Breich - Public Consultation on Station Closure

[NSEFAN]

As I understand it, the consultation closed yesterday.

What do we suppose the timeline shall be from here? Service withdrawal at the next timetable change? Would there be temporary bustitution until the formal closure? Or will we see train services continue until the very end?

 

[The Quincunx]

Since the 1993 Act came into force, you now just make a "representation", not an "objection". And there is no qualification that you must be a "user or a potential user", as was the case previously.

 

[Blindtraveler]

I sent feedback that Breich should remain part of the network in the form of through ticketing from Fauldhouse by bus. This would not only make the local bus harder to withdraw but would maintain opportunitties and infact enhance them with 1tph at Fauldhouse, many although not all connecting to buses.

 

[Essexman]

The deadline for 'representations' is 2nd October.

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/our-routes/scotland/breich-station/

 

[Altnabreac]

West Lothian Council are objecting to it:
http://coins.westlothian.gov.uk/coins/submissiondocuments.asp?submissionid=35605

 

[Grinner]

Just read the WLC submission, this bit stuck out to me:

"Finally, Addiewell Station is the most likely alternative station to be used in the event that additional services at Breich station are uneconomic. Although, some upgrading of the station here is planned it is considered that further investment to improve park and ride facilities and access would be the minimum requirement to mitigate any proposal to close the station at Breich"

Perhaps a hint of a suggestion they would withdraw objections if more park and ride facilities were provided at Addiewell as compensation?

 

[Grinner]

I sent feedback that Breich should remain part of the network in the form of through ticketing from Fauldhouse by bus. This would not only make the local bus harder to withdraw but would maintain opportunitties and infact enhance them with 1tph at Fauldhouse, many although not all connecting to buses.

Sounds like an excellent suggestion to me.

 

[railjock]

Just read the WLC submission, this bit stuck out to me:

"Finally, Addiewell Station is the most likely alternative station to be used in the event that additional services at Breich station are uneconomic. Although, some upgrading of the station here is planned it is considered that further investment to improve park and ride facilities and access would be the minimum requirement to mitigate any proposal to close the station at Breich"

Perhaps a hint of a suggestion they would withdraw objections if more park and ride facilities were provided at Addiewell as compensation?

How busy are the facilities at present? Currently Addiewell gets 25,000 passengers a year.

 

[Essexman]

I know that views on here are mixed but for those who would like to see Breich station retained here's a link to a petition. https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-breich-station

 

[InOban]

Believe it or not, the ScoGov has decided to keep it open, and to introduce more calls from May 2019.

https://news.gov.scot/news/breich-station-future-secured

 

[snowball]

It will be interesting to see how the electrification clearance issues play out (see discussion upthread (edit: or maybe it's in the Scottish electrification thread)).

The adjacent A706 bridge has been rebuilt but the rebuild may have been designed on the assumption that the station would close or move eastward.

 

[pdeaves]

Believe it or not, the ScoGov has decided to keep it open, and to introduce more calls from May 2019.

https://news.gov.scot/news/breich-station-future-secured

That is rather bizarre. I trust the government will pay whatever costs accrue rather than expect 'the railway' to stump up.

 

[takno]

It will be interesting to see how the electrification clearance issues play out (see discussion upthread).

I assume Network Rail will present a bill for a couple of million for a new bridge, Humza will say "dammit, I knew there was some reason we were thinking of closing it", then he will try to make Scotrail pay the bill because reasons, before finally paying it from Scotgov funds and then blaming the whole thing on whoever is the Labour leader by then. The whole thing will turn into a massive political football, and then finally the twist, there will be an unprecedented upsurge in demand and Breich will be the busiest station on the line, whereupon everybody will claim to have opposed the closure all along.

Either that or they'll defer the bridge, run the services for six months, declare it a failure and fudge the whole thing with a one-way parliamentary service forever.

 

[Stopper]

I wonder how many of these ‘new calls from May 2019’ there would be. An extra few at peak times or the hourly stopper beginning to call. I have no idea what the post electrification timetable is though.

 

[skyhigh]

Is there any chance making the platform bi-directional or using Penryn-style solution would be cheaper than building a new bridge, or is there other problems with that idea?

 

[najaB]

Is there any chance making the platform bi-directional or using Penryn-style solution would be cheaper than building a new bridge, or is there other problems with that idea?

I can't see two crossovers on an electrified line plus all the signalling changes involved being cheaper than a bridge.

 

[snowball]

There seems to be a general assumption that the footbridge is the problem. If the station is able to remain at its present location then I don't see why a footbridge is needed, because there's an adjacent road bridge that has already been rebuilt. However I'm not sure the station can remain where it is, because of the clearance rules problem when platforms are near bridges.

 

[najaB]

However I'm not sure the station can remain where it is, because of the clearance rules problem when platforms are near bridges.

Surely that could be fixed by platform extensions at the end furthest from the bridge and fencing off the end closest to the bridge?

 

[snowball]

Surely that could be fixed by platform extensions at the end furthest from the bridge and fencing off the end closest to the bridge?

Would that be enough?

I haven't seen a clear statement of the problem but my belief (which may of course be wrong) is that the problem arises because

1) The new regs require that where there's a platform the wires have to be at a height towards the upper end of the usual range of heights.

2) For economy, the reconstructed bridge has been made such that the wires under the bridge need to be at a height towards the lower end of that range.

So I think it's a wire gradient problem, like at Steventon, much discussed in the GWR thread, but presumably with a steeper permissible gradient because it's a lower speed line.

So I suspect that the station would have to be moved a considerable distance (making it nearer Breich village).

Or it may be possible to lower the track under the bridge, but that would add expense and might create drainage problems.

 

[Highlandspring]

The issue is indeed the difference in wire heights required under the road bridge and through the platforms, it's made clear here - https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-co...eich-Station-Appraisal-Report-August-2017.pdf

The solution stated is to extend the platforms towards Midcalder Jn and abandon the sections closest to the overbridge. The same document also implies that PRM accessibility modifications would entail a route to the Up platform from the road rather than a new footbridge.

 

[Essexman]

This is good news not only for Breich but for other lightly used stations across the country. Network Rail have carried out an expensive consultation procedure and after consideration of the responses have been told that it must stay open. Hopefully this will reduce the chance of attempts being made to close other stations in future.

 

[NSEFAN]

This is good news not only for Breich but for other lightly used stations across the country. Network Rail have carried out an expensive consultation procedure and after consideration of the responses have been told that it must stay open. Hopefully this will reduce the chance of attempts being made to close other stations in future.

To be fair, there was a good reason here to consider closing the station (the cost of completely rebuilding it due to electrification). All NR have done is show that, purely on cost grounds, closure is probably the most logical. TransportScotland can still opt to keep the station open and pay for it to be rebuilt, but they should at least be aware of the true cost of this when making poltiical decisions.

 

[Altnabreac]

Would that be enough?

I haven't seen a clear statement of the problem but my belief (which may of course be wrong) is that the problem arises because

1) The new regs require that where there's a platform the wires have to be at a height towards the upper end of the usual range of heights.

2) For economy, the reconstructed bridge has been made such that the wires under the bridge need to be at a height towards the lower end of that range.

So I think it's a wire gradient problem, like at Steventon, much discussed in the GWR thread, but presumably with a steeper permissible gradient because it's a lower speed line.

So I suspect that the station would have to be moved a considerable distance (making it nearer Breich village).

Or it may be possible to lower the track under the bridge, but that would add expense and might create drainage problems.

Just a small correction on point 2. The lower than ideal bridge height was not so much for reasons of practicality due to the major road junction immediately to the north. Raising the bridge any higher would have involved closing all four sides of that road junction for an extended period and made the road closure much longer, much more problematic for locals as well as costing more.

 

[snowball]

The lower than ideal bridge height was not so much for reasons of practicality due to the major road junction immediately to the north.

Or even the south!

 

[InOban]

This is good news not only for Breich but for other lightly used stations across the country. Network Rail have carried out an expensive consultation procedure and after consideration of the responses have been told that it must stay open. Hopefully this will reduce the chance of attempts being made to close other stations in future.

It may be good news for these stations. It isn't such good news for all the passengers whose journeys are extended by 2-4 minutes by a train stopping for no-one, or for the projects whose funding has been diverted into keeping the station open.

 

[najaB]

It may be good news for these stations. It isn't such good news for all the passengers whose journeys are extended by 2-4 minutes by a train stopping for no-one, or for the projects whose funding has been diverted into keeping the station open.

That said, in this case there might be a case for keeping the station open given that there's supposed to be new housing development in the area.

 

[InOban]

Then the developer should fund it.

 

[Altnabreac]

That said, in this case there might be a case for keeping the station open given that there's supposed to be new housing development in the area.

Especially if the station moves to be in the actual village. I hope they don't spend lots of money just to move the station 400m but still leave it in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Altnabreac]

Or even the south!

That's the one. Used to be a pub there until it burnt down.

 

[tbtc]

Three million quid to save a station that sees two and a half passengers per week?

Well... if that's the Scottish Government's priority then... I guess it's their money. It wouldn't be my priority with the money!

It's probably a good bellwether for people on the Forum. Either you think that £3m is worth paying to keep a station open for two and a half journeys a week because everything should be preserved and every journey is sacred and if you closed down one lightly used station then THAT'S WHAT BEECHING AND SERPEL WOULD WANT... or you think that sometimes the costs outweigh the benefits and the network ought to evolve and we'd be better spending millions of pounds where more people will benefit from them.

If we can't even close a basket case like Breich then there really is no hope of a realistic discussion about these things though.