New station: Wixams, Bedfordshire. Planning approved

[61653 HTAFC]

What's the reasoning for this "no service after 22:00" policy? Seems a bit counter-productive if the station is intended to serve new housing developments, yet those residents won't be able to use their local station for a night out in the West End.

 

[richieb1971]

What's the reasoning for this "no service after 22:00" policy? Seems a bit counter-productive if the station is intended to serve new housing developments, yet those residents won't be able to use their local station for a night out in the West End.

Best thing about this is that its the easiest thing to reverse. You can easily add more services.
A lot of night passengers are heading for Luton airport or Gatwick airport and are largely empty. It will mean any Wixams passenger will need to get to Bedford station.

I have to assume the forecasted footfall for Wixams is extremely low. Even Cheddington on the WCML gets an hourly service and there is less in Cheddington than there is at Wixams.

 

[stephen rp]

Has anyone got a binding commitment from the TOC that they will stop any trains at the new station?

(See "Warrington West")

 

[Edvid]

13 months since the two-platform proposal was granted planning permission, here's how things are going:

* Approval in Principle (general design) and Network Change have both been signed off.
* BBC approve of NR's cost plan and provision for funding will be noted in their next Medium Term Financial Strategy.
* The two applications for minor amendments (to accommodate a second footbridge) were approved in yesterday's Planning Committee meeting.
* BBC signed a Development Services Agreement instructing NR to undertake detailed design of the station, with site surveys in week beginning 30 March.
* The first draft of an Implementation Agreement should be available from NR by 12 April. Entering this agreement will trigger the first tranche of S106 money, with the other two likely to follow 6 and 12 months into the project.

Sources: ESCOSC meeting, 21 March 2024 / PC meeting, 25 March 2024

 

[richieb1971]

I hope it suits all the needs of the paying customer. Warehouses are going up all around it so if it doesn't suffice in 5 years we have another broken project.

If universal turn wixams into some kind of 60k a day station I will be looking at the people who made these decisions. You could put the station next to the car auction and have future proofing built in.

Does anyone else believe that if universal goes ahead wixams will suffice?

 

[DarloRich]

Does anyone else believe that if universal goes ahead wixams will suffice?

yes - more than adequality. Users will, obviously, come by train but many ( perhaps most) will come by road. The site is very close to good road links and motorways and train ticket costs mean driving will be more realistic for many people.

If universal turn wixams into some kind of 60k a day station

Where do you get this kind of figure from?

You could put the station next to the car auction and have future proofing built in.

work needs to start pdq or the S106 money will be lost. if that is lost there is no station. IRC that is something like £13m!

 

[richieb1971]

Alton towers captures 2.3 million per year without train connectivity and mainly caters for UK folk only.

Universal studios is a much larger enterprise and has a catchment area of the whole of Europe of which many will fly and catch a forwarding train.

Alton towers has 2500 employees. If you match that figure for universal and all arrive by car that's up to 2500 cars before a ticket is sold. It's much more likely many of these will commute in by train since the stations are very local to the park.

Any which way you look at it, the stations adjacent to the park will be used quite heavily. In both scenarios the summer season will be booming.

I heard a few years ago Rushden lakes banned employees to arrive by car because the car park was half full once they arrived. I don't know how big the car park will be for universal but it's going to have to be gigantic.

I just think it's premature on the decision making.

Especially as my mayor told me another warehouse is being built next to the station blocking it in. Or at least making expansion afterwards much more difficult.

 

[flitwickbeds]

I agree that if Wixams goes ahead in its current form (two platforms only, limited hours only) it will not be sufficient for Universal, should that go ahead. The location also would require shuttle buses to get to the park entrance.

How about instead letting Wixams go ahead as planned and use Kempston Hardwick as a gateway to Universal? This also may help EWR plans.

- A new piece of track between Stewartby and Kempston Hardwick village connecting EWR to the MML.
- Expand a renamed Kempston Hardwick station onto the piece of land in the corner of the proposed park which looks like abandoned concrete right now, with through and terminating platforms
- One train an hour between London St Pancras and the new Universal Studios station, using one of the Bedford paths (so Bedford to Gatwick reduces from 4tph to 3tph) - calling at St Pancras, St Albans, Luton/Parkway, and Universal.
- Marston Vale keep Universal Studios as a stop on their new network as a through route

Also gives an extra diversion/freight route onto the MML southbound.

 

[richieb1971]

It absolutely needs Wixams because of train lengths. EWR is supporting 4 car trains only. Which means Universal cannot be on the Vale services it would require shuttle trains from Bedford exclusively for the purpose of universal traffic.

Your also pushing lots of the bandwidth onto Bedford Station which may cause havoc. In the briefings where universal have been mentioned it was said universal have approached the government themselves with particular rail requirements and one was train lengths.

I think both EWR and MML should share the load.

Forders sidings are already in prime location for charters to park and for any shuttle runs. Of course this area of track will require a loop. Forders sidings already has one long enough for passenger coming from the west. So one needs to go in the east with a bay platform.

At this stage the railway may make or break Universals plans. Because without the rail that area will be hard to get to as the current roads are busy as it is. The retail park down the road already has traffic jams at the traffic lights most of the day.

So it's a choice of making lots of road adjustments or rail adjustments or both. It may cost £80 a head to go there if your 2 hours late that's gonna hurt the park and your experience.

 

[flitwickbeds]

It absolutely needs Wixams because of train lengths. EWR is supporting 4 car trains only. Which means Universal cannot be on the Vale services it would require shuttle trains from Bedford exclusively for the purpose of universal traffic.

Your also pushing lots of the bandwidth onto Bedford Station which may cause havoc. In the briefings where universal have been mentioned it was said universal have approached the government themselves with particular rail requirements and one was train lengths.

I think both EWR and MML should share the load.

Forders sidings are already in prime location for charters to park and for any shuttle runs. Of course this area of track will require a loop. Forders sidings already has one long enough for passenger coming from the west. So one needs to go in the east with a bay platform.

At this stage the railway may make or break Universals plans. Because without the rail that area will be hard to get to as the current roads are busy as it is. The retail park down the road already has traffic jams at the traffic lights most of the day.

So it's a choice of making lots of road adjustments or rail adjustments or both. It may cost £80 a head to go there if your 2 hours late that's gonna hurt the park and your experience.

I am proposing that one (12 car) Thameslink train an hour goes to St Pancras, St Albans, Luton/Parkway, then Universal via a new connecting piece of track between Stewartby and Kempston Hardwick village - ie doesn't go to Bedford. Kempston Hardwick (renamed Universal Studios Park or whatever) would have two 4-car through platforms for EWR and one 12-car terminating platform for the new service.

If the new junction to the MML had both northbound and southbound curves then there could also be a Bedford <> Universal shuttle on the alternative half-hour if deemed necessary.

 

[richieb1971]

I don't mind that at all. Might even get the east north curve as well.

The nay sayers will be here waving cheque books today.

But I say EWR have put 4 roads in at Hs2 for limited use. This will be used every 30 minutes.

 

[mwmbwls]

https://www.bedford.gov.uk/media/7117/download?inline

I have just come across this review by SLC on behalf of Bedford Council. Has this been discussed before - (perhaps on another thread)?