Network Rail's New Station Fund - likely bidders?

[Dolge]

Notice nothing in Greater Manchester or Merseyside?

- Town Meadow, West Kirby line
- Woodchurch, M53 P&R, Bidston line

Town Meadow is no longer being promoted by Merseytravel - probably not a good business case as most traffic would be diverted from Moreton. Woodchurch only makes sense if the line is electrified, or at least gets a more frequent service - can't run a park and ride with an hourly train. Be expensive as well. In general the easy wins re-openings have been done in what were the PTE areas, that's why most of the likely recipients of this money will be outside these areas.

 

[Manchester77]

- Baguley, Cheshire line (and no, I don't belive the rubbish about pathing)

Yes yes yes!!
Once metrolink opens a stop here would serve lots of suburban houses and it's not that far from Wyhthenshaw Hospital. If they really wanted they could provide a shuttle bus between the new stop and the hospital

 

[yorksrob]

Hooray for Haxby (about time)

 

[IanXC]

Is there an available list of projects which have reached GRIP3?

 

[The Planner]

I would be surprised as it is an internal process, you are more likely to hear about these schemes once they get into GRIP 4 and 5, this is single option selection and where they are pretty much dead certs to be built.

 

[DarloRich]

All very nice saying you would like these, but unless the towns have a scheme in progress and set up to bid, they ain't happening!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This - otherwise it is just wibble.

I think you need to be doing GRIP 4 and perhaps almost in to GRIP 5 before you can even think about making a bid for this money.

I bet few if any of these schemes get built.

Here is a link to a very top level overview of the GRIP process: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/4171.aspx

 

[TheWalrus]

So how will Kenilworth be served?

Also why is it with every new station proposal most people think they have to introduce a new service just for that station? They don't! Why can't passing services stop? Eg XCs Manchester-Bournemouth at Kenilworth.

 

[Stonesourscotty]

is there still a proposal to merge Wigan into One station?

 

[The Planner]

Kenilworth would initially be a Leamington - Cov shuttle. Once it is wired then it will be tacked on to either a Cov - New St stopper or some other wacky idea Centro has. XC will not be interested as it increases journey times for them and won't make them any cash, I can't see them being too happy about a service on the branch getting in their way!

 

[PR1Berske]

is there still a proposal to merge Wigan into One station?

Nothing that I've ever seen.

 

[AndyHudds]

The Healey Mills route is a bit of an underused asset where passengers are concerned and a parkway station at Horbury Bridge coupled with a rebuilt Thornhill could well attract current car users for services towards Manchester and Leeds. As an academic exercise, I did some timings using current tables for a Sheffield/Barnsley/Kirkgate/Huddersfield/Penistone circular. I know circular routes are not popular, but the timings do actually work quite well in either direction and would add another element to the Horbury section.

Milnsbridge needs a small parkway type station on the site of the goods yard off Scar Lane - the Colne Valley is crying out for such a facility and it has been mooted already as I recall.

This could be built at the existing Ravensthorpe station, rename it Ravensthorpe & Thornhill Parkway, there is plenty of spare land round there to build a sizeable car park and run some buses to the station,build some platforms in the Wakefield direction. The current Ravensthorpe station suffers due to its remoteness. This would take some pressure of Leeds as passengers from Dewsbury could change there for London via Wakefield.It would also be of advantage should they ever reinstate the Spen Valley Line with a spur connecting in the Huddersfield direction.Grand Central could even call there. I did put this idea to Metro for which they said they had 'noted my comment'. They could even start a Wakefield to Manchester service via the Calder Valley route or even extend the Manchester stopper via Huddersfield to Wakefield, as I've always found it a little strange that Wakefield doesn't have a direct service to Manchester.

 

[jimm]

So how will Kenilworth be served?

Also why is it with every new station proposal most people think they have to introduce a new service just for that station? They don't! Why can't passing services stop? Eg XCs Manchester-Bournemouth at Kenilworth.

Have you ever travelled on a peak XC service between Leamington Spa and Birmingham via Coventry and Birmingham International? Overflowing is an inadequate word to describe loadings most of the time. You could stop a Voyager at Kenilworth but no-one would be able to get on board...

And until all the extra track and signalling proposed to go in between Coventry and Leamington is actually in place, trying to serve Kenilworth is near-impossible. As the Planner says, anything stopping there would just get in the way.

 

[swt_passenger]

No....the Nuneaton to Cov will NOT be extended nor will XC stop...

That extension is becoming a bit of a hardy perennial isn't it! Only comes up every couple of months. The new up side bay platform at Coventry so as to terminate the Nuneaton trains 'away from the mainline to avoid conflicts' should be a bit of a hint...

All a bit academic for Kenilworth though, as it almost certainly won't be 'shovel ready'...

 

[pemma]

- Baguley, Cheshire line (and no, I don't belive the rubbish about pathing)

The problem here is that any rail station in Baguley should be an interchange with the new Airport Metrolink line but any proposals for that to happen are not at an advanced enough stage to submit a proposal in time for this pot of funding.

 

[joeykins82]

I suppose it depends how quickly they want to spend the money; if they allocate some of the new station fund for Kenilworth and build the station while they're doing the other works along the Leamington-Coventry section that'd make sense.

Also, is there any indication of whether it's for England & Wales excluding London, and if not can TfL apply for LO stations on the NR network? Surrey Canal Road has a station box so is probably the most shovel ready project around.

 

[JohnB57]

This could be built at the existing Ravensthorpe station, rename it Ravensthorpe & Thornhill Parkway, there is plenty of spare land round there to build a sizeable car park and run some buses to the station,build some platforms in the Wakefield direction. The current Ravensthorpe station suffers due to its remoteness. This would take some pressure of Leeds as passengers from Dewsbury could change there for London via Wakefield.It would also be of advantage should they ever reinstate the Spen Valley Line with a spur connecting in the Huddersfield direction.Grand Central could even call there. I did put this idea to Metro for which they said they had 'noted my comment'. They could even start a Wakefield to Manchester service via the Calder Valley route or even extend the Manchester stopper via Huddersfield to Wakefield, as I've always found it a little strange that Wakefield doesn't have a direct service to Manchester.

I thought about extending Ravensthorpe, but decided as Thornhill is more accessible and has more potential business in the immediate locality, it would go further to justify a Leeds/Kirkgate/Manchester via Calder Valley service. But equally, I can see the perfect logic in your suggestion and as a small parkway, I think you've won me round. Maybe a letter to a few councillors and Simon Reevell?

 

[Gareth Marston]

having had some experience of costings produced by NR regarding station reopening proposals £20 million isn't go to do much unless the light has been seen. Of course when an organisation wants something and doesn't want something its funny how the costs can vary...........

 

[The Planner]

The fund isn't meant to pay for stations outright though.

 

[TheWalrus]

So how will Kenilworth be served?

Also why is it with every new station proposal most people think they have to introduce a new service just for that station? They don't! Why can't passing services stop? Eg XCs Manchester-Bournemouth at Kenilworth.

Have you ever travelled on a peak XC service between Leamington Spa and Birmingham via Coventry and Birmingham International? Overflowing is an inadequate word to describe loadings most of the time. You could stop a Voyager at Kenilworth but no-one would be able to get on board...

And until all the extra track and signalling proposed to go in between Coventry and Leamington is actually in place, trying to serve Kenilworth is near-impossible. As the Planner says, anything stopping there would just get in the way.

No I haven't but I know they are busy.

 

[Gareth Marston]

The fund isn't meant to pay for stations outright though.

wheres the match funding coming from?

 

[jimm]

The initial post in this thread gives a link to the Network Rail web page about the fund with all the documentation about applications, including detailed guidance notes.

 

[The Planner]

wheres the match funding coming from?

In cases such as Bromsgrove and Kenilworth, the county councils.

 

[DarloRich]

having had some experience of costings produced by NR regarding station reopening proposals £20 million isn't go to do much unless the light has been seen. Of course when an organisation wants something and doesn't want something its funny how the costs can vary...........

Not sure what you mean by the section in bold. Work on the infrastructure costs a great deal, unfortunately. Especially so if S&T or track design work is required. However, I am sure you know best.

I would imagine the local authorities will be expected to chip in a similar sum. Which they won’t, or perhaps can’t contribute at present.

 

[swt_passenger]

Not sure what you mean by the section in bold. Work on the infrastructure costs a great deal, unfortunately. Especially so if S&T or track design work is required. However, I am sure you know best.

I would imagine the local authorities will be expected to chip in a similar sum. Which they won’t, or perhaps can’t contribute at present.

NR's contribution is given as 'up to 75%', with a £5m cap. Therefore at least 25% from LAs... Another point people seem to have missed is that it is aimed at projects that can be at Grip 5 by March 2014, ie end of CP4 - and the guidance notes (available via the original link) also rule out stations on lines where existing infrastructure does not currently allow for a new station. That seems to be another nail in most of the proposals so far. Other significant caveats are that upgrades of existing stations are not relevant, there are other funds for that, stops at new stations must not delay existing timetables, (which is odd) and they must not extract revenue from other public transport.

Quite a few hoops to jump through therefore...

 

[PR1Berske]

NR's contribution is given as 'up to 75%', with a £5m cap. Therefore at least 25% from LAs... Another point people seem to have missed is that it is aimed at projects that can be at Grip 5 by March 2014, ie end of CP4 - and the guidance notes (available via the original link) also rule out stations on lines where existing infrastructure does not currently allow for a new station. That seems to be another nail in most of the proposals so far. Other significant caveats are that upgrades of existing stations are not relevant, there are other funds for that, stops at new stations must not delay existing timetables, (which is odd) and they must not extract revenue from other public transport.

Quite a few hoops to jump through therefore...

You could almost say this announcement won't actually deliver any new stations at all! It's almost, but not quite, a HS2 -announcement smokescreen!

 

[steamybrian]

Wiltshire could do with some more stations following the closures of the 1960s..so my bids would be--

Wootton Bassett... ..sorry "Royal" Wootton Bassett

Corsham

a station I will call North Swindon -- a new station about 1 or 2 miles north of Swindon on the line to Kemble.

 

[Frothy]

You could almost say this announcement won't actually deliver any new stations at all! It's almost, but not quite, a HS2 -announcement smokescreen!

I am certain new stations will be delivered from this fund. I am almost certain the total of the funding will be allocated. The schemes are there.

 

[yorksrob]

As well as Low Moor, I'd like to see a station at Ossett.

 

[mattyb1405]

I don't think XC will stop at Kenilworth; I think the LM shuttle from Nuneaton to Coventry will be extended to the bay platforms at Leamington (assuming it can be done without causing major problems across the WCML). XC won't want to add to their journey times on their long distance routes IMO.

Nuneaton - Cov services are supposed to be using a new bay platform to be installed at Coventry so wouldnt get through towards Kenilworth/Leamington.

 

[The Planner]

People are losing the jist of this thread, it isnt about what stations would be nice to have or people want.
Unless they are at a significant point of planning and have an element of funding and backing they will not be getting a thing out of this.