K&ESR/RVR Robertsbridge TWA approved!

[railfan99]

Hope this link works!

Thanks. As one would expect, professionally drawn. Extremely detailed. No wonder you had the Minister's approval stamp, not the rejection one.

Seems like a large number of required civil works. Pleasing for you there's no identifiable heavy grades: if I read it correctly, approxiomately 1 in 98 is the ruling grade.

 

[steamybrian]

Hope this link works! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zCtkv_i7-Lyxo8o_U6NMLDV1M-rUXJxh/view
Go to page 11 onwards, zoom in and you can see the extent of the bridges and culverts required its lots but we do have lots of experience in this. Only Rother Bridge on the Kent/Sussex border is a pre-preservation structure on the 11 miles of the current K & ESR, all the rest has had to be rebuilt because it was basically falling down as inherited from BR.

I have also read the plans and thank you Paul for sending them.
I have noted that Salehurst Halt is planned to be rebuilt but can you confirm a rumour that it will only be used for special services.?

 

[Trainlog]

I have also read the plans and thank you Paul for sending them.
I have noted that Salehurst Halt is planned to be rebuilt but can you confirm a rumour that it will only be used for special services.?

Salehurst will be an interesting lineside cameo, but probably wont get used on a regular basis especially if its built as a near replica of the original. I mean the Bluebell has many of its early preservation halts left over between Sheffield park and Horsted Keynes but they dont tend to stop at them anymore, but serve as an interesting thing to see from the train.

 

[zwk500]

Salehurst will be an interesting lineside cameo, but probably wont get used on a regular basis especially if its built as a near replica of the original. I mean the Bluebell has many of its early preservation halts left over between Sheffield park and Horsted Keynes but they dont tend to stop at them anymore, but serve as an interesting thing to see from the train.

Slightly different as those halts were built in the hope of traffic or for operational reasons and simply haven't been recovered. AIUI the last time anything stopped at them was the gala celebrations for the anniversary of reopening.

 

[paul1609]

I have also read the plans and thank you Paul for sending them.
I have noted that Salehurst Halt is planned to be rebuilt but can you confirm a rumour that it will only be used for special services.?

A number of sample timetables have been drawn up for Robertsbridge Junction to Tenterden Town in order to test the business model and quantify the benefits. Obviously the events of recent years have changed the demand for services (see the other topics about preserved railways financial issues and "experiences" v traditional timetables). I wouldn't expect the timetable to be finalised until the year before opening tbh, so "rumours" are probably based purely on speculation.

 

[steamybrian]

.......... I mean the Bluebell has many of its early preservation halts left over between Sheffield park and Horsted Keynes but they dont tend to stop at them anymore, but serve as an interesting thing to see from the train.

All the intermediate halts on the Bluebell Railway were closed and demolished many years ago. (The last one standing was Ketches Farm Halt which was little used and was finally demolished within the last couple of years.)

 

[Brissle Girl]

Thanks. As one would expect, professionally drawn. Extremely detailed. No wonder you had the Minister's approval stamp, not the rejection one.

That would an absolute minimum “hygiene level” for an application of this nature. Far more relevant factors would actually determine the likelihood of a favourable outcome for the applicant.

 

[railfan99]

Far more relevant factors would actually determine the likelihood of a favourable outcome for the applicant.

Such as the local MP's view, and a brief meeting - perhaps just a coffee - with the Minister or a key adviser, perhaps with a relevant public servant in attendance.

 

[alf]

Such as the local MP's view, and a brief meeting - perhaps just a coffee - with the Minister or a key adviser, perhaps with a relevant public servant in attendance.

I don’t understand this from railfan99.

I have read all of the Rother Valley submission to the public enquiry.

It was & is amazingly professional. It responds politely & carefully to all the criticism raised & is obviously the detailed work of consummate experts.

Read the documents & you will see that the Rother Valley board deserved to win.
It was nothing to do with a coffee & a brief meeting!

The only pity is that it took so long for the Inspector to decide.
No criticism of him. His report is also impressive & I would say watertight in the event of an appeal from the two landowners who stand to lose small areas of grazing land.

 

[alastair]

Such as the local MP's view, and a brief meeting - perhaps just a coffee - with the Minister or a key adviser, perhaps with a relevant public servant in attendance.

I really don't think so. Much more important is that restoring the line was part of the local development plan and also planning approval for the extension had been granted a few years ago.

 

[RichJF]

I really don't think so. Much more important is that restoring the line was part of the local development plan and also planning approval for the extension had been granted a few years ago.

For example the objection raised to the level crossing on the A21 bypass was a major sticking point.
I believe the K&ESR study proved it would be LESS restrictive than the traffic lights about 1/2 a mile further up the road & would be built with barriers & monitoring. Once that was covered I think it was likely the project would get a positive reaction.

 

[railfan99]

For example the objection raised to the level crossing on the A21 bypass was a major sticking point.
I believe the K&ESR study proved it would be LESS restrictive than the traffic lights about 1/2 a mile further up the road & would be built with barriers & monitoring.

So it'll be extremely similar to the recently rejigged, busy level crossing, Seward Way, on the up side of Minehead railway station, terminus of the West Somerset Railway?

YouTuber Admiralscorner has various videos, of which this is one: