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Rail Campaign Group Wants Stations Closed

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DXMachina

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Guessing they all live around the stations that would stay open, and want a better chance of getting an empty seat..
 

YorkshireBear

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Maybe not eleven stations but this discussion cropped up a few weeks ago. There was an article in Modern Railways about it and how some of the stations are only used by on average 5 people a day. With many of the stations useage figures hovering around 1000.

Looking at the stats i think 11 is far to excessive and it shouldn't be that many. A few passsing loops would help matters more to be honest.
 

wintonian

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A public transport users group advocating for a reduction of transport links and possibly (depending on the bus service) grater isolation of rural communities - I really can’t take this group seriously. :roll:
 

DarloRich

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I used Umberleigh and Portsmouth Arms when i lived in North Devon. Surely a better plan would be to make all the stations other than perhaps Crediton & Eggesford request stops.

There are also a substantial number of user worked crossings on this route which must slow things down
 

Zoe

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I used Umberleigh and Portsmouth Arms when i lived in North Devon. Surely a better plan would be to make all the stations other than perhaps Crediton & Eggesford request stops
How much do trains have to slow down though when passing through a request stop?
 

bb21

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The majority of those stations are only request stops anyway.

The real problems on that line are the long single track sections, with only a passing loop at Eggesford, not the fact that there are so many stations, a large number of which don't even get served on request for the majority of the day.
 

Zoe

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I think they should have kept the GWR route from Taunton open. It would have provided a useful rail link for people heading towards London and Bristol rather than having to go all the way south to Exeter or going by road to Tiverton Parkway.
 

MidnightFlyer

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Here's an idea: create another passing loop (and upgrade Yeoford-Crediton to be integrated track), upgrade the most time-consuming level crossings, and watch the money spent pay itself back. The Barnstaple line has seen excellent growth in recent years - I can only see what is being proposed as a step backwards, not an overall positive move. OK, some stations may only have 4tpd, but 4tpd and a handful of buses is better than a handful of buses and no train service whatsoever!
 

Yew

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On the robin hood line, the services to Worksop call at all stations apart from Bulwell, but the Mansfield Woodhouse terminators dont stop at Newstead. Maybe this could help speed up some times?
 

Schnellzug

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11 stations?! Why not campaign for HS3 to be built from Cowley Bridge Junction to Barnstaple so as to cater for the elite, while they're at it, since obviously they feel that it's so important that they have quicker services, and :oops: everyone else ?
 

yorksrob

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Does seem a rather "beggar thy neighbour" attitude for a transport campaign group to take. There must be other ways of speeding up the route they could be campaigning for (as mentioned above).
 
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The North Devon public transport users group

It's not 'The' North Devon Public Transport Users Group - just 'A' North Devon Public Transport Users group.

It has no online presence, and I wouldn't be surprised if it consists solely of John Gulliver, Patrick Adams, and a few members of their immediate family.
 

dvboy

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How long does it currently take end-to-end?

Is 15 minutes REALLY going to make that much difference to the lives of people in Barnstaple compared to the inconvenience it will bring to those using stations in between?
 

PaxVobiscum

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How long does it currently take end-to-end?

Is 15 minutes REALLY going to make that much difference to the lives of people in Barnstaple compared to the inconvenience it will bring to those using stations in between?

Must be the busy lives of some people again :)
 

Schnellzug

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How long does it currently take end-to-end?

Is 15 minutes REALLY going to make that much difference to the lives of people in Barnstaple compared to the inconvenience it will bring to those using stations in between?

It takes about an hour and ten minutes from Exeter St. D.
 
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I think they should have kept the GWR route from Taunton open.

Yes, but it was sloooowww: it took 1:45, and - with a decent connection - you can go Barnstaple-Exeter-Taunton quicker than that.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
It takes about an hour and ten minutes from Exeter St. D.

Most daytime journeys are 65 minutes Barnstaple to Exeter (with four minutes at Crediton waiting for the single line to clear) or 68 minutes Exeter to Barnstaple (six minutes at Eggesford). If anything, all trains should stop at Lapford as well...
 

D1009

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At the moment there is an hourly service through the middle of the day which does not serve Newton St Cyres, Lapford, Kings Nympton (apart from a couple of exceptions), Morchard Road and Chapelton, and the demand at these stations is a fraction of that of the remainder of the line. This pattern was introduced recently and has led to a huge increase in passenger numbers. It is not possible to (reliably) fit stops at these stations in to the hourly pattern, so they are served in the morning and evening only. If they were closed it would be possible to extend the hourly service without additional infrastructure or rolling stock, but it is simply not politically correct to propose any station closures anywhere in the current climate. The "eleven stations" thing is probably a misquotation by our friends in the media.
 

bluenoxid

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A public transport users group advocating for a reduction of transport links and possibly (depending on the bus service) grater isolation of rural communities - I really can’t take this group seriously. :roll:

HS2???

Sorry. Highly rude of me.

As sad as it is to say, the rail network needs to adapt to meet the changing needs of it. We keep stations open that do not need to be open. It may seem cruel but mothballing could be a better option for some of these stations.

Pontefract Baghill could easily go with the train better used via Barnsley and the other Pontefract stations.

Heysham Port could go.

It might seem weird but slowing and speeding up that train costs money that could be better spent elsewhere.

The Status Quo is not good enough in some places and whatever you want is not whatever you get.
 
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At the moment there is an hourly service through the middle of the day which does not serve Newton St Cyres, Lapford, Kings Nympton (apart from a couple of exceptions), Morchard Road and Chapelton, and the demand at these stations is a fraction of that of the remainder of the line. This pattern was introduced recently and has led to a huge increase in passenger numbers.

Erm, all trains call at Morchard Road, and have done for at least two years. Did you mean Portsmouth Arms?
 

Bald Rick

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We all want more people to use the railway. We also know that improvements in journey times attract more people. So if in this case knocking out 11 stops reduces journey times to the extent that, say, twice as many new passengers were gained by the railway than lost, it would be a good thing?

Increased revenue, reduced operational cost, and for no up front investment.
 

YorkshireBear

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HS2???

Sorry. Highly rude of me.

Yeah but there is an alternative for communites between london and birmingham, Infact there are two alternatives (chiltern and WCML)... :P


I agree with MattE... small capital investment, it surely doesn't cost much to add 1 or maybe 2 passing loops and make a few crossings a bit more user friendly?
 

yorksrob

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I'm reminded of my beloved Marshlink, on which stations were dropped (in effect to a parliamentary service) and the trains were speeded up, and extended to Brighton, and passenger levels did indeed improve.

How much of this passenger growth was caused by the larger number of direct journey possibilities or new trains I don't know, but the stop at Appledore had to be re-introduced pretty sharpish and I notice that Three Oaks and Winchelsea now get alternate stops, so they're obviously useful to someone.

As far as I'm aware, these re-instatements haven't resulted in a decline in passenger use.
 

D1009

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Yeah but there is an alternative for communites between london and birmingham, Infact there are two alternatives (chiltern and WCML)... :P


I agree with MattE... small capital investment, it surely doesn't cost much to add 1 or maybe 2 passing loops and make a few crossings a bit more user friendly?

Erm it does actually, the only way you'd justify additional loops is to increase the service which would mean leasing more rolling stock and probably additional platforms at Exeter. There aren't quite as many people travelling between Barnstaple and Exeter as there are between London and Birmingham!
 

YorkshireBear

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Erm it does actually, the only way you'd justify additional loops is to increase the service which would mean leasing more rolling stock and probably additional platforms at Exeter. There aren't quite as many people travelling between Barnstaple and Exeter as there are between London and Birmingham!

I wasnt comparing the two of them though i know there are less people between the two...

Hmm maybe, im not entirely sure. :/
 

DavidBrown

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The thing that installing passing loops would have in its favour regarding the rolling stock is that cascades will happen with electrification. Obviously we'll have no idea what will move where until electrification is pretty much complete, but it should be possible to have a half-hourly service - one slow train stopping at all stations and terminating at Exeter Central or Exmouth, and one fast train (possibly extending the Waterloo service to stop at Crediton, Eggesford and Barnstaple).

Also remember that schemes such as passing loops and closing stations are purely the dreams and wishes of us and/or rail user groups - even if passing loops were announced today they won't be installed for many years with planning, consultation and other logistics, and so any cascades from electrification will have long since happened.
 

bnm

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Two blokes wanting a slightly quicker journey does not make a Public Transport Users Group. Even if they do go crowing to the local press and the BBC pick up on the (non) story. :roll:
 

D1009

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Bald Rick puts the argument quite starkly, and if you look at the Google satellite view of Portsmouth Arms you can see the justification, however once stations start closing it wil be the thin end of the wedge and many places will lose their lifelines.

The rail revolution is happening, but slowly does it.
 
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