Rural line reopenings - which one?

[willgreen]

Frequently posters on this forum will advocate the reopening of obscure rural lines to connect X and Y. Some are for sound reasons, some for less sound reasons, and some purely for nostalgia.
You are allowed to reopen one line, anywhere in the country. Why this line? What problem will it solve?
Whilst this is the Speculative Ideas forum, try to justify your reasoning so that your proposal wouldn't be totally unrealistic.

I'll start - reopening of the Richmond branch in North Yorkshire. It'd give rail access to Richmond, with a population of around 8,000, and Brompton Swale, acting as a parkway for Catterick and Catterick Garrison, one of the largest military bases in the country. It would also allow tourist traffic to Swaledale and beyond, could be worked as an extension of a Bishop Auckland service, and is only a short line - with around 6 miles of new track needed, whilst almost all of the trackbed is unobstructed.

 

[bluenoxid]

Is it just rural and are there any projects that should be ruled out because they are virtually definite (eg Crossrail, Ashington, Portishead, Henbury)

 

[willgreen]

Is it just rural and are there any projects that should be ruled out because they are virtually definite (eg Crossrail, Ashington, Portishead, Henbury)

Ideally just rural, yes (because they're less likely to happen and therefore more debatable, the merits of the Ashington scheme are evident for example but the value of a rural branch reopening may.he far less obvious)

 

[yorksrob]

My vote would go to the central Devon route.

• It would link Tavistock, Okehampton and central Devon into the rail network
• It would provide greater resilience to the local network in case of works betweem Plymouth and Exeter

 

[Clayton]

Witney to Oxford. Not super sexy, but Witney has really grown and getting into the big work centre Oxford is extremely difficult due to traffic bottlenecks. Complete the project by reopening the Cowley branch to access the car factory and science park. You’d also open up west Oxon and the nearby parts of the Cotswolds, a wealthy area. Push on to Cheltenham if you’re really feeling flush.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Not sure you'd call it rural nowadays (more posh suburban thanks to urban sprawl) but if it wasn't for the houses on the formation near the junction at Brockholes (and the small matter of the missing viaduct at Thongsbridge) my pick would be the Holmfirth branch. If ever there was a case for mothballing rather than ripping up and selling off, it's the state of both the A616 and A629 into Huddersfield (at least pre-CV19) every morning!

 

[The Planner]

Witney to Oxford. Not super sexy, but Witney has really grown and getting into the big work centre Oxford is extremely difficult due to traffic bottlenecks. Complete the project by reopening the Cowley branch to access the car factory and science park. You’d also open up west Oxon and the nearby parts of the Cotswolds, a wealthy area. Push on to Cheltenham if you’re really feeling flush.

That is a novelty, a re-opening and a new line to Cheltenham? as the Witney line only went down to Fairford. Oxfordshire County Council seem to be prioritising dualling the A40 up to the outskirts of Eynsham and putting a new Park and Ride in there along with new bus lanes up to Wolvercote roundabout though. Would have to be a new route into Witney itself too as there are a lot of infrastructure challenges.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Ruabon - Barmouth Junction
Because I used to live nearby

 

[steamybrian]

Uckfield to Lewes.
In addition to those towns as well as other nearby towns (for example Crowborough) are rapidly expanding.
Reopening this short section would give another route between London and the Sussex Coast. A need magnified when the main Brighton line has been closed for engineering works or incidents.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Would have to be a new route into Witney itself too as there are a lot of infrastructure challenges.

That's the key - you wouldn't go into Witney town centre, you'd stay on the Ducklington side of the bypass. If you assume that then it wouldn't be a particularly difficult reopening.

OCC isn't remotely interested, though, and there were some hilarious comments from the dinosaurs on the District Council when a few councillors tried to whip up interest the other year.

 

[quantinghome]

Garsdale-Northallerton, but as narrow gauge. Journeys would be no slower and reopening the remaining sections much cheaper. Narrow gauge may also have more tourist appeal.

 

[The Planner]

That's the key - you wouldn't go into Witney town centre, you'd stay on the Ducklington side of the bypass. If you assume that then it wouldn't be a particularly difficult reopening.

OCC isn't remotely interested, though, and there were some hilarious comments from the dinosaurs on the District Council when a few councillors tried to whip up interest the other year.

I doubt people would be interested if you did that though, as you are going to have to make a journey out to the other side of the A40. If the bus is made quicker via the previous mentioned schemes and gets you closer into the city centre than the station is then the railway would need to have a good 10 minute advantage to win I would suggest.

 

[tbtc]

Uttoxeter - Alton to serve the Alton Towers theme park (which got over two million visitors last year - as well as employing large numbers of staff - but relies on cars clogging up the narrow Peak DIstrict/ Staffordshire roads) - you could repurpose some old Pacers to shuttle up and down the branch to get the authentic 1980s roller coaster vibe!

(seriously though, this thread is a good idea - there are far too many suggestions/ petitions and far too much energy wasted by people trying to re-open a hundred different abandoned lines - if they focussed their attentions on one route - however terrible the business case - they might stand a lot more chance - but by spreading all the froth so thinly over the country, it gets diluted and allows each proposal to be dismissed as "crank" - if all of the nostalgists got together and focussed attention on one specific route then they may be harder to ignore and get some kind of "consolation prize"/"sympathy vote" funding)

 

[Doctor Fegg]

I doubt people would be interested if you did that though

Oh believe me, speaking as a local, they would!

as you are going to have to make a journey out to the other side of the A40. If the bus is made quicker via the previous mentioned schemes and gets you closer into the city centre than the station is then the railway would need to have a good 10 minute advantage to win I would suggest.

It's not much different tbh - a station south of the A40 would potentially only be 300m south of the historic site, and you'd have more room for a decent car park. So although it's a bit further from the town centre, it's little different for many of the residential areas of town, and potentially much quicker for anyone coming from Carterton (population 16k and rising), Burford etc. There's already a pedestrian/cyclist underpass under the A40.

Bus comparisons are interesting. At present the best bus times (e.g. early Sunday mornings) are about 35 minutes to Oxford bus station. An optimistic view would say the A40 works will help achieve this all day round, but in reality there's still going to be congestion at Wolvercote Roundabout (for the S1) and within Oxford itself. An IET does Charlbury-Oxford in 17 minutes, and Witney is a little bit closer to Oxford than Charlbury, so the train would still seem to have the edge.

But of course the other half of the equation is travel beyond Oxford, particularly to Reading and London, and here the train would win hands down.

I don't know why I'm typing all this out, though, it's clearly not going to happen.

 

[cle]

I have an old UK map with mainline railways - most are still going but one which I always think notable and interesting is the North Cornwall - branching off at Okehampton to Launceston, Wadebridge and Padstow.

None are huge places, but as a sum of parts, it might add up to something worthwhile (especially as a Dawlish altnerative too) - if began with Exeter to Okehampton. And more so if UK-based holidays become more popular again, as has been the case this summer.

Uckfield to Lewes I think is a complete no-brainer for the network.

 

[ScottGallagher]

Foxfield to Coniston , though there's more chance of me landing on Mars in the next 10 years!

 

[DavidSM]

Garsdale-Northallerton, but as narrow gauge. Journeys would be no slower and reopening the remaining sections much cheaper. Narrow gauge may also have more tourist appeal.

Much as I spend time in the area and there was an idea to run a line from garsdale to hawes. But honestly running the ancient bus up the dale would be quicker.
also have you walked any of the former permanent way it’s full of rabbit burrows and the missing bridges along the way. Basically it’s ok if there is a money tree somewhere

 

[Bevan Price]

Chinley to Matlock - but that would involve paying Peak Rail heritage line to move to an alternative location.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

The Watercress Line, Alresford to Winchester would make sense, it was used as a diversion in steam days
What happens now if the line by Micheldever is blocked?

 

[RT4038]

The Watercress Line, Alresford to Winchester would make sense, it was used as a diversion in steam days
What happens now if the line by Micheldever is blocked?

Trains can run via Andover, Laverstock Loop and Romsey to Southampton and/or Eastleigh?

 

[lkpridgeon]

Lincoln to Woodhall Spa (& Horncastle if I'm allowed to branch), it'll provide a nice replacement to the bus services between Lincoln and Horncastle (purely selfish motive). It has the potential to move commuter flows off the A158 and may help foster population growth in the villages along the former line relieving pressure to build more houses in Hykeham and Saxilby.

 

[Clayton]

That is a novelty, a re-opening and a new line to Cheltenham? as the Witney line only went down to Fairford. Oxfordshire County Council seem to be prioritising dualling the A40 up to the outskirts of Eynsham and putting a new Park and Ride in there along with new bus lanes up to Wolvercote roundabout though. Would have to be a new route into Witney itself too as there are a lot of infrastructure challenges.

I think it was originally meant to reach Cheltenham! That’s not essential, but I think Oxford needs both the road and the rail improvements

 

[class26]

Lincoln to Woodhall Spa (& Horncastle if I'm allowed to branch), it'll provide a nice replacement to the bus services between Lincoln and Horncastle (purely selfish motive). It has the potential to move commuter flows off the A158 and may help foster population growth in the villages along the former line relieving pressure to build more houses in Hykeham and Saxilby.

If you are to do that extend to Coningsby ? I know that is awkward (impossible) if you are doing Horncastle but with the RAF in Coningsby there must be growth potential?

Point of interest, I travelled in the very last train from Lincoln to Coningsby all those years ago.....

 

[Bald Rick]

Shirebrook - Ollerton.

Connects three settlements with a collective population of 25,000 to the Network. Area in need of regegeneration and ‘levelling up’. Also potential traffic to Center Parcs (at a push, with a shuttle bus link).
The track is there, in use, and in fairly good condition. A service to Nottingham could be provided without requiring extra capacity or facilities on the existing network.

So, relatively cheap, relatively easy, with relatively good benefits. If the case for this doesn’t fly, then no other new rural railway will.

 

[adamedwards]

Welwyn Garden City to Panshanger. Extend the 717s from Moorgate, but until then a Pacer shuttle. Possible halt at the Shire Park offices.

 

[A0wen]

Welwyn Garden City to Panshanger. Extend the 717s from Moorgate, but until then a Pacer shuttle. Possible halt at the Shire Park offices.

Now that's an eclectic one, not least because Panshanger didn't really exist when that line closed..... Is it really a 'reopening' ? More reuse of an old formation for a new purpose.

 

[lkpridgeon]

If you are to do that extend to Coningsby ? I know that is awkward (impossible) if you are doing Horncastle but with the RAF in Coningsby there must be growth potential?

Point of interest, I travelled in the very last train from Lincoln to Coningsby all those years ago.....

I don't think it'll be impossible just awkward (then again so would Horncastle) as it'd involve reinstating Woodhall Junction. I was mainly looking at the Lincolnshire loop line. A Coningsby branch would be nice.

 

[Glenmutchkin]

Nobody seems to have mentioned Dumfries - Stranraer yet.

 

[Bald Rick]

Nobody seems to have mentioned Dumfries - Stranraer yet.

It would seem posters are complying with this condition:

try to justify your reasoning so that your proposal wouldn't be totally unrealistic.

 

[Meerkat]

Witney to Oxford. Not super sexy, but Witney has really grown and getting into the big work centre Oxford is extremely difficult due to traffic bottlenecks. Complete the project by reopening the Cowley branch to access the car factory and science park. You’d also open up west Oxon and the nearby parts of the Cotswolds, a wealthy area. Push on to Cheltenham if you’re really feeling flush.

Wouldn’t you want to continue to Carterton? Big place, lots of employment. Possibility of military use (they chuck some big stuff on those cargo planes, though I assume they don’t do trainloads of soldiers for security reasons??)