pdeaves
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and an operator's licence. Public consultation for these lasts four weeks minimum so if there is no consultation by early November they cannot start in December whatever else may or may not happen.
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Go-Op developments...
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and an operator's licence. Public consultation for these lasts four weeks minimum so if there is no consultation by early November they cannot start in December whatever else may or may not happen.
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gordonthemoron
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sounds interesting but don't all other open access operators target London routes?
AlexNL
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Let's not forget about train paths, either. Shouldn't those have been requested by now already so that NR can properly evaluate and allocate?
Harbornite
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Yes I have actually, where does it say that the service will start in December?
I'm never said the service will start in December. You asked where the OP got December from, it's on the page I linked.
OMGitsDAVE
Member
Hello all!
Has anyone heard anything further regarding the GO-OP OA applications? Their latest news only shows 2017, and that they've submitted the application.
I've been watching their progress (or lack of) for a while now, and things seem to have gone quiet!
Has anyone heard anything further regarding the GO-OP OA applications? Their latest news only shows 2017, and that they've submitted the application.
I've been watching their progress (or lack of) for a while now, and things seem to have gone quiet!
I think the moment I realised this was never going to happen was when their trials with the Parry People Mover on the Mid-Hants fell through. It's unfortunate, because I think there's definitely a gap in the market for low-cost, community-driven heavy rail services using low-cost vehicles and presumably minimal infrastructure. But them concentrating on their "mainline" route instead of further exploring branch line options seems like a dead end to me as it's now a gap largely filled by TransWilts Rail.
WillPS
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One of the very first threads I read on this forum 10 years ago was about these guys and their plans. I'm really surprised they haven't given up yet.
Jorge Da Silva
Established Member
Go-Op has submitted an application to the Office of Rail and Road to run new service from December 2020. Any thoughts?
https://orr.gov.uk/__data/assets/pd...mic-equilibrium-test-form-go-op-june-2019.pdf
https://orr.gov.uk/__data/assets/pd...mic-equilibrium-test-form-go-op-june-2019.pdf
swt_passenger
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They’ve been suggesting “something” for almost ten years. File under never likely to happen, IMHO.
Thought they'd gone quiet! Plenty of options there in an attempt to satisfy the criteria. Can't see any of them working.
Jorge Da Silva
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Though I think this is the first time they have submitted application to the rail regulator isn’t it?
swt_passenger
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Wouldn’t like to say. I doubt available online records exist for the whole period they've been trying. They claim to have applied to ORR in 2016.
Jorge Da Silva
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The 2016 proposals there is no record of an application (on ORR records going back to 2014). The first plan doesn’t look like it ever got that far.
twpsaesneg
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From that application it seems to suggest a possibility of 6 different routes (Cheltenham-Exeter / Gillingham / Dorchester or Newport-Exeter / Gillingham / Dorchester) - is this normal? Seems a bit difficult for the ORR to assess as one application.
Jorge Da Silva
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It’s the first time I have seen that in an application
swt_passenger
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I expect if you listed every station that has ever appeared in a GO-OP press release you’d have an incredibly strange combined route map. It all just seems so random, haven’t they included going as far as Nuneaton or Moor St in the past?
4-SUB 4732
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If they can't bloody decide what they want, they might as well give it up. The only logical service there based on the 'core' route of Swindon - Westbury, is from Cheltenham / Gloucester. What traffic they expect to generate between Swindon and Taunton / Exeter every 2 hours when frequency and connections are better via Bristol remains to be seen; the best option I suspect is to run into Yeovil Junction to connect with other SWR stuff.
Huge punctuality risks with a lot of what they're suggesting as there's a lot of reversals.
Considering they wanted to go up via Oxford and Banbury to the likes of Nuneaton, this looks like a lot of clap trap.
Huge punctuality risks with a lot of what they're suggesting as there's a lot of reversals.
Considering they wanted to go up via Oxford and Banbury to the likes of Nuneaton, this looks like a lot of clap trap.
twpsaesneg
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I'd not be surprised if the application is returned with a post-it saying "Try again when you've made up your minds where you want to run"!
NorthernSpirit
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I doubt I'll ever see a GO-OP class 230 at Trowbridge. I'm very sceptical that this will happen as originally GO-OP stated that they have it running by 2017 or whatever the year was - they didn't.
If GO-OP really want to get things going why not a Bradford Interchange to Weymouth service with class 170's? Firstly it'd give them a proper route to have a go at (I can't see anyone wanting to go to Nuneton from the South West) and secondly the route through Denton and Reddish South would see some addtional passenger servies passing through, likewise with the Bristol avoid line between Dr Day's and North Somerset? Junction.
If GO-OP really want to get things going why not a Bradford Interchange to Weymouth service with class 170's? Firstly it'd give them a proper route to have a go at (I can't see anyone wanting to go to Nuneton from the South West) and secondly the route through Denton and Reddish South would see some addtional passenger servies passing through, likewise with the Bristol avoid line between Dr Day's and North Somerset? Junction.
I agree; It's not going to happen.
But feel free to discuss their actual proposals here; if you wishes to discuss ideas for an open access service, this needs to be posted in the Speculative Ideas section please.
swt_passenger
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I suspect that’s what’s happened before. I’ve been searching through their news archive page, and I’m pretty sure there are more mentions of “applications to ORR” than have ever made it to ORR’s website: http://www.go-op.coop/info/archive/I'd not be surprised if the application is returned with a post-it saying "Try again when you've made up your minds where you want to run"!
Brissle Girl
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Utterly bizarre. All the talk until now has been for a service west of Swindon to Oxford, which at least improved connectivity. The new proposals are far less compelling, and suggest that they are clutching at straws.
Wilts Wanderer
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Rather amused to see the ‘Class 158 or similar’ - presumably they’ve given up on the 769 or 230 options?
Be right back, just looking for my flying pig animation.
Be right back, just looking for my flying pig animation.
pdeaves
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Maybe they could propose using a fleet of these:
(locomotive nicknamed 'flying pig')
swt_passenger
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This is the whole problem. The news item they issued in early March had a completely different route and service pattern, and definitely referred to 769s. Their plans change like the weather...
Much as I would like then to do well with a service running, it does currently give the impression that they don't have much of an idea. Personally I think doing something simple and easy to plan (like their early suggestion of a service on the Watercress line) would be a good start and then look to build on that to then do something on Network Rail system.
Brissle Girl
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I don't understand why they don't just concentrate on Westbury (maybe started back further west if feasible, but if it's going to compromise the chances of getting it accepted) to Oxford. There is a local demand for a more frequent service through Melksham, and Swindon to Oxford direct would stand a good chance of demonstrating it's a new service, and not just abstracting value from existing services. A Class 769 could help with pathing on the GWML too. A 2 hrly service would nicely fill the gaps on the TransWilts.
Wilts Wanderer
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Anything between Swindon and Didcot is a total non-starter from December, the route is almost totally full with GWR's enhanced intercity timetable and freight traffic. Unless they're planning to run services in the middle of the night.
I suspect this penny has finally dropped and the OA proposal is desperately looking for an alternative raison-detre.
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