Stations not officially closed but with no services stopping

[Parallel]

Any stations in Wales with short platforms. Llanfairpwll, Valley, Dolgarrog, Sugar Loaf, Abererch ect. Personally I think it’s dreadfully poor they are not being served, or offered any replacement bus service. The one door operation doesn’t affect any other TOC’s as far as I’m aware. And there’s been no notice of when trains will begin to stop at these stations again.

RTT is showing trains as being booked to stop for passenger calls at Dolgarrog on request. Not sure if they are in practice, though!

 

[splashoutradio]

RTT is showing trains as being booked to stop for passenger calls at Dolgarrog on request. Not sure if they are in practice, though!

Dolgarrog was originally on the list of omitted stations, but I believe was taken off the list following it's rebuild.

 

[Kite159]

Dolgarrog was originally on the list of omitted stations, but I believe was taken off the list following it's rebuild.

Isn't it a case of a 150 fits on the rebuilt platform but a pair of 153s don't?

Has TfW gone back to working that line with a pair of 153s to free up a 150 for the valleys?

(Not like there will be much demand for that station due to the bridge across the river being closed)

 

[pdeaves]

RTT is showing trains as being booked to stop for passenger calls at Dolgarrog on request. Not sure if they are in practice, though!

If the timetable still has the stations in it, RTT will show them whether they call or not.

 

[Parallel]

If the timetable still has the stations in it, RTT will show them whether they call or not.

The other TfW stations that use to the local door show ‘stop unadvertised’ - This isn’t the case for Dolgarrog. Kite159’s post about a 150 fitting (but not 2 x 153s) explains it.

 

[RPI]

Must be a situation unique to TfW, GWR continued serving stations where local door operation was necessary through the lockdowns

 

[Bletchleyite]

Must be a situation unique to TfW, GWR continued serving stations where local door operation was necessary through the lockdowns

Welsh law is different in regard to the statutory requirement to protect employees.

 

[RPI]

Welsh law is different in regard to the statutory requirement to protect employees.

In what respect? (Genuine question, not being funny in any way), is this the same reason why TfW weren't checking tickets on trains (unsure if they are now)? We work into Wales and have been checking tickets since this was reintroduced last August, subject to individual risk assessments and with no pressure being applied from above, obviously there's no short platforms that we serve in Wales (other than those where SDO is used)

 

[Watershed]

Welsh law is different in regard to the statutory requirement to protect employees.

It's different but it still doesn't forbid local door operations.

 

[mrd269697]

Tfw are not checking tickets. When travelling to and from rural welsh stations (I enjoy a good hike) I’ve been unable to buy a priv ticket as they are not available at TVM’s (that’s even if there is one at the station I’m at)

 

[SargeNpton]

RTT is showing trains as being booked to stop for passenger calls at Dolgarrog on request. Not sure if they are in practice, though!

The current published timetable database shows 4 trains each way on weekdays booked to stop there - but they are request stops.

 

[Hornet]

I don’t think the station was subject to formal closure procedures as we know them. It probably happened well before the 2005 Act tightened the procedures.

Indeed in a previous thread, someone reckoned that services had ceased in 1987, and the station was considered closed before the 1993 Railways Act. But did the station building ever belong to Network Rail at all, or had it been transferred to the ferry company beforehand?

 

[swt_passenger]

I’m aware of all the documentation about the branch.
But it doesn’t ever mention the station, which is what was being discussed here.

 

[bramling]

IBM, BS Redcar and maybe Manchester United. They are "closed" rather than CLOSED

One could take the pragmatic view that they are not served (in the same way as Barlaston and Wedgewood), but no replacement service is provided as there’s simply no demand for one.

I don’t have an issue with the above in itself, however it does set a dubious precedent.

More concerning perhaps is the situation with the small stations on TfW, which have been unserved for many months now, with no one really seeming to care.

 

[DarloRich]

More concerning perhaps is the situation with the small stations on TfW, which have been unserved for many months now, with no one really seeming to care.

The precedent has been set now. Close the station without having to bother closing it. It isn't on and it will eventually hit something someone DOES care about.

 

[bramling]

The precedent has been set now. Close the station without having to bother closing it. It isn't on and it will eventually hit something someone DOES care about.

Agreed. What should be a pragmatic solution to a local specific issue does run the danger of being the thin end of a potentially quite thick wedge.

I’ll be concerned to see it spread further than the very specific examples of IBM and Redcar BS. The Wales situation is bothersome, especially given it’s been going on for ages now.

 

[gazr]

One could take the pragmatic view that they are not served (in the same way as Barlaston and Wedgewood), but no replacement service is provided as there’s simply no demand for one.

I don’t have an issue with the above in itself, however it does set a dubious precedent.

More concerning perhaps is the situation with the small stations on TfW, which have been unserved for many months now, with no one really seeming to care.

Do Welsh Assembly powers supersede UK government powers, allowing them to close these stations indefinitely, until they are in a state of disrepair (like Newhaven)? TfW are not forthcoming with their intentions.

 

[Andy Pacer]

Gilfach Fargoed currently has no trains, I think due to covid because it has very short platforms. Presumably it will reopen?

I noticed that this one has quite a few trains on Sundays but shown as 'stop not advertised' and the public facing timetables show no stops there.

 

[PHILIPE]

Extract from TFW Website. Rumour was that these stations had re-opened on Saturday 21st August except Conwy on 12 September. Twitter confirmed after pointed out that they were still showing as closed on Website

From Saturday 21 August, the following stations will reopen.

• Llanfairpwll
• Valley
• Sugarloaf
• Gilfach Fargoed
• Abererch
• Llanbedr

The following stations will remain out of use:

• Tygwyn
• Llanaber
• Llandanwg

Only trains with two carriages will be able to stop at Conwy station

Following the representations the above was announced on Website today but seemingly not all. Incidentally Hopton Heath which was on the original list re-opened a couple of months ago but that bit of news was a well guarded secret and the info had to be dragged out.

 

[DanNCL]

Was the original Metro station in South Shields ever formally closed after the new one opened in August 2019?

I assume, to be clear, that you are not including the Piccadilly line in that comment (if the terminal itself is open).

The Piccadilly line station there is also currently unserved. Trains that would normally run to Terminal 4 are currently terminating at Hatton Cross then running empty to Terminal 2/3 via the Terminal 4 loop.

 

[Djgr]

Extract from TFW Website. Rumour was that these stations had re-opened on Saturday 21st August except Conwy on 12 September. Twitter confirmed after pointed out that they were still showing as closed on Website



Following the representations the above was announced on Website today but seemingly not all. Incidentally Hopton Heath which was on the original list re-opened a couple of months ago but that bit of news was a well guarded secret and the info had to be dragged out.

They sure are dragging out this farce

 

[lyndhurst25]

I wonder if Gatacre station was legally closed in 1972 when services were “temporarily suspended” with the intention of the station being reopened as the southern terminus of Merseyrail’s Northern Line? Of course that never happened and electrification only ever got as far as Hunts Cross. Did BR ever go through the formal closure legalities nearly 50 years back?

 

[Trainfan2019]

Regarding Wedgwood station, I was reading online recently about how the platform has deteriorated quite badly and saw photos or a video where part of the platform has now got plastic panels over the surface. Presume the surface is rotting away now with lack of usage and upkeep? Is this station upkeep the responsibility of Network Rail or West Midlands Railway?

 

[OuterDistant]

I was at Wedgwood a few weeks ago and the signs saying "access to platform prohibited due to condition" have Network Rail logos. Not sure if that helps the legal position over responsibility, though!

 

[The Quincunx]

The closure provisions do not apply to Manchester United Halt, as it is unlikely to have had any "regular scheduled passenger services" (and certainly not in the past 5 years).

 

[plugwash]

Was the original Metro station in South Shields ever formally closed after the new one opened in August 2019?

More generally if a station has the same name and is in roughly the same place but doesn't actually reuse any physical aspects of what was there before is it the same station? how far can "roughly the same place" be pushed?

 

[The Quincunx]

More generally if a station has the same name and is in roughly the same place but doesn't actually reuse any physical aspects of what was there before is it the same station? how far can "roughly the same place" be pushed?

If there is a degree of overlap between the footprints of the existing and new station, it is possible that it may be dealt with as a 'minor modification', which only requires industry consultation plus Transport Focus and interested local authorities. The name is irrelevant; it's the physical location that counts.

 

[swt_passenger]

More generally if a station has the same name and is in roughly the same place but doesn't actually reuse any physical aspects of what was there before is it the same station? how far can "roughly the same place" be pushed?

I think there’s a blanket exemption for the various light rail and tram networks - Railways Act 2005 section 38 mentions it, albeit without giving an explicit list of networks.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

Exactly. Didn't think they were, given that there isn't a single heritage railway providing day-in, day-out public transport services.

The Hythe Pier railway perhaps?

 

[Parallel]

Extract from TFW Website. Rumour was that these stations had re-opened on Saturday 21st August except Conwy on 12 September. Twitter confirmed after pointed out that they were still showing as closed on Website



Following the representations the above was announced on Website today but seemingly not all. Incidentally Hopton Heath which was on the original list re-opened a couple of months ago but that bit of news was a well guarded secret and the info had to be dragged out.

Interesting, thanks for sharing. I wonder why Llanbedr and Abererch can open, but Llanaber, Llandanwg and Tygwyn are not. They all require local door release and are probably of a similar length. At least Llanbedr can reopen as that historically is the busiest one of those local door Cambrian Coast stations.