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Aylesbury Vale Parkway - Is it a 'success'?

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70014IronDuke

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I've just noticed that Aylesbury Vale Parkway station had it's 10th anniversary last December. Astonishing to think it's been open a decade and six months now.

But has it lived up to the aspirations? Usage is steadily rising, but last annual footfall it had 186,000 passengers, which amounts to about 512 a day, or about 260 on and off on a weekday (presumably quieter on Sundays). Doesn't seem that many people for the investment. Of course, if E-W rail opens up, it should rise a bit faster.

Anyone in here use it?
 
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Ianno87

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Depends whether the usage figures are a mix of people attracted to rail who wouldn't otherwise have used it, or simply abstraction from other stations/routes?

If 186,000 per year are *all* new, and at £24 return to Marylebone (off-peak as an 'average'), that's about £4.5m per year revenue now generated, set against whatever the station cost (and relatively little extra ops cost to extend there)
 
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The Planner

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It was built on the basis of the housing development happening on that side of Aylesbury, it has only really been expanding at a more substantial rate in the last few years.
 
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geoffk

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Hopefully more successful than Stratford-on-Avon Parkway.
 
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adamedwards

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I drove past today. Huge amounts of housing going up all around it. That suggests it's been a catalyst for the housing. The Metropolitan Railway would be proud!
 
hooverboy

hooverboy

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The Planner said:
It was built on the basis of the housing development happening on that side of Aylesbury, it has only really been expanding at a more substantial rate in the last few years.
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oh dear!!!...we've heard this same argument vis a vis bedford parkway and east-west rail, cambridge north etc etc.

I would not be forecasting such projects on future housing development just at the moment!
Still quite a lot of froth to come off the present market.
 
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PeterC

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hooverboy said:
oh dear!!!...we've heard this same argument vis a vis bedford parkway and east-west rail, cambridge north etc etc.

I would not be forecasting such projects on future housing development just at the moment!
Still quite a lot of froth to come off the present market.
Click to expand...
But AVP was built where housing was planned and was built first. There is now a lot of new build close to the station which wasn't there when it opened.
 
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Djgr

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Had a "jolly" walk from there to Aylesbury proper when it first opened. Looking at the figures it has been clearly been growing rapidly in recent years. Admit I was surprised to see this.
 
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Class 170101

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Not sure that an hourly service to the station would encourage off peak usage though.
 
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Bald Rick

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AVP was built on the basis of the housing happening at the same time, but the banking crisis a decade ago caused all the housing to be ‘paused’.

Stratford upon Avon Parkway is in a similar boat.

East Midlands Parkway is a triumph of hope over reality.
 
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70014IronDuke

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Bald Rick said:
...

East Midlands Parkway is a triumph of hope over reality.
Click to expand...

It also opened around 10 years ago. I looked up the usage figures - about 340,000 per year average for the last two years of record - that's not far short of double Aylesbury Vale PArkway.

Come to that, so did Corby. Corby usage figures are close to 300,000. Of course, it has a real town around it.

In comparision, AVP is underperforming.
 
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ChiefPlanner

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A journey time over an hour is a disincentive , especially further south when the service gets swamped by Met Line commuters further displaced from the S for seat less stock.

I guess more building and a connection into East-West (when O Lord , when ?) , ought to assist.
 
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