• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Haverhill bus-rail link is “council priority”

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
14 Aug 2012
Messages
1,070
Location
Stratford
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Haverhill-bus-rail-link-8220-council-priority/story-26272289-detail/story.html

Haverhill bus-rail link is “council priority”

A bus link to nearby rail services has been named as a priority for Haverhill in the next 20 years.

The plan set out in Suffolk County Council's Rail Prospectus, published last week, falls short of reopening the railway line which some residents have been campaigning for.

The document proposes a possible solution to the lack of public transport in Haverhill in the form of a bus-rail link.

This would be a reliable express bus linking the town to a nearby rail station.

The timings of the buses would link up with those of the trains, meaning no long waits, and tickets would be available on the buses.

There would also be real-time information boards about when the buses are arriving.

The document suggests that a link between Haverhill and Great Chesterford Rail Station could improve links between the town and Cambridge and London.

However, the document states this would be a commercial venture by the rail companies, not run by the council.

It also states, on the subject of linking Haverhill to the rail network: "Suffolk County Council is mindful that a robust business case must be presented to reinstate rail links between Haverhill and Cambridge.

"The scheme to reinstate the line remains a long-term objective."

Malcolm Hill, chairman of the Cambridge to Colchester Rail Project, said: "I am sure a bus would be helpful, but one of the things that the people in Haverhill need is to get on a train and go anywhere in the country.

"Haverhill is one of the largest towns to have no railway at all. It's quite a deprivation."

Town and county councillor Tony Brown said: "I definitely think it would be a positive move. We would welcome any improvements.

"The only thing that really concerns me is that during rush hour a rail bus would get caught in the same traffic as everyone else"



Just found the above online, seems a good idea but question is would it take off, it would certainly be cheaper than replacing the original line

Perhaps this is where the future is with operators like GA operating buses direct to the nearest station with the driver selling orange stock tickets
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

SprinterMan

Established Member
Joined
20 Sep 2010
Messages
2,341
Location
Hertford
I went to school in this town, and I can say that conversely I am really quite pleased that the railways abandoned this pit. I used to go to school on the bus, but if the Cambridge-Colchester line was still in use then I probably would have used that and would hate trains today in the same fashion I hate buses. Haverhill is a blemish on the face of the earth and with any luck it will cease to exist. I remember reading in a newspaper about a cat who got shot twice by youths with an air rifle in ONE WEEK in Haverhill... and this was in the one of the parts not considered rough. Well done Beeching, abandon this geographical pustule to the public transport hell it so readily deserves.

Adam :D
 

jopsuk

Veteran Member
Joined
13 May 2008
Messages
12,771
Seems a bit odd to pick Great Chesterford. Whittlesford Parkway would be a shorter bus journey and has twice as many trains stop.
 

Welshman

Established Member
Joined
11 Mar 2010
Messages
3,017
I went to school in this town, and I can say that conversely I am really quite pleased that the railways abandoned this pit. I used to go to school on the bus, but if the Cambridge-Colchester line was still in use then I probably would have used that and would hate trains today in the same fashion I hate buses. Haverhill is a blemish on the face of the earth and with any luck it will cease to exist. I remember reading in a newspaper about a cat who got shot twice by youths with an air rifle in ONE WEEK in Haverhill... and this was in the one of the parts not considered rough. Well done Beeching, abandon this geographical pustule to the public transport hell it so readily deserves.

Adam :D

You mean to tell me there's a place in the UK worse than Rhyl? :D ;)
 

Stompehh

Member
Joined
5 Apr 2013
Messages
160
I went to school in this town, and I can say that conversely I am really quite pleased that the railways abandoned this pit. I used to go to school on the bus, but if the Cambridge-Colchester line was still in use then I probably would have used that and would hate trains today in the same fashion I hate buses. Haverhill is a blemish on the face of the earth and with any luck it will cease to exist. I remember reading in a newspaper about a cat who got shot twice by youths with an air rifle in ONE WEEK in Haverhill... and this was in the one of the parts not considered rough. Well done Beeching, abandon this geographical pustule to the public transport hell it so readily deserves.

Adam :D

I also grew up nearby... and yes it is not a nice place at all
 

ac6000cw

Established Member
Joined
10 May 2014
Messages
3,121
Location
Cambridge, UK
Seems a bit odd to pick Great Chesterford. Whittlesford Parkway would be a shorter bus journey and has twice as many trains stop.

Agreed - and probably faster to get to as well (straight off the A505).

Actually, at peak times, it might be as fast (or faster) to fit the Haverhill-Cambridge X13 buses with guided bus equipment, then divert some of them via the A11 - A505 (call at Whittlesford Parkway) - M11 - A1309 to Trumpington Park & Ride then guided busway to Cambridge Station.
 
Last edited:

davetheguard

Established Member
Joined
10 Apr 2013
Messages
1,807
Sounds like a Council charter to do absolutely nothing (yet again). Lots of plans, lots of hot air, no action.

County councils' hold the budget to run subsidised bus services; they could run a bus link to the nearest station now if they wanted to.

Expecting a TOC to run buses means it is probably not going to happen: mainly because their job is to run TRAINS. If councils really want better public transport, including much-needed integration between trains & buses, they need to put their money where their mouth is.

The fact that they're talking about a bus link IN THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS shows the lack of ambition in these people. Ye Gods!
 
Last edited:

jopsuk

Veteran Member
Joined
13 May 2008
Messages
12,771
Things get more complicated when the bus would have to run across the county line- indeed, a Haverhill-Chesterford service would run from Suffolk, probably stop a couple of times in Cambridgeshire and terminate in Essex
 

davetheguard

Established Member
Joined
10 Apr 2013
Messages
1,807
Things get more complicated when the bus would have to run across the county line- indeed, a Haverhill-Chesterford service would run from Suffolk, probably stop a couple of times in Cambridgeshire and terminate in Essex

Complicated indeed! Perhaps I was being a bit unfair, but honestly even so it should not take 20 years (or even two) to set up such a bus link.

All they have to do is agree amongst themselves that they want to run it; choose a lead authority; agree a split of the costs between the various councils; issue a tender; appoint a contractor (bus operator); register the route with the Traffic Commissioners.

No infrastructure to build, no planning application to make, no Transport & Works Act needed. Simple and straightforward. But it does of course involve making decisions (and taking responsibility for them). Neither of which seem to be councils' strong points.......
 
Last edited:

ac6000cw

Established Member
Joined
10 May 2014
Messages
3,121
Location
Cambridge, UK
If it became part of the TOC operation, any subsidy would presumably come from national funds, not out of the local council budgets. It's easy to suggest things that you won't have to provide the funds for....

Re-routing a few of the existing (half-hourly, some limited-stop) bus services to test the market shouldn't cost much - with online ticketing, needing to sell train tickets on the bus is a non-issue anyway.
 
Joined
14 Aug 2012
Messages
1,070
Location
Stratford
Things get more complicated when the bus would have to run across the county line- indeed, a Haverhill-Chesterford service would run from Suffolk, probably stop a couple of times in Cambridgeshire and terminate in Essex

That's not the idea, its about the train operator running the service, ie in this case GA presumably with white buses with a red door lol

It will pick up/start at a designated stop in Haverhill then run direct to the nearest station in their eyes its Chesterford, this bus will not stop on route
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
If it became part of the TOC operation, any subsidy would presumably come from national funds, not out of the local council budgets. It's easy to suggest things that you won't have to provide the funds for....

Re-routing a few of the existing (half-hourly, some limited-stop) bus services to test the market shouldn't cost much - with online ticketing, needing to sell train tickets on the bus is a non-issue anyway.

Suppose if the bus started on the original site now Tesco and there could be a ticket machine inside the foyer
 

TUC

Established Member
Joined
11 Nov 2010
Messages
3,564
Complicated indeed! Perhaps I was being a bit unfair, but honestly even so it should not take 20 years (or even two) to set up such a bus link.

All they have to do is agree amongst themselves that they want to run it; choose a lead authority; agree a split of the costs between the various councils; issue a tender; appoint a contractor (bus operator); register the route with the Traffic Commissioners.

There's also lots of examples of LA-supported bus services that cross into other LAs without that other LA making a contribution, simply because it's the effective way to run the service.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
That's not the idea, its about the train operator running the service, ie in this case GA presumably with white buses with a red door lol
Why would GA want to do that. What's in it for them unless it's commercially viable? It look like an LA wanting something for nothing on for a transport mode that's within their own responsibilities.
 

Class 170101

Established Member
Joined
1 Mar 2014
Messages
7,908
Why would GA want to do that. What's in it for them unless it's commercially viable? It look like an LA wanting something for nothing on for a transport mode that's within their own responsibilities.

Could make it part of the franchise specification if it was wanted I would have thought. Clearly there would be a price to pay in terms of premium payments.

How successful is / was the Audley End to Saffron Walden service and is it still running?
 
Joined
14 Aug 2012
Messages
1,070
Location
Stratford
Could make it part of the franchise specification if it was wanted I would have thought. Clearly there would be a price to pay in terms of premium payments.

How successful is / was the Audley End to Saffron Walden service and is it still running?

As of 2012/2013 it was only a benefit if you were going to London, if you were going to Cambridge etc there was usually a long wait for the train, haven't investigated or used the service myself but been told by others that have
 

ChathillMan

Member
Joined
13 Sep 2010
Messages
265
The Hills Road railway bridge means that only single decked vehicles can use the south end of the busway due to the height clearance.

They could convert the X buses to single deck and use a busway vehicle but not sure its worth the time, effort and money for a couple of trips.

Diverting the 13s to the rail station though I think is a good idea.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top