Evesham-Worcester redoubling

[TheWalrus]

Now thats a suggestion ill have to agree to more - perhaps doing a Chiltern with Hanborough for Witney and a deccent enough bus service?...

Im a big sipporter of bus links so any through hanborough (or anywhere with a rail station) should call at the station to connect with trains!

 

[fgwrich]

Dont think you can turn a train at Hanborough, it would have to go to Charlbury.

Im fine with that - Double Wolvercot junction to Hanborough, single to Charlbury - then extend some of the Oxford services onto Charlbury as per planned...

Im a big sipporter of bus links so any through hanborough (or anywhere with a rail station) should call at the station to connect with trains!

You see this is where we fail, were other countrys prosper - most notably the interchanges operated by Translink / NI Railways...Stations like Bangor for example, fairly reccently rebuilt with a bus interchange built to the side of the station, Coleraine, Belfast Great Victoria Street...it's something we need more of over here...Though at least the concept is gradually happening - Sloughs new Bus Station has moved closer to the railway station, Penzance is easy going and is certainly a good interchange and various stations like Reading have had a fairly deccent interchange for a while, though i suppose that it's a combination of A, Joined up thinking, and B, Privitisation...

 

[LexyBoy]

...and various stations like Reading have had a fairly deccent interchange for a while, though i suppose that it's a combination of A, Joined up thinking, and B, Privitisation...

Except that Reading’s bus interchange has been closed as part of the Station remodelling & Station Hill redevelopments, and the bus stops have been distributed around the town centre (along with a lot of changed road priorities, directions etc). TBH although I was rather skeptical about this initially it does work better for the bus system, but it makes it a poorer interchange with the station as many bus stops are out of sight of the station, even if not actually very far.

Unfortunately it seems the recent trend to get rid of bus stations and replace them with “more convenient” on-street stops (i.e. sell off the land for a quick buck). I think bus services are massively underrated as part of our transport infrastructure and are just thought of in isolation. So many (especially extra-urban) rail links suffer from poor connexions with bus routes, meaning that people have to drive to the station – and why bother with the train if you can drive all the way (excepting where driving into your destination isn’t an option).

 

[Buttsy]

Dont think you can turn a train at Hanborough, it would have to go to Charlbury.

At present I would concede that you are correct, however, if you redouble to Hanborough it wouldn't be too difficult to signal the station to allow for trains to turn back there would it?

 

[The Planner]

It won't happen, the best you'll ever get now is a short loop at Wolvercote to hold trains on and off the branch and possibly one at Norton.

 

[TheWalrus]

You are the pessimist arent ya the planner! Lol

 

[The Planner]

Not at all, i just have the experience of how these things work, if the amount of schemes put forward and worked on actually got anywhere half of these threads wouldnt exist !!

 

[Greenback]

Planner, I think your are more of a realist than a pessimist!

 

[tbtc]

Planner, I think your are more of a realist than a pessimist!

I agree.

Plus, it has to be said that there are a lot of single track pinch-points which get more than an hourly service (e.g. Dore station is situated on one which gets three passenger trains an hour in each direction plus a decent amount of freight), before we worry about further improvements on the Evesham line.

 

[Buttsy]

I agree.

Plus, it has to be said that there are a lot of single track pinch-points which get more than an hourly service (e.g. Dore station is situated on one which gets three passenger trains an hour in each direction plus a decent amount of freight), before we worry about further improvements on the Evesham line.

Fair call, though wasn't that one of the singlings of the 80s to save money on point & trackwork?

 

[TheWalrus]

Yeah true and greenback i had that in mind when i posted!Tbh who honestly though. Cotswold redoubling would go through before it was announced?

 

[swt_passenger]

Except that Reading’s bus interchange has been closed as part of the Station remodelling & Station Hill redevelopments, and the bus stops have been distributed around the town centre (along with a lot of changed road priorities, directions etc). TBH although I was rather skeptical about this initially it does work better for the bus system, but it makes it a poorer interchange with the station as many bus stops are out of sight of the station, even if not actually very far.

I'm not so sure this is the final situation though? Although there will be no through road outside the front of the station, because of the change of levels, isn't there a replacement of sorts further towards Caversham Rd, which would be the other side of the new entrance to the station?

There are also a number of references to a new bus interchange on the north side of the station, outside the new entrance, and to the west of the multistorey car park, and there'll be the new public subway open 24/7, so further major changes to how/where the buses operate are still possible.

 

[cle]

And Cheltenham (and Gloucester I suppose!) are a lot more worthy destinations in terms of importance than Worcester or Evesham. And are benefitting from doubling currently!

 

[LexyBoy]

I'm not so sure this is the final situation though? Although there will be no through road outside the front of the station, because of the change of levels, isn't there a replacement of sorts further towards Caversham Rd, which would be the other side of the new entrance to the station?

There are also a number of references to a new bus interchange on the north side of the station, outside the new entrance, and to the west of the multistorey car park, and there'll be the new public subway open 24/7, so further major changes to how/where the buses operate are still possible.

Not the impression I've got from the local papers - I remember various ideas being mooted but haven't seen anything to suggest they are being considered. Certainly the current scheme seems pretty permanent with a lot of street furniture being installed and roads being resurfaced & re-prioritised for the buses etc. I'll have a read around though and see if I can dig anything out.

I don't think an interchange on the north side of the station is an option, it would be well out of the way of most routes and would be a nightmare in terms of access, the only bridges under the railway being the congested Caversham Road and Vastern Road bridges. Something to the west of the old interchange could work though.

(Sorry for being so OT, only realised on looking back at this thread )

 

[gmiller]

Hopefully the oxford worcester service will experience passenger growth due to the current redoubling and a further flow of passengers may come when the chiltern trains begin to use oxford on 2013. With oxford-bletchley-Bedford re opening at some point there seems to be many opportunities for the cotswold line to increase patronage.

 

[Greenback]

Not the impression I've got from the local papers - I remember various ideas being mooted but haven't seen anything to suggest they are being considered. Certainly the current scheme seems pretty permanent with a lot of street furniture being installed and roads being resurfaced & re-prioritised for the buses etc. I'll have a read around though and see if I can dig anything out.

I don't think an interchange on the north side of the station is an option, it would be well out of the way of most routes and would be a nightmare in terms of access, the only bridges under the railway being the congested Caversham Road and Vastern Road bridges. Something to the west of the old interchange could work though.

(Sorry for being so OT, only realised on looking back at this thread )

I agree. Due to Reading's layout, both as a town and railway wise, it seems a bit pointless to have any sort of bus station or interchang eon the northern side.

At the moment it's not far to walk to any of the bus stops around the station area. In fact I;d venture to say that it's much the same sort of walk that would have been required to ge tto the far end of the old bus station by platform 1, from where I regularly caught the Woodley bus.

What is definitely needed is a lot more bus publicity at the main entrances tot he staions. It would be useful to have route maps and fare details as well as maps showing the location of all of the town bus stops.

 

[TheWalrus]

And Cheltenham (and Gloucester I suppose!) are a lot more worthy destinations in terms of importance than Worcester or Evesham. And are benefitting from doubling currently!

Yeah but that's because they need the redoubling. Cheltenham doesnt!

 

[merlodlliw]

It wouldnt be more than 1tph off peak.

So if I say1, it will cost £2?!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Axminster cost £20m if thats any indicator. And whats the argument for Swindon-Kemble? I can see less benefits to that than Evesham-Norton jn.

If it helps Network Rail have costed 7 of the 9 miles for double tracking between Saltney & Rossett(nr Wrexham) at £42millions.

 

[Buttsy]

If it helps Network Rail have costed 7 of the 9 miles for double tracking between Saltney & Rossett(nr Wrexham) at £42millions.

I thought that wasn't helped by a new road being built alongside and over part of the old formation.

 

[cle]

Yeah but that's because they need the redoubling. Cheltenham doesnt!

For more than an hourly service it does! And half of those are only to Swindon.

 

[TheWalrus]

For more than an hourly service it does! And half of those are only to Swindon.

Yeah true but from what ive seen they dont need anymore than that, or id gladly support an hourly cheltenham-padd!

 

[merlodlliw]

I thought that wasn't helped by a new road being built alongside and over part of the old formation.

The saving then was less than £half a million, just for the over bridge, which runs over the old line formation, in other parts the line was moved within the budget of the new road. The £42 million is just for double track of 7 miles,leaving 2 miles between Rossett & Gresford single due to the overbridge which will never be moved, the single tracking would never occur it were 2011.


Bob

 

[cle]

I think Cheltenham has huge suppressed demand, as Chester proved. It's not on the map much, but is a very nice place to visit, is affluent and has a few big businesses too.

With the doubling, and if services were hourly, faster and went direct rather than via Gloucester, I think we'd see a much bigger market in the way we have now for Chester.

 

[Noguidedbus]

Swindon Kemble is a Severn Tunnel diversion route, the benefits are much larger.

A lot of MPs use it, too.

 

[swt_passenger]

Not the impression I've got from the local papers - I remember various ideas being mooted but haven't seen anything to suggest they are being considered. Certainly the current scheme seems pretty permanent with a lot of street furniture being installed and roads being resurfaced & re-prioritised for the buses etc. I'll have a read around though and see if I can dig anything out.

I don't think an interchange on the north side of the station is an option, it would be well out of the way of most routes and would be a nightmare in terms of access, the only bridges under the railway being the congested Caversham Road and Vastern Road bridges. Something to the west of the old interchange could work though.

I agree. Due to Reading's layout, both as a town and railway wise, it seems a bit pointless to have any sort of bus station or interchange on the northern side.

I'm not making this stuff up at random you know, whatever might have been in the papers.

Reading Station £9.6 Million Funding

£9.6 million Funding for Two New Transport Interchanges Confirmed

Road and rail users in Reading have been handed a major boost with the news the Government has today (Dec 16) confirmed funding for two new transport interchanges at Reading Station.

After months of lobbying by Reading Borough Council and local MPs, the Department for Transport (DfT) today confirmed it would provide £9.6 m in funding to pay for the new interchanges, which will be located to the north and to the south of the redeveloped Reading station building.

The new interchanges will provide open access to the refurbished and widened subway...

http://www.reading-travelinfo.co.uk/TravelInformation/TransportPlansandStrategies/ReadingStationRedevelopment/index?ID=SXE409-A77F70A3

In April 2011 Reading BC published a revised transport strategy for 2011 -2026. It clearly shows three interchanges around the station. The recent changes have produced what is shown as the SE interchange. The old bus station area alongside platform 1 will be redeveloped into what will be known as the SW interchange. It will be at a lower level than the disused bus stands, because the road is being dug out to it's original level as part of the works for the new station and the new underpass, and this is why there cannot be a through route. There is also definitely a northern interchange shown outside the new northern entrance to the station, which is to include a completely resited Rail Air link terminal.

 

[Greenback]

Well if there are going to be two itnerchanges that does make more sense. I hope that they will be bus only areas, with good passenger shelters and facilities.

I can't help thinking that visitors may find it a bit confusing though. There will have to be very clear signage as to which way you should exit the station for your bus.

 

[relayer]

My understanding is that in 2014 a loop line is being installed from Oxford north Junction to Wolvercote

 

[The Planner]

Yes, that is the plan, but it is not related to the Cotswold redoubling. That loop is part of the 775m freight loop project from Southampton to the Midlands.

 

[Rugd1022]

Yes, that is the plan, but it is not related to the Cotswold redoubling. That loop is part of the 775m freight loop project from Southampton to the Midlands.

It's another of those that should never have been removed in the first place... !

 

[relayer]

Yes, that is the plan, but it is not related to the Cotswold redoubling. That loop is part of the 775m freight loop project from Southampton to the Midlands.

OOeer will check my calculations, Oxford North Junction 64 M 00 to Godstow 65 M 20 bit further tham 775 M . But the loop has going to be built with a view to be incorperated with any future OWW works. I dont know if the bridges are all right at the junction. If only the Fairford branch was reinstated I would be a happy man