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Official Closure of Etruria Station

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Lewisham2221

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From the Central Trains website:

centraltrains.co.uk said:
2 September 2005

Etruria Station closes at the end of the month

Public notice

Closure of Etruria Railway Station

Passengers are advised that the Secretary of State for Transport has now formally approved the closure of Etruria Railway Station, Etruria Road. Stoke on Trent.

The final day of operation will be Friday 30th September 2005.

From Saturday 1st October 2005:

· Northern Rail train services between Stoke on Trent and Manchester Piccadilly will no longer call at Etruria.

· The Central Trains’ replacement bus service between Etruria and Stoke on Trent will be withdrawn.

The nearest alternative railway stations are at Longport and Stoke on Trent


Issued by Central Trains on behalf of:

The Department of Transport,
Rail Group,
Great Minister House,
76 Marsham Street,
London, SW1P 4DR.

One does have to wonder how long other stations such as Peartree (near Derby) and the stations between Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford have left.
 
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bunnahabhain

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I agree with the closure, why should a station that recieves hardly any passengers have an existance?

This will also probably remove other useless stations like Peartree and the Stockport - Guide Bridge line, they arnt needed cause hardly anybody uses them!

Basically if a station recieves very few passengers then why should a train call at the station, slowing down the service for other passengers, and costing money in more Fuel Usage (or electricity usage).
 
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Tom

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It sounds like what was going to happen in INR a while back... interesting though that they're closing it.
 

Lewisham2221

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In (at least) some cases though, the stations only become underused because they recieve a poor rail service that people don't want to use.

The line through Etruria was closed for the 'big upgrade' between Colwich Junction and Cheadle Hulme. When the line re-opened, CT decided not to stop trains there, giving hte reason/excuse that the gap between the train and platform was too big (didn't seem a problem for FNW/Northern) so they bustituted instead. This left just a couple of trains a day on the FNW (now Northern) evening Stoke-Manc service along with a daytime minibus service to Stoke provided by CT. Not exactly the best way to get people using public transport is it?
 

Nick

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Jamie C. Steel said:
I agree with the closure, why should a station that recieves hardly any passengers have an existance?

This will also probably remove other useless stations like Peartree and the Stockport - Guide Bridge line, they arnt needed cause hardly anybody uses them!

Basically if a station recieves very few passengers then why should a train call at the station, slowing down the service for other passengers, and costing money in more Fuel Usage (or electricity usage).

Because people would use Etruria if it had a train service. Theres no point as Marv has said giving a crappy bus service and not advertising it, so that there are no users, to show that the station must close! I've been told the station is actually pretty close to Stoke Town centre, and if it was given a train service and advertised perhaps ridership would improve.

Its a shame Etruria never got to show if it was a useful station, anyone smell the shortsighted attitude of the 60's coming back into fashion?
 

Lewisham2221

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3 of the main destinations for people arriving into Stoke-on-Trent station are the City Centre, Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre, and the Festival Park retail/entertainment/business park. The two town centres are about 10 minutes away by bus a frequent bus service (buses run from Newcastle-under-Lyme, past Etruria station, through Festival Park and into the City Centre), Festival Park is a short walk away and the local area of Etruria itself is undergoing massive regeneration with huge areas of derilict industrial building and land being demolished and a new housing estate is in the progress of being completed. There were also mutterings of a possible transport interchange with Park and Ride facilities to Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke City Centre (the main A500 road that links hte area to the M6 runs parrallel to the railway and has a junction immediatly adjacent to Etruria station. This would, IMO suggest that Etruria would recieve at least the same number of passenger as other unmanned stations on the Crewe-Derby line, although probably more due to the reasons listed above. However, the DfT don't seem to realise this and the station will not get the chance to at least try and fulfill it's potential.
 

evil_hippo

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This is all a charade. They did not give Etruria station a proper chance. in 1981 on the Settle-Carlisle line it was cutting back to 2 trains per day at inconvenient times, here it is bustituting. Same dirty trick; They produce an unattractive service and base their evidence for closure on that. What happened to the prospect of giving Etruria a fair chance?

No. The DfT have decided the station will be closed and nothing will stop them, so they bustitute it to make sure that no evidence of viability will stop them.
 

Max

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Jamie C. Steel said:
This will also probably remove other useless stations like Peartree and the Stockport - Guide Bridge line, they arnt needed cause hardly anybody uses them!

Although it is unlikely that the Stockport-Guide Bridge line would be closed, because of the large amount of beurocracy, and money needed to close it. Anyway, I'd guess that they actually get more passengers on that line than other services, becuase of all the enthusiasts that ride it :)
 

evil_hippo

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Enthusiast making the railway pots of money didn't stop them when it came to stopping the LHCS on the Settle-Carlisle line.
 

Tom B

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If a TOC wants to get rid of a particular station, it's easy - just start reducing its service, so less people will use it, then claim no-one's using it and close it. This happened many years ago (1929) with the LNER here, reducing service on one line until no-one used it, and then closing it. By contrast another line run by the LMS had a frequent service and remained open until 1966.
 

AlexS

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Meh. Etruria is a nasty grey concrete contraption in the middle of a few housing states in a not so pleasant area of Stoke.

Now, comon DfT, announce the final closure of the Walsall to Wolverhampton line to passengers!
 

Techniquest

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Hmm, if I could, I'd go there to tick it off before it goes forever. Maybe some effort should be made to get there. I've passed through there on a CT 153, couldn't see why they didn't stop.

But hold on. If this was First, there might have been some bustitution whilst the problem of gap between train and platform (if the one at Clapham Junction passes, the one with the HUGE gap between 377 and platform 16, ANYTHING should pass) was dealt with (whether this meant getting the HMRI or the HSE out to inspect the gap and declare it safe - how they did that at CJ I don't know - or whatever). Once that was done, they could stop trains there again.

But wait! Let's not forget who's running the main service to this station! It's CT! Only the second franchisee I'd want to axe with immediate effect.

Never mind I guess, the DfT (and quite a few franchise operators come to think of it) would rather you got stuck in a traffic jam or got a bus to everywhere.

I sense a new Dr. Beeching coming in the next few years...
 

Nick

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Cockfosters said:
If a TOC wants to get rid of a particular station, it's easy - just start reducing its service, so less people will use it, then claim no-one's using it and close it. This happened many years ago (1929) with the LNER here, reducing service on one line until no-one used it, and then closing it. By contrast another line run by the LMS had a frequent service and remained open until 1966.

Correct, the but need we forget the wrath of one Richard Beeching? As the GCR turned from Eastern to London Midland hands (yes I can't resist talking about how unfairly the GCR was closed - then again I wouldn't have owt to do if Beeching didn't close it!) anyhoo. The LMR withdraw the majority of Great Central Express such as the Master Cutler and transfered them to Midland Metals. As such, by withdrawing the services the GCR had and telling passengers to use the Midland line, passenger usage dropped on the GCR lines. Ecentually when It was decided there was one too many routes from London to Sheffield, the GCR was picked not just because it competed with the shiny WCML to Rugby but the 'lack' of passengers.

It is very sad such dirty tricks of the 60's are still strong today....remember Woodhead? (Alas, only 20miles of the formation is out, the majority of structures are sound. Just needs the 20miles of rack and stations back!)
 

AlexS

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Well, Beeching wasn't all that bad. The hidden part of his report that everyone forgets is that he recommended mass investment and electrification of everything left. Of course, British Railways Board rejected that bit. Beeching recommended Woodhead remained open, it was the next Transport Secretary in parliament that closed it.
 

Simming

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we also have beeching to thank for the Frieghtliner, which, I do believe, is quite succsessful, seeing as its still on the go now.
 

Techniquest

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OHLE en-masse? Bah, screw that for a start! Diesel power all the way! I cannot imagine me being where I am now if it was all electrics. I can't imagine me being where I am now if I'd been accepted at Sheffield University either. Well, if UWS hadn't accepted me in the first place, I'd DEFINATELY not be where I am now! Don't know what I'd have done instead. Become a social animal? Nah, that's not me at all. Clubbing all the time? Nah, don't see that happening either. Still on my course at UWS? Possible, but very unlikely. Still being a student? Again, very unlikely, although I do live a student lifestyle (minus the study) still.

Nah, I'd rather be the FGW and HST fan I am now.

Once again I've ended diverting from the topic. My point is that I'm glad the OHLE network wasn't made as big as Beeching wanted it. I still want to tick off Eturia before it closes though.
 

Nick

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Wasn't it the over spending of current OHLE systems such as the 1960's WCML electrification which spearheaded the abandonment of the full scale electrification.

Beechings report Alex, may have been good for the branch lines, but the idea to close a Berne Loading Gauge main line which was faster than the Midland's line was a mistake, thanks to the Midland's dirty tricks.

PS. Whats the Beeching Report Online website (me lost it!)
 

AlexS

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Yes, but then the Great Central largely served the middle of nowhere.
The MML serves such population hubs as Kettering, Bedford, Luton and so on. The GCR served such well known places as Wooton and Woodford Halse.
 

bunnahabhain

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It wasnt a Berne loading Guage, the Berne Loading Guage was invented some 10 years after the GCR was built, and Ruddington tried to run a Berne Loading Guage vehicle and it clipped some of their bridges.

It was built to a wider than standard loading Guage, but not Berne guage.

And yes, it did serve absolutely nowhere, although south of Rugby should have probably been kept.
 

Nick

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Jamie C. Steel said:
It wasnt a Berne loading Guage, the Berne Loading Guage was invented some 10 years after the GCR was built, and Ruddington tried to run a Berne Loading Guage vehicle and it clipped some of their bridges.

It was built to a wider than standard loading Guage, but not Berne guage.

And yes, it did serve absolutely nowhere, although south of Rugby should have probably been kept.

But the point is, there was more room allowed than a standard gauge for electrification than say rebuilding the Midland Main Line's bridges for OHLE.

Alex, The MML served Luton, the GCR took Aylesbury. MML picked Bedford, Rugby Central...I can go on.
 

heart-of-wessex

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ive drove to eutria and ticked it off at least :)

There is no point in the stops on the Stockport - Stalybridge service on the F-O line to guide bridge as i doubt anyone uses it, but to save fuel in a sense they are request stops anyway
 

Guinness

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Etruria station was bound to close. The station will now demolished so I can have an a faster 15 second journey into Stoke-on-Trent. FNW Called there because they saw a profit to be made from Services. After FNW went Northern didn't stop there anymore for the sake of a couple commuters and delaying Virgin.

Central Trains - Go! Destroying Local Railways
 
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