Areas of low rail potential

[backontrack]

By which I mean, areas with a low concentration of railway services. Or, to stop using GCSE Biology terms, areas that have a particularly low amount of rail connections compared to their size/status (though of course omitting the stupidly rural).

Of course the Borders has a railway line, but I would still say that it needs more - a line to Hawick and possibly one to Peebles. But which other areas have a surprisingly low amount of railway lines?

One that surprises me is Blaenau Gwent. Ebbw Vale is the only town in Blaenau Gwent with a railway station - Tredegar, Brynmawr and Abertillery all lack them. I wonder how big the market is for a rail branch from the Ebbw Vale line to serve Abertillery - perhaps continued through Blaina to Brynmawr - and perhaps even a branch from Ebbw Vale Parkway to Tredegar.

Any others?

 

[Harbornite]

I'd like to see Peebles and Caernarfon served by rail again (standard gauge that is)

 

[route:oxford]

By which I mean, areas with a low concentration of railway services. Or, to stop using GCSE Biology terms, areas that have a particularly low amount of rail connections compared to their size/status (though of course omitting the stupidly rural).

Plenty around here:-

Carterton (15,679)
Witney (23,000)

Wantage & Grove (11,327 & 7,178)

Buckingham (12,043)

Wallingford (7,918)
Benson (4,754)
Watlington (2,727)
Chalgrove (2,830)
Chinnor (5,924)

The latter 5 to suggest how a railway connection (as I guess was orginally planned between the Wallingford and Watlington railways) would enhance connectivity and encourage development.

 

[najaB]

Isn't this basically the same question as Best line reopenings? Or Stations and lines not used to their full potential?

 

[PHILIPE]

By which I mean, areas with a low concentration of railway services. Or, to stop using GCSE Biology terms, areas that have a particularly low amount of rail connections compared to their size/status (though of course omitting the stupidly rural).

Of course the Borders has a railway line, but I would still say that it needs more - a line to Hawick and possibly one to Peebles. But which other areas have a surprisingly low amount of railway lines?

One that surprises me is Blaenau Gwent. Ebbw Vale is the only town in Blaenau Gwent with a railway station - Tredegar, Brynmawr and Abertillery all lack them. I wonder how big the market is for a rail branch from the Ebbw Vale line to serve Abertillery - perhaps continued through Blaina to Brynmawr - and perhaps even a branch from Ebbw Vale Parkway to Tredegar.


Any others?

There is a project to reopen the line to Abertillery. The project started in 2000 !!!

 

[Andrewlong]

Isn't this basically the same question as Best line reopenings? Or Stations and lines not used to their full potential?

Got to agree - it always seems to return to which lines should we reopen rather than if we want to link two places how should we do it irrespective of whether they were linked in the past.

 

[47271]

I read it to be a slightly different question than some recent threads. I think that it refers to areas that may already have rail services but that those services are sparse in relation to the population.

So, say, Aberdeen, a city of around quarter of a million but with only two stations within the city boundary.

That said, I'm sure that all we'll do is come up with all the usual suspects!

 

[backontrack]

Isn't this basically the same question as Best line reopenings? Or Stations and lines not used to their full potential?

The line reopenings poll was about lines that have already reopened.

The 'stations/lines not used to their full potential' thing was about getting more usage out of the current network.\

Here, we're looking at the biggest areas where there isn't any track that aren't particularly rural.

So, to answer your question: no. They're entirely different.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Plenty around here:-

Carterton (15,679)
Witney (23,000)

Wantage & Grove (11,327 & 7,178)

Buckingham (12,043)

Wallingford (7,918)
Benson (4,754)
Watlington (2,727)
Chalgrove (2,830)
Chinnor (5,924)

The latter 5 to suggest how a railway connection (as I guess was orginally planned between the Wallingford and Watlington railways) would enhance connectivity and encourage development.

Don't forget Eynsham (pop. 4,648).

 

[6Gman]

I'd like to see Peebles and Caernarfon served by rail again (standard gauge that is)

Caernarfon, the area known as Dwyfor and the Lleyn peninsula are all poorly served. Plenty of stations (!) east of Pwllheli but a terribly lengthy and tedious journey to the Rest of The World (i.e. Shrewsbury)!

But it's scarcely a well-populated area!

 

[najaB]

So, to answer your question: no. They're entirely different.

I appreciate the question was different, but the answers are going to be largely of the form "The (re)opening to X was successful, so now we need to extend to Y", "There's a line that runs through/near A, so we need a station/branch to B" and "I don't know why the line to Z was closed, wasn't Beeching a <expletive>."

 

[WatcherZero]

The way the question is written the more plausible reading is areas of the country too sparsely populated to support rail services. I.e. Areas which couldn't support a rail service.
An area of low potential is hardly crying out for a reopening.

 

[backontrack]

I wanted to talk about areas that people don't really talk about much, but could still support a good train service. Places like Brynmawr and Tredegar, for instance

 

[Harbornite]

Caernarfon, the area known as Dwyfor and the Lleyn peninsula are all poorly served. Plenty of stations (!) east of Pwllheli but a terribly lengthy and tedious journey to the Rest of The World (i.e. Shrewsbury)!

But it's scarcely a well-populated area!

I was going by this

"particularly low amount of rail connections compared to their size/status"

I'd say Caernarfon fits the bill. I agree that the Llyn isn't served that well and journey times on the Cambrian are limited by the infrastructure.

 

[NotATrainspott]

There is a project to reopen the line to Abertillery. The project started in 2000 !!!

It's in the Wales Route Study as part of a package of improvements on the Ebbw Vale line, so it's pretty likely to happen.

 

[DarloRich]

Isn't this basically the same question as Best line reopenings? Or Stations and lines not used to their full potential?

yes: we will get the same list of answers which is basically every pet project to re open every line in the country ever closed.

Surely we should select, objectively, from a list including: Washington, Gosport, Dudley, Dunstable, Skelmersdale etc.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

Many towns in North Wales like Mold, Denbigh, Ruthin, Llangollen and Corwen have no national rail services. And in Shropshire, Oswestry passengers have to travel to Gobowen on poorly timed buses.

In Yorkshire you could add Elland, Cleckheaton, Heckmondwike, Ossett, Otley and Ripon.