• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Shepton Mallet Parkway

Status
Not open for further replies.

kcajtam

Member
Joined
4 Apr 2016
Messages
12
Read a BBC article which is a bit of a pipe dream, but it made me wonder "Where would this station go, and is it on a new line, or an existing one?"

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-47290855

Railway station may return to Shepton Mallet

Rail services could be restored to a Somerset town under a new vision from the local authority.

Mendip District Council has voted to allocate £320,000 towards developing a business case for major new transport projects in the district.

The projects include a new "Shepton Parkway" railway station and a new bypass near Street.

Councillor Tim Killen said: "Some may think 'it is just a pipe dream'. They said that about the Frome bypass."

The Local Democracy Reporting Service stated the council will progress with the studies, providing evidence which could help to secure funding from central government to take the projects, including relieving pinch points on the A361 near Glastonbury, forward.

Shepton Mallet previously had two stations - High Street and Charlton Road - which both closed in the mid-1960s as a result of the Beeching report.

The town's nearest mainline station is Castle Cary, more than seven miles away.

Mr Killen, portfolio holder for economic growth, stated in his report: "Significant technical investigations are now needed to fully understand our local infrastructure requirements and examine the environmental opportunities and constraints in the future."

A progress report on these projects will come back before the council after the local elections in May.

Council leader Harvey Siggs said Mendip had "often been ignored" by the government regarding infrastructure funding, and warned it would "feel like a long haul".
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

DelW

Established Member
Joined
15 Jan 2015
Messages
3,835
I think the only remotely practical option would be an extension of what is now the Merehead Quarry branch, though some agreement with the East Somerset at Cranmore would of course be needed for that to happen.

It was originally a through route from the GWR at Witham to Wells and beyond.
 

Mollman

Established Member
Joined
21 Sep 2016
Messages
1,211
The other big question is what is going to serve it? If it's on the mainline then I doubt GWR will want to stop London expresses so that just leaves the two-hourly local.
 

fgwrich

Established Member
Joined
15 Apr 2009
Messages
9,252
Location
Between Edinburgh and Exeter
I think the only remotely practical option would be an extension of what is now the Merehead Quarry branch, though some agreement with the East Somerset at Cranmore would of course be needed for that to happen.

It was originally a through route from the GWR at Witham to Wells and beyond.

Looking at Google Maps, it appears that there isn't much to re-instate should this proposal be taken forward (about a mile to Charlton?). Service wise, perhaps a shuttle service to Westbury via Frome be an option, possibly taking on to Peak Hour Bristol Services?
 

Tobbes

Established Member
Joined
12 Aug 2012
Messages
1,242
Does anyone know how far into Shepton Mallet the Councillor is proposing to take the line? Looks like the line has largely been lost in town, and it would take a couple of LCs to get down to Tesco and through to Wells, which sounds difficult.
 

30907

Veteran Member
Joined
30 Sep 2012
Messages
17,867
Location
Airedale
Trying to work out what traffic flow would be served by a branch to Shepton.
The service would obviously run to and from Westbury, but it's a long way round to Bristol and Bath, so are they thinking London commuters?
Or is it TBH more, look, we mustn't just talk road building, here's an old railway, why not reopen it?
 

WelshBluebird

Established Member
Joined
14 Jan 2010
Messages
4,923
Surely the money would be better spend improving (and supporting) the local bus services to Castle Cary, Taunton and Bristol?
Certainly when I lived there for a year that was my first thought, especially as a lot of the bus services were hit by cuts / reductions in frequency due to local authority cuts.
 

30907

Veteran Member
Joined
30 Sep 2012
Messages
17,867
Location
Airedale
Surely the money would be better spend improving (and supporting) the local bus services to Castle Cary, Taunton and Bristol?
Certainly when I lived there for a year that was my first thought, especially as a lot of the bus services were hit by cuts / reductions in frequency due to local authority cuts.
Suspect you're right, trouble is that's not capital expenditure which is what this is about. Silly I know...
 

edwin_m

Veteran Member
Joined
21 Apr 2013
Messages
24,793
Location
Nottingham
Since Castle Cary station is pretty much the closest approach of a passenger railway to Shepton Mallet, I would assume when they talk about a new station they must also be contemplating some kind of new service on the East Somerset. But that would certainly require an ongoing subsidy.
 

HowardGWR

Established Member
Joined
30 Jan 2013
Messages
4,983
Surely the money would be better spend improving (and supporting) the local bus services to Castle Cary, Taunton and Bristol?
Certainly when I lived there for a year that was my first thought, especially as a lot of the bus services were hit by cuts / reductions in frequency due to local authority cuts.
In one way, you would be right, but there is a problem if one is talking about bus-rail connection services from a place like Shepton Mallet or nearby villages. If, as I do, you live rurally and want to catch a train, you simply could not rely on a rural bus service to get you to the station*, unless you 'get the one before' to ensure you aren't let down. That might mean you get an earlier train, but no use if you have a train-specific advance ticket, or you might have to let that one go and wait another hour. This whole hit and miss situation will mean taking the car to the railhead and at our west country station car parks, many won't let you stay for more than a day and expensively at that. Beside. they aren't supervised, so would you go on holiday for two weeks with your car left to 'fend for itself'?
This scenario means either a taxi or take one's own car the whole way to the destination. I just don't see the demand arising from just the Shepton area, or indeed if Wells were added. If they were wayside stations on a main line, it might be otherwise, which is how Castle Cary survives and flourishes.
*There was a brief expansion of these services during John Prescott's time in the noughties, but now it has all but collapsed and you can forget evening buses anyway, - thus you can't even get back by bus either.
 
Last edited:

61653 HTAFC

Veteran Member
Joined
18 Dec 2012
Messages
17,624
Location
Another planet...
Somerset County Council would do well to concentrate on getting stations in those towns which are actually on a working passenger railway line first (Langport, Somerton and Wellington for example), before they throw any resources at this.
 

WelshBluebird

Established Member
Joined
14 Jan 2010
Messages
4,923
In one way, you would be right, but there is a problem if one is talking about bus-rail connection services from a place like Shepton Mallet or nearby villages. If, as I do, you live rurally and want to catch a train, you simply could not rely on a rural bus service to get you to the station*

But that is kind of my point. I live in Bath, and generally can rely on the local bus service to get me to the station. Why shouldn't rural bus services be similar?
Certainly when I starting my year living in Shepton Mallet, you could depend on the local services! Sadly that started to change towards the end of that year as the government cuts to local councils started to hit, and with that being almost a decade ago now, I can only imagine it has gone worse. But you could rely on them back then, and my point is why on earth is no longer "mainstream" to suggest we go back to that?
 
Joined
16 Feb 2014
Messages
33
Location
Nanpean
I raised the issue (half knowing this was coming) on another thread.
I think it’s lucky to have just a mile, like you say to Cranmore, so there’s a good opportunity for the town for a local service, it’s a waste of infrastructure else. Good on the Council!

Knowing the area, it would only really be of significant benefit to Shepton & Wells and possibly Glastonbury festival. And again, only for London travel as it wouldnt be a convenient commute to Bath/Bristol.
On top, Glastonbury & Street would still be just as accessible by Castle Cary which is a focal point of GWR’s new 2 hourly service.

I think you’re looking at a local service to Frome (who also want more services and connections) and then either:

- onto Swindon via Melksham 1tp2h, allowing a connection every 15 mins to Paddington if no joy at Westbury, or;

- extension of the IET to Great Bedwyn, giving a slower but direct service to the capital (able to arrive earlier by changing at Westbury, Pewsey or Newbury)

The former is easier with less infrastructural changes, the latter more ambitious and dependant on Electrification (although bi-modal stock used currently). The latter would also would suit the plans for a station at Devizes and possibly allow Pewsey to drop off the HST route.

The odd HST that runs to/starts from Frome could also serve Shepton.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top