Canterbury Parkway Station

[Metal_gee_man]

I know parkway stations are a slightly emotive innovation that have a marmite effect to regular users, but sometimes their creation makes some sense!
Here is my local MP not talking BS for once and making sense...the Dover Priory to London via the Medway Towns line & the Ramsgate to London via Ashford Int have a perfect crossover point just outside the city centre, with easy access from A2 trunk road and other major roads! Just the money needed now to build it

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/canterbury/news/mp-in-talks-over-third-train-station-188985/

 

[yorksrob]

Could be useful for railheading and interchange. Depends how much of a requirement there is for this, given that West and East are already well sited for the centre. Certainly its quite tricky to get from the Weald area to North Kent by rail, so there would be definite benefits in that respect.

 

[Metal_gee_man]

Could be useful for railheading and interchange. Depends how much of a requirement there is for this, given that West and East are already well sited for the centre. Certainly its quite tricky to get from the Weald area to North Kent by rail, so there would be definite benefits in that respect.

It'd help hugely if they also squeeze in a couple junctions to eliviate delays when incidents take place & when engineering works happen, but again it's a cost factor, who'll foot the bill, Kent county council won't want to put their hands in their pockets, network rail won't see it as a necessary infrastructure improvement, and Canterbury city council don't have the ability to pull of such a project!

 

[4-SUB 4732]

The main thing here is for all the local folk to get onto decent services pretty sharpish. It’s not for people to visit Canterbury, it’s so the locals can get to London. It’s a good idea.

 

[Metal_gee_man]

The main thing here is for all the local folk to get onto decent services pretty sharpish. It’s not for people to visit Canterbury, it’s so the locals can get to London. It’s a good idea.

I agree, Canterbury has poor air quality, awful traffic congestion & expensive car parking in amongst infrastructure and landmarks built nearly 1000 years ago and Canterbury West is creaking at the seams as it was never built for 2.5m passenger movements! It's a great idea but who have I got to sleep with to get someone to fund it...

 

[yorksrob]

It'd help hugely if they also squeeze in a couple junctions to eliviate delays when incidents take place & when engineering works happen, but again it's a cost factor, who'll foot the bill, Kent county council won't want to put their hands in their pockets, network rail won't see it as a necessary infrastructure improvement, and Canterbury city council don't have the ability to pull of such a project!

We need the Southern Railway's legendary concrete works at Exmouth Junction back to make it affordable !

 

[swt_passenger]

We need the Southern Railway's legendary concrete works at Exmouth Junction back to make it affordable !

Not if they are going to use aggregate from the local beach again...

 

[yorksrob]

Not if they are going to use aggregate from the local beach again...

There is a corner of a Kentish platform that is forever Devon.

 

[civ-eng-jim]

The two lines were joined at one time at that location but I can't find a photo of it. Don't think it would be necessary to reintroduce that though to make the Parkway station to work.

 

[yorksrob]

The two lines were joined at one time at that location but I can't find a photo of it. Don't think it would be necessary to reintroduce that though to make the Parkway station to work.

Yes, it joined from the Faversham direction towards Canterbury West. Last used during the aftermath of the great flood of 1953 to get Chatham line trains towards Margate.

 

[swt_passenger]

There is a corner of a Kentish platform that is forever Devon.

Yes, I got to hear about this when NR condemned the footbridge at Woolston. They had found it was built with a ridiculously high salt content, and the investigation revealed the source of the sand and aggregate was not exactly to spec....

 

[yorksrob]

Yes, I got to hear about this when NR condemned the footbridge at Woolston. They had found it was built with a ridiculously high salt content, and the investigation revealed the source of the sand and aggregate was not exactly to spec....

That's interesting. A lot of those bridges have been replaced fairly recently in Kent, so that might explain things.

Still, they lasted longer than a lot of buildings from those times !

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Having a reasonably intimate knowledge of the area what on earth will Canterbury City Council think of next !?

The proposed car park at the West station will be bad enough and the proposed interchange will impact on a protected nature reserve and children's playground. The Stour Valley walk took years to be realised and now this could be ruined for the sake of passenger convenience. How will people get from Parkway to the city centre? Pleasant walk from either East or West stations

The whole area is a flood plain. Building on it will only move the flooding elsewhere to the adjacent housing around Thanington

East station is now pretty much a dump - perhaps Canterbury City Council should put up some funds to bring this up to standard

 

[Clip]

. How will people get from Parkway to the city centre? Pleasant walk from either East or West stations

I think the idea is that they park at this parkway then get the train into West station. All a bit bonkers if you ask me

 

[civ-eng-jim]

Having a reasonably intimate knowledge of the area what on earth will Canterbury City Council think of next !?

The proposed car park at the West station will be bad enough and the proposed interchange will impact on a protected nature reserve and children's playground. The Stour Valley walk took years to be realised and now this could be ruined for the sake of passenger convenience. How will people get from Parkway to the city centre? Pleasant walk from either East or West stations

The whole area is a flood plain. Building on it will only move the flooding elsewhere to the adjacent housing around Thanington

East station is now pretty much a dump - perhaps Canterbury City Council should put up some funds to bring this up to standard

Surely all ideas and proposals for infrastructure improvements should be tabled and the merits & disadvantages be evaluated using reasoned arguments rather than dismissing them point blank.

Infrastructure can be built in such a way that it has a minimal detrimental effect on flooding - IE Raised structures. Flood plain compensation measures are required to be incorporated into most schemes (if not all) that are built on flood plains.

 

[civ-eng-jim]

I think the idea is that they park at this parkway then get the train into West station. All a bit bonkers if you ask me

The carpark at Canterbury West will be for the benefit of people wishing to LEAVE Canterbury on the train - The Parkway is proposed as an alternative to commuters driving into Canterbury city centre rather than targeting Canterbury's many visitors.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

I doubt very much that commuters driving into Canterbury would like to truncate their journey early at a "Parkway" station out of town and board a train 1 stop into West or East unless the train service frequency can be made attractive and the Parkway station providing free parking. I personally would prefer to drive nearer to the town centre and walk 15-20mins into town - but then I know the cheap car parks

 

[mrcheek]

following on from the fact that Canterbury East and Canterbury West should really be called North and South, I propose that a new Parkway station in Canterbury should follow this trend, by being built slap bang in the middle of town. Then there should be a "Canterbury Central" miles out of town.........

 

[civ-eng-jim]

I doubt very much that commuters driving into Canterbury would like to truncate their journey early at a "Parkway" station out of town and board a train 1 stop into West or East unless the train service frequency can be made attractive and the Parkway station providing free parking. I personally would prefer to drive nearer to the town centre and walk 15-20mins into town - but then I know the cheap car parks

I think we're looking at the Parkway from different angles.....

I see it as a benefit for people who would otherwise drive to Canterbury West Station from the many villages around Canterbury and from within the city itself, park their car and catch the train to places further afield.

Whereas, if I infer correctly, you see the proposal more as a Park and Ride facility for people coming into the city - which, I agree, wouldn't be well used for that purpose as the bus park and rides in Canterbury are well established already.

 

[swt_passenger]

I think we're looking at the Parkway from different angles...

We nearly always do, nearly every time there’s a discussion of a potential new parkway. There was a suggestion to do with York a few days ago, and I’m sure people were only considering ‘inward’ travel to York, rather than avoiding entering the centre on the way somewhere else.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

following on from the fact that Canterbury East and Canterbury West should really be called North and South, I propose that a new Parkway station in Canterbury should follow this trend, by being built slap bang in the middle of town. Then there should be a "Canterbury Central" miles out of town.........

Canterbury West station is actually northeast of the town (and perhaps should have been called Canterbury East) whilst Canterbury East is southwest of the town. There did use to be a Canterbury South that served the Barham line from Harbledown Junction

 

[Metal_gee_man]

I use to CBW to go to STP regularly, I live in surrounding village, and I'm forced to either pay for station parking or find a free space in a residential road 1/2 mile away, I know I'm not the only one, I know of people who regularly carry out the 20 minute walk from east to west to get to Ashford/Ramsgate, the parkway would fix that, I know it wouldn't be a park and ride replacement, I know it'll be built on wetlands only seconds away from the main A2 and all of this is why it should happen, rather than be dismissed!

 

[Islineclear3_1]

I use to CBW to go to STP regularly, I live in surrounding village, and I'm forced to either pay for station parking or find a free space in a residential road 1/2 mile away, I know I'm not the only one, I know of people who regularly carry out the 20 minute walk from east to west to get to Ashford/Ramsgate, the parkway would fix that, I know it wouldn't be a park and ride replacement, I know it'll be built on wetlands only seconds away from the main A2 and all of this is why it should happen, rather than be dismissed!

Nobody "forces" you to pay for station parking. And what's the big deal finding a residential space 1/2 mile away...? You're taking away someone's parking place. There are plenty of cheap car parks near town if you know where to look. I walk it a lot into town - often carrying shopping on the way back to my car

 

[Metal_gee_man]

Nobody "forces" you to pay for station parking. And what's the big deal finding a residential space 1/2 mile away...? You're taking away someone's parking place. There are plenty of cheap car parks near town if you know where to look. I walk it a lot into town - often carrying shopping on the way back to my car

Ok no-one forces me, but when the the last train of the night rolls in at 01.30 in the morning do you want to walk another 20 minutes to get in your car and then drive another 15 minutes to get home, of course not you just wanna get out of there, hence car parking at the station! And where are these cheap council run car parks, they don't exist, £1.80 is more than what indigo parking (southeastern) charge for parking at the station! Now given the choice why would me driving my car I to a congested, pollution hit city, then drive around for a free parking space and then when I don't find one decide I need to park at the station instead! When I can park at a parkway station away from the city!

 

[Metal_gee_man]

£1.80 is more

an hour, I missed that one

 

[civ-eng-jim]

Nobody "forces" you to pay for station parking.

I'm pretty sure Metal_gee_man was being figurative rather than literal....

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Ok no-one forces me, but when the the last train of the night rolls in at 01.30 in the morning do you want to walk another 20 minutes to get in your car and then drive another 15 minutes to get home, of course not you just wanna get out of there, hence car parking at the station! And where are these cheap council run car parks, they don't exist, £1.80 is more than what indigo parking (southeastern) charge for parking at the station! Now given the choice why would me driving my car I to a congested, pollution hit city, then drive around for a free parking space and then when I don't find one decide I need to park at the station instead! When I can park at a parkway station away from the city!

They do exist - there's one 15min walk from East station

 

[Metal_gee_man]

Yes, they do, parking in Wincheap Ind Est next Iceland or cow lane, they are cheap, even cheaper are the free parking spaces within the Ind Est outside Mr Clutch but that's East station! No trains go to St Pancras from there, and when you say well go to Victoria instead the last train to Canterbury East is at 22.10, or 00.12 from St Pancras! But back to the parking you've just made me walk 20 mins West to East and then another 10/15 to Wincheap Ind Est...all for cheap parking!

OR HOW ABOUT NOT BUILDING A MULTI-STORY CAR PARK AT CANTERBURY WEST, ADDRESS THE SUB-STANDARD TRAIN SERVICES FROM CANTERBURY EAST, ADDRESS THE CITIES CONGESTION & POLLUTION PROBLEMS AND BUILD A BLINKING PARKWAY STATION...END OF

 

[Islineclear3_1]

No need to shout....

Maybe a chord from the west line at Chartham Hatch heading south to the east line near the old Elham Valley line at Harbledown might be the lessor of the two evils, then, subject to pathing, 1tph Javelin service to Margate via West and 1tph to East via the new chord

Perhaps the Javelin service to Faversham via Medway could be scrapped and redirected down HS1 via Ashford and new chord to Canterbury East; the Javelin via Medway is no quicker than the domestic services.