Fantasy: Stations you want opened or closed

[KingDaveRa]

I just wish they'd stop buffering about and get East-West Rail going!

 

[MidnightFlyer]

with the Wembley Stadium station retained solely for special trains to/from Baker Street when there are events at Wembley Stadium.
...

Whilst I disagree with the rest of the first point too, I will ask this in particular: what happens in this case to the thousands who utilise Chiltern to get to Wembley Stadium for football and gigs from the north? Into Paddington then a Tube trip via Baker St or all the way on the Bakerloo to Wembley Central? (Good luck getting a dozen trains per hour via Greenford by the way...)

 

[TubeMapCentral]

After Crossrail opens, divert all Wales and west long distance services from Paddington to Euston, close down Paddington. Its time to start creating London Union Station.

 

[Up_Tilt_390]

If it were up to me, I'd consider closing Stratford International. I see no reason why this station should exist in the first place really since it's served only four times an hour in each direction. For an international station, it is certainly not one given how Eurostar doesn't show any interest in stopping there. The fact future operators might want to isn't really much cause for keeping it if you ask me. Aside from use during the Olympic shuttles I've not seen much purpose for it since the trains to and from Liverpool Street take the same amount of time.

 

[daodao]

Carlisle International!

Carlisle Citadel will become an international station if/when Scottish independence happens.

 

[daodao]

You might take the view that a 'responsible government' would try and promote rail use, rather than the endless slow-motion punch in the face which is pretending that increasing private vehicle use is a good thing. But then expecting this government to take a responsible attitude to transport or any other policy is like expecting people who post on rail forums not to be in favour of destroying the railways, including in their own parts of the country

I am not in favour of closing railways, but merely pointing out that many routes are a financial drain on the government, and as the UK becomes increasingly impoverished post Brexit, it will have to reduce subsidies on uneconomic activities. The worst franchises in terms of subsidies are Northern Fail and Wales & Borders. The WAG will find it politically difficult to close lines, but the Westminster administration doesn't rely on votes from northern England and Northern Fail are currently shooting themselves in the foot. Therefore, the lines on which their services run are at particular risk. The Windermere branch has already been closed for the immediate future as a franchise-operated route - will it ever re-open as a part of the national rail network? Services on the Colne branch, the Ormskirk-Preston route and the Blackpool South branch have also been slashed as part of the "temporary" timetable and are at particular risk. The Heysham boat train has also been suspended. None of these routes serve metropolitan areas where rail has a role in reducing traffic congestion.

 

[reb0118]

IBM in a nutshell. There is absolutely nothing there other than a few crumbling buildings that used to be a factory.

Is it possible to leave the station confines? If not what can one do there to while away the time whilst awaiting the next train to "rescue" one.

 

[james60059]

Reopening wise, Castle Bromwich, Whitacre Junction, Stockingford, Nuneaton Abbey Street, Elmesthorpe, and Croft. Make the services 2-3 tph all day and keep the Birmingham - Stansted's non stop between Birmingham - Nuneaton - Leicester

 

[318266]

Is it possible to leave the station confines? If not what can one do there to while away the time whilst awaiting the next train to "rescue" one.

I think. If I am correct you should walk past... Crumbling Buildings!

 

[whittlesfordok]

Please reopen Six Mile Bottom (There is a good business case for this if a parkway station)

 

[Essexman]

If it were up to me, I'd consider closing Stratford International. I see no reason why this station should exist in the first place really since it's served only four times an hour in each direction. For an international station, it is certainly not one given how Eurostar doesn't show any interest in stopping there. The fact future operators might want to isn't really much cause for keeping it if you ask me. Aside from use during the Olympic shuttles I've not seen much purpose for it since the trains to and from Liverpool Street take the same amount of time.

It's well used for West Ham matches (and presumably other events) at the Olympic Stadium.

 

[urbophile]

Not fantasy really (except that all British politics at the moment is), but there are two obvious candidates for (re- in one case) opening on Merseyrail. Vauxhall between Moorfields and Sandhills, serving an expanding business area as well as a long-established residential community; and what was St James between Liverpool Central and Brunswick – which would be more sensibly renamed to avoid confusion with James Street. This would serve not just a large part of the Toxteth district but the expanding leisure/creative centre around the Baltic Triangle. Both have been on official wish-lists and in any civilised society with joined-up thinking would have been opened long ago.

 

[mmh]

If it were up to me, I'd consider closing Stratford International. I see no reason why this station should exist in the first place really since it's served only four times an hour in each direction. For an international station, it is certainly not one given how Eurostar doesn't show any interest in stopping there. The fact future operators might want to isn't really much cause for keeping it if you ask me. Aside from use during the Olympic shuttles I've not seen much purpose for it since the trains to and from Liverpool Street take the same amount of time.

Only four times an hour? Closing a station with usage stats that claim over 2 million passengers a year?

Not everyone is going to or from central London - e.g. via Stratford International is the easiest way to get to Canary Wharf and London City Airport from large chunks of Kent.

 

[318266]

A station at Glasgow Airport (like that scrapped plan) would have a load of passengers.

 

[The Planner]

Depends if it would be cheaper than the bus at £8 and similar in journey time.

 

[318266]

£7.50. Takes 15 mins.

What I want anyway.

 

[mmh]

A Glasgow Airport station wouldn't just encourage people going to/from the city centre to use the train, but people from anywhere you could get to with a change at Paisley. And you wouldn't be at the mercy of the M8 traffic.

 

[318266]

Tickets from not Glasgow to Glasgow Airport will cost the same as a ticket to Paisley.

 

[ccityplanner12]

Wymington on the MML. When the fast-slow (as opposed to passenger-freight) track division is extended beyond Bedford, stopping services will have to slow down anyway for a loop at Wymington built to reduce the gradient for heavy freight trains, so it won't be too much of an inconvenience for them to stop. It could serve the southern parts of Rushden, ideally with another station at Irchester to serve the western parts & car journeys from the north & east.

 

[70014IronDuke]

Wymington on the MML. When the fast-slow (as opposed to passenger-freight) track division is extended beyond Bedford, stopping services will have to slow down anyway for a loop at Wymington built to reduce the gradient for heavy freight trains, so it won't be too much of an inconvenience for them to stop. It could serve the southern parts of Rushden, ideally with another station at Irchester to serve the western parts & car journeys from the north & east.

I don't think you'll get both, but I think one of them will be increasingly demanded once the electric service to Corby is up and running. I suggested a 'Rushden Parkway' up-thread (and in earlier threads). Perhaps a Wymington would be better, but from when I knew the area, the road at Wymington was fairly narrow and did not have good access from anywhere but the south of Rushden. It may have all changed now, and probably has.

 

[DanTrain]

Close East Midlands Parkway, and replace it with Toton, with direct links by tram to Nottingham, Derby and the airport.

 

[B&I]

I am not in favour of closing railways, but merely pointing out that many routes are a financial drain on the government, and as the UK becomes increasingly impoverished post Brexit, it will have to reduce subsidies on uneconomic activities. The worst franchises in terms of subsidies are Northern Fail and Wales & Borders. The WAG will find it politically difficult to close lines, but the Westminster administration doesn't rely on votes from northern England and Northern Fail are currently shooting themselves in the foot. Therefore, the lines on which their services run are at particular risk. The Windermere branch has already been closed for the immediate future as a franchise-operated route - will it ever re-open as a part of the national rail network? Services on the Colne branch, the Ormskirk-Preston route and the Blackpool South branch have also been slashed as part of the "temporary" timetable and are at particular risk. The Heysham boat train has also been suspended. None of these routes serve metropolitan areas where rail has a role in reducing traffic congestion.

Well that sounds like a brilliant way of promoting economic development outside the parts of the country which vote Tory. I can think of quite a few uneconomic activities which receive public subsidy which I would shut down before the Ormskirk-Preston line. Or maybe we could elect a government which wasn't so drastically incompetent.

Also, if you think these services have no role to play in reducing congestion, you should try driving round Windermere during the holiday season, or into Preston from the west any weekday morning

 

[Kite159]

Well that sounds like a brilliant way of promoting economic development outside the parts of the country which vote Tory. I can think of quite a few uneconomic activities which receive public subsidy which I would shut down before the Ormskirk-Preston line. Or maybe we could elect a government which wasn't so drastically incompetent.

Also, if you think these services have no role to play in reducing congestion, you should try driving round Windermere during the holiday season, or into Preston from the west any weekday morning

Although in BR days didn't they reduce service to some stations as an economic measure?
(I'm thinking about the local stations north of Newcastle which only see two trains a day)

 

[B&I]

Although in BR days didn't they reduce service to some stations as an economic measure?
(I'm thinking about the local stations north of Newcastle which only see two trains a day)

Yes, and it was wrong then too

 

[mallard]

Close East Midlands Parkway, and replace it with Toton, with direct links by tram to Nottingham, Derby and the airport.

Or just close it without replacement; or at least the fast platforms. It's by far the least used "Intercity" station on the entire MML and gets 2tph fast + 1tph slow in each direction. It serves fewer passengers than Mansfield Town or Skegness for crying out loud. It's in the same legue as Redcar Central, Congleton or Prestayn.

It's an utter disgrace that it gets a better service (by virtue of the better spaced timetable of services) than Loughborough, which is the busiest EMT-only station on the entire network with over 4x as many passengers. Why they can't just declare it the obvious failure it is and give it a more appropriate service level I don't know... Probably because it's the flagship project of the TOC it's named after (seriously; who signed off on that idea? Shall we open "Virgin Trains Central" or "Transpenine Express Junction" next?) and who continues to pump unjustified amounts of money into promoting it.

 

[WymoWanderer]

I don't think you'll get both, but I think one of them will be increasingly demanded once the electric service to Corby is up and running. I suggested a 'Rushden Parkway' up-thread (and in earlier threads). Perhaps a Wymington would be better, but from when I knew the area, the road at Wymington was fairly narrow and did not have good access from anywhere but the south of Rushden. It may have all changed now, and probably has.

The access from the A6 in to Wymington is not good at present - dangerous turn off the A6, two very sharp bends and the traffic coming from Goosey Lodge too. That said a Rushden Parkway at the former Irchester station site has road access challenges too. Also Wymington is only on the slow lines and I'd be surprised if they built a station with only access to half of the lines.

 

[The Ham]

Or just close it without replacement; or at least the fast platforms. It's by far the least used "Intercity" station on the entire MML and gets 2tph fast + 1tph slow in each direction. It serves fewer passengers than Mansfield Town or Skegness for crying out loud. It's in the same legue as Redcar Central, Congleton or Prestayn.

It's an utter disgrace that it gets a better service (by virtue of the better spaced timetable of services) than Loughborough, which is the busiest EMT-only station on the entire network with over 4x as many passengers. Why they can't just declare it the obvious failure it is and give it a more appropriate service level I don't know... Probably because it's the flagship project of the TOC it's named after (seriously; who signed off on that idea? Shall we open "Virgin Trains Central" or "Transpenine Express Junction" next?) and who continues to pump unjustified amounts of money into promoting it.

Even somewhere like Farnborough North (which mostly sees 1tph, with some extra services in the peaks) has getting on for double the number of passengers. That doesn't try to serve an airport, has virtually no parking and isn't conveniently located for the town centre.

Clearly there a case for reviewing what calls at East Midlands Parkway (although probably not closing altogether).

In terms of station openings, I would review any station that has over 3 million passengers a year to see if there was scope within the boundary of the town/city to provide extra stations or tram routes to increase public transport usage. Then look to see if there's development able to contribute towards developing this.

Obviously there's going to be a lot of places which exceeds the 3 million passengers figure where there's no scope for extra stations (I would suggest that this would be especially true for those stations with over 10 million passengers) and tram routes wouldn't be viable without being part of a wider network (which would probably be the case for the smaller stations which fell within the range, as one or two routes may be suitable but as they would be small probably wouldn't be cost effective). However it could be a good starting point for local authorities to investigate further.

 

[kaiser62]

Yaxley...a small halt in Suffolk on a fairly useless branchline off the GEML at Mellis, a little south of Diss.

 

[Journeyman]

Close Breich. Insane that the minister bottled it and refused permission, and criminal that £2.4m is being spent on upgrading a station used 48 times last year.

 

[318266]

I agree. If something is not in the place it's named after, close it and reopen it in the village. Or just close it completely.