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Stations due to close?

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Charlie2555

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Does anyone know of any stations expected to close any time in the coming months or years? By closed, I mean permanently shut. Alternatively any that are about to undergo major change?
I'd like to document these whilst I can, if anyone knows any!

Thanks very much
 
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Merthyr Imp

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According to this month's Railway Magazine Sankey for Penketh station MAY be due for closure following the recent opening of Warrington West station half a mile away. However, although services to it have been reduced there's no definite news yet.
 

Lewlew

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IBM and British Steel Redcar both no longer have any trains stopping at them (I believe) so will inevitably close soon.
 

Esker-pades

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IBM and British Steel Redcar both no longer have any trains stopping at them (I believe) so will inevitably close soon.
That is true. But, there isn't any point closing them because they don't cost anyone anything anymore. No replacement transport is provided, no upkeep is required (as far as I'm aware).
 

dk1

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It's often so costly and political to try and close a station. Easier to keep it open with a token service.
 

Gareth

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Bit of a shame about Sankey for Penketh. Some of the CLC stations at the Manchester end of the line are not much further apart than Sankey is to Warrington West.
 

Bletchleyite

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Bit of a shame about Sankey for Penketh. Some of the CLC stations at the Manchester end of the line are not much further apart than Sankey is to Warrington West.

It would strike me as worth keeping open with a Parly type service for now, as when the line is eventually electrified the extra stop wouldn't cause much of an issue any more (due to the superior acceleration of EMUs) and could be reopened fully.
 

Ianno87

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It's often so costly and political to try and close a station. Easier to keep it open with a token service.

You say that, but nobody seemed to notice Norton Bridge being formally closed.
 

Bletchleyite

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You say that, but nobody seemed to notice Norton Bridge being formally closed.

A station that serves about 3 houses (if any of them ever used it) and isn't of interest to e.g. hikers is unlikely to draw much ire. Nobody overly cares about IBM Halt either. I expect by contrast Dolgarrog, which is having its platform expensively rebuilt for one or two passengers a week, would draw ire due to the special nature of the line. Wasn't a big thing made of Breich because hikers liked using it?

I think there's also an acceptance that it effectively closed due to an infrastructure change. You could have built a new one on the flyover lines, but it'd have literally been in the middle of nowhere, and if people were going to drive to it they could drive elsewhere.

If the Far North Line's "shortcut" ever gets built, for instance, I'm not sure there will be a massive uproar about the "lost" stations there.
 

PTR 444

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Does anyone know of any stations expected to close any time in the coming months or years? By closed, I mean permanently shut. Alternatively any that are about to undergo major change?
I'd like to document these whilst I can, if anyone knows any!

Thanks very much

Lelant Saltings?
 

PTR 444

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The P&R is moving to St. Erth. But I thought the number of trains stopping at the Saltings was just going to be reduced?

It will be reduced to one train per day. Might as well just close it even if it is somehow more complex and costly to do so.
 

Baxenden Bank

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Wedgwood and/or Barlaston.
Suggestions were for one to be served again by the new London Midland franchise (priced option in the franchise bids) . Assuming one re-opened the other was suggested as likely to be closed. No news on either re-opening and we're well into the new franchise. Slight hints on this forum that closure of both may be slowly working through Dft minds.
 

MarkyT

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It will be reduced to one train per day. Might as well just close it even if it is somehow more complex and costly to do so.
I looked at a random Wednesday in June, and RTT listed two departures all day: 07:52 to St Ives and 09:21 to St Erth. You certainly couldn't use them for any kind of realistic day trip unless you had an alternative way back, although it's only just over a third of a mile from Lelant station, call it half a mile on foot. I guess NR/GWR could just neglect to maintain it properly and be 'forced' to close it eventually for safety reasons at some point. It would certainly be very difficult to justify any even moderate expenditure on it if something 'went wrong' and I expect it will quickly become one of the UK's least used stations in future years, assuming enthusiasts don't flock there just to get it in the book.
 

The Planner

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Wedgwood and/or Barlaston.
Suggestions were for one to be served again by the new London Midland franchise (priced option in the franchise bids) . Assuming one re-opened the other was suggested as likely to be closed. No news on either re-opening and we're well into the new franchise. Slight hints on this forum that closure of both may be slowly working through Dft minds.
Not sure why, as neither are off the cards for re-opening.
 
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London Waterloo. It only gets a few parliamentary trains a day as it is, and most of them are virtually empty
 

pdeaves

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I looked at a random Wednesday in June, and RTT listed two departures all day: 07:52 to St Ives and 09:21 to St Erth. You certainly couldn't use them for any kind of realistic day trip unless you had an alternative way back, although it's only just over a third of a mile from Lelant station, call it half a mile on foot. I guess NR/GWR could just neglect to maintain it properly and be 'forced' to close it eventually for safety reasons at some point. It would certainly be very difficult to justify any even moderate expenditure on it if something 'went wrong' and I expect it will quickly become one of the UK's least used stations in future years, assuming enthusiasts don't flock there just to get it in the book.
The station for the former P&R site is effectively just retained until the site is redeveloped for housing, when it can be brought back into proper use. If it's closed and reopened (rather than sparsely used) it would need to reopen to full modern standards, and it also would not be available in emergency if St Erth is not available for some reason.

(typo corrected 19:23)
 
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MarkyT

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The station for the former P&R site is effectively just retained until the site is redeveloped for housing, when it can be brought back into proper use. It it's closed and reopened (rather than sparsely used) it would need to reopen to full modern standards, and it also would not be available in emergency if St Erth is not available for some reason.
Good point. I suppose when modern units with 'light rail like' performance eventually appear on the St Ives branch, the extra stop won't be such a problem for journey time. Perhaps all trains on the half hourly pattern will then be able to call at all stations.
 

Altnabreac

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If the Far North Line's "shortcut" ever gets built, for instance, I'm not sure there will be a massive uproar about the "lost" stations there.

Now setting aside the unlikeliness of a Far North cut off being funded and built what would then happen?

I’d suggest that given Invernet services already run to Lairg there would be strong pressure to keep open a stub serving Ardgay, Culrain, Invershin and Lairg from Inverness.

So that only leaves Rogart to close with a very limited catchment and low number of calls. Not even HiTrans would object to that closure....

But wait. It turns out Frank Roach of HiTrans lives in the station cottage at Rogart so just maybe there might be a bit of a fight over closing it after all
:lol:
 
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