Places on existing lines where new stations could be built.

[61653 HTAFC]

Somerton or Langport in Somerset on the Reading to Taunton Line between Taunton and Castle Cary. This has not been mentioned so I am mentioning it.

Could've sworn I'd mentioned both along with Wellington and Cullompton, but that may well have been on a previous similar thread...
A reopened Chard Junction on the Mule wouldn't go amiss either.

 

[plcd1]

I see someone has already suggested Leyton (Bakers Arms) but I think that would be popular.

Others in London are Forest Road (near Hale End Rd) and Chingford Hatch on the Chingford line. The line would be more "metro" in style with these extra stops but they serve areas with lots of housing nearby and would allow TfL to rationalise the bus services somewhat and take pressure off bus to rail interchange at Walthamstow Central.

An old favourite and much proposed is Junction Road on the GOBLIN. One other would be York Way (or Kings Cross North) on the North London Line to serve the massively redeveloped area on the railway lands.

I suspect there may well be rolling stock implications if both stops were added to the Chingford Line unless the class 710s have very good acceleration and braking.

However this is all dream land stuff because adding stations to the rail network is not really on the political agenda in London other than old favourites like Camberwell or Brixton (SLL). Furthermore the possibility of developer funding is very limited in all the above cases as there is not a lot of scope for new housing nearby.

 

[infobleep]

How about Bathampton or is it too close to Bath to be popular enough?

 

[infobleep]

Why? The population is only around 1000 and the station would just slow down journey times for no real benefit.

It would be popular with hikers. There are stations that still exist for that purpose I believe.

 

[Francis]

Golborne, Wigan (WCML)
Leyland West / Midge Hall (Ormskirk-Preston line)
Glazebury / Leigh Parkway (Chat Moss line where it crosses the A574)

As PR1Berske also has noted Coppull, on the WCML, and Standish, a few miles further south towards Wigan.

You would need to restore at least a single slow line south of Balshaw Lane Jc to the old Standish Jc.
Coppull and Standish have both grown considerably in recent years, 8000 and 13000 respectively. Both could be served by Liverpool Wigan Preston trains.
Golborne is twice their size - about 24,000. It could be served by a new stopping service Preston, Leyland, Euxton, Coppull, Standish, WiganNW, Golborne, Glazebury (Leigh Parkway & Culcheth), Eccles, Manchester stations.

Culcheth and Glazebury population is 11000, and Leigh 42000. All these are prime commuter territory for Manchester. A decent public transport option is badly needed to relieve the overloaded M61, M62 and A580 which all have severe congestion at peak times.

Slight inconvenience for Virgin on the WCML and the indolence of Network Rail and DfT should not be allowed to block all these towns from having decent rail facilities. The alternative bus services are desperately slow or non-existent, on the crowded roads of south Lancashire.

 

[dcsprior]

Thought I'd already posted this weeks ago, but just tried "Search This Thread" and can't see it, so apologies if it is indeed a duplicate post...

A few (in rough order of feasibility) near where I grew up:

• Bannockburn/Broomridge just south of Stirling could attract park-and-ride traffic both into Stirling, and towards Glasgow/Edinburgh
• Cambus, if there was plenty free parking and the direct services from Alloa to Glasgow and Edinburgh stopped there, it could pick up commuter traffic from Alva, Menstrie, Tullibody and the west side of Alloa.
• Clackmannan & Kincardine (depending on what counts as an "existing line") could enable circular services going Edingburgh/Glasgow-Stirling-Alloa-Fife-Edinburgh, which'd pick up new passengers as they dropped off others, maximising loadings over the whole route - however wouldn't be busy enough to justify electrification so would mean diesels running under the wires, unless Scotrail get some bi-modes.
• Cornton just north of Stirling is an area that could do with a boost, a station could help provide that, but it'd mean a lot of stops in a very short space of time which'd negatively impact existing services.

Close to where I live now is Edinburgh's South Suburban railway - does that count? The line is still there and it is used for passenger services, albeit only very few to maintain route knowledge for diversions.

 

[Parallel]

How about Bathampton or is it too close to Bath to be popular enough?

I think Bathampton could generate some traffic. If Keynsham and Oldfield Park ever get a second train an hour, realistically it would probably terminate at Bath Spa anyway and then run to the loop at Bathampton before reversing. Could a single platform be built alongside the loop for terminating services? I'd imagine most of the passenger flow would travel towards Bristol. Passengers for East or South would have to double back on themselves at Bath Spa, but you won't get two/three car DMUs going to London and the signalling struggles as it is between Bath and Bradford On Avon, particularly during the peaks.

 

[159]

I know this isn't technically on an existing line, but if the WAT-Alton line were to be extended to Winchester (just north of the A31), it would not only provide access for Aldershot residents, Farnham residents, and (Altonians?) to the southern SWML, but also other towns that would be along that line like Alresford.
On another note, it could also be a good diverting point for trains on the SWML if there is engineering at Basingstoke as it doesn't loose much time at all compared to the existing SWML, let along going via Havant&Petersfield.

 

[infobleep]

I know this isn't technically on an existing line, but if the WAT-Alton line were to be extended to Winchester (just north of the A31), it would not only provide access for Aldershot residents, Farnham residents, and (Altonians?) to the southern SWML, but also other towns that would be along that line like Alresford.
On another note, it could also be a good diverting point for trains on the SWML if there is engineering at Basingstoke as it doesn't loose much time at all compared to the existing SWML, let along going via Havant&Petersfield.

Is not some of the track built over? I do think it would be useful. Whether it would justify the costs I'm no expert.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Is not some of the track built over? I do think it would be useful. Whether it would justify the costs I'm no expert.

As far as I'm aware, Alton-Alresford has been rebuilt by volunteers as the Watercress line, so it'd be a case of negotiating with them about using it. I think it's only single track.

Alresford-Kingsworthy has no track but the trackbed is largely unobstructed (other than a few houses in places) - except where it crosses the M3, which would need a new bridge.

Rejoining the SWML may be an issue - the junction was flat, and the SWML sees massively more frequent services today than it did in the 70s, so it might now be difficult to path anything joining from Alton without building some grade separation.

I think it's the kind of line that (like many others) if it hadn't closed, it would be doing good business today, and it would be great - and useful - to have it reopened, but there are probably dozens of other line openings that would give better business cases.

Of course if you just extended the Alton services to Alresford, then it would completely qualify as an 'existing line' for the purposes of this thread. Unfortunately Alresford wouldn't qualify as a new station, so I guess it'd still be an off-topic suggestion However, to get completely within the parameters of this thread, I've sometimes wondered whether a station at Wrecclesham (Farnham) along the Alton line would be worth building?

 

[swt_passenger]

Is not some of the track built over? I do think it would be useful. Whether it would justify the costs I'm no expert.

You are probably thinking of the other disused route near Winchester, the "Didcot Newbury Southampton" that ran from Shawford roughly round the east of Winchester through the Chesil area, before crossing under the SWML and heading towards Whitchurch and Newbury and eventually Didcot. A fair bit of that is obstructed in the Winchester area.

 

[swt_passenger]

Alresford-Kingsworthy has no track but the trackbed is largely unobstructed (other than a few houses in places) - except where it crosses the M3, which would need a new bridge.

That is sometimes offered up as a major difficulty with reopening, but as far as I can see there is nothing difficult about it from an engineering point of view, there is an accommodation bridge at the location already. https://goo.gl/maps/gzqFjUKxjL32

 

[frodshamfella]

There was talk a few years ago from Halton Council of building a station in the Beechwood area of Runcorn should the Halton Curve reopen. Work on the Curve (allegedly) starts later this year but talk regarding a new station has gone quiet.
The location would offer a bus/rail interchange. The existing bus station actually sits between the Halton Curve on one side and the WCML branch to Liverpool on the other.

I have added a Google Map link showing the area.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.3211965,-2.7140903,448m/data=!3m1!1e3

Yes I thought of Beechwood, I know it has been mentioned and I understood from NCRUG that some sort of provision has been made so could be added later. Work has started on the curve.

 

[Starmill]

Mauchline is one that's hardly ever suggested, but I think would probably be viable.

It's suggested quite a bit actually! http://www.railforums.co.uk/showpost.php?p=1809355&postcount=13

Sadly Transport Scotland don't seem to have picked up on Mauchline or Cumnock as good locations for new stations - and there would need to be a much improved service to make them value for money. Probably at least 1tph and that may cost more to provide and require more rolling stock.

 

[backontrack]

Wellington and Cullompton (between Taunton and Exeter) would both be worth a shout.

Why not have about 1tph between Glasgow Central and Cumnock? You could retain the current frequency between Carlisle and Cumnock, and possibly speed up some of those trains by putting the stoppers onto the Cumnock service.

That gives Mauchline, Auchinleck and Cumnock 1tph.

Edinburgh South Surburban could be a goer (this isn't just because my grannie lives right next to the line, honest).

Coppull, Standish and Golborne all look like they could justify a train service. Possibly Garstang Parkway as well? Or even Milnthorpe?

 

[R Trevithick]

I know this would add yet another station to an already busy line, and make the journey even longer, but have always thought Cheadle could probably do with a station between Stockport and Navigation Road

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Whatever happened to the eco - village concept down on the Alton line ..?

 

[swt_passenger]

Whatever happened to the eco - village concept down on the Alton line ..?

That was Whitehill/Bordon I think?

There's a Grip 3 study from 2012 on line, the preferred route was via a branch from Bentley, so wasn't exactly a new station on an existing line. Seems to have gone a bit cold since...

https://issuu.com/easthampshire/docs/grip_3_studyv2.0

 

[Howardh]

Lostock. Really a station extension, but it's bizarre that the station serves the Bolton/Preston line yet not the Bolton/Wigan line adjacent. If platforms were built on that line, then it could be described as a "new" station I suppose, just attached to the pre-existing one! But further towards Bolton i suppose there is scope for a P+R at Ladybridge or the bridge at Overdale. However the Lostock car park has been extended - does that ever get full??

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Whatever happened to the eco - village concept down on the Alton line ..?

If I recall correctly, it died - along with all the other proposed eco-towns - when Labour lost the 2010 election. And obviously, with no eco-town being built there, there wasn't much need to build a station.

(It was at Borden, so not quite on the Alton line - would have required a new branch off the line to serve the new eco-village).

 

[HarleyDavidson]

If I recall correctly, it died - along with all the other proposed eco-towns - when Labour lost the 2010 election. And obviously, with no eco-town being built there, there wasn't much need to build a station.

(It was at Borden, so not quite on the Alton line - would have required a new branch off the line to serve the new eco-village).

Bordon would be better served from the Portsmouth direct and a "Parkway" station at Longmoor on the A3, rather than the Alton branch.