 30-40k not under 10k.

No one's claiming it's Manhatten, but in the context of the Hope valley it could be a good traffic generator.

 

[Dr Hoo]

No one's claiming it's Manhatten, but in the context of the Hope valley it could be a good traffic generator.

But how many passenger journeys would it ‘de-generate’ by significantly extending journeys such as Manchester-Hope (quite apart from needing an extra Northern diagram ‘in circuit’)?

 

[yorksrob]

But how many passenger journeys would it ‘de-generate’ by significantly extending journeys such as Manchester-Hope (quite apart from needing an extra Northern diagram ‘in circuit’)?

I honestly don't know.

However, I do know that the Hallam and Coastway lines seem to do just fine, in spite of reversals at Castleford and Eastbourne respectively.

 

[Burton Road]

I believe there was a proposal some years ago as part of the refresh of the South East Manchester Multi-Modal Study strategy to reopen Chapel-en-le-Frith Central, although I can't recall if that was for Hope Valley services or for another service extended from somewhere closer to Manchester. The consultation report linked doesn't go into the specifics.

I presume that's all on the back burner after Stockport Council pulled out of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (because additional investment depended on additional housing on its green belt) but in theory should Stockport have a change of heart that suite of investments may be reconsidered.