The future of Barlaston / Norton Bridge / Wedgwood railway stations.

[toby_farman]

To be brutal neither of these places deserve a station, certainly not on a main line. Barlaston is less than 3,000 people and looks from the air like a high car ownership kind of place and unless the Wedgwood museum is a significant visitor magnet Wedgwood is even less viable. This is bus service territory.
If there is a desperation to add stops to the line Trentham looks far more viable.

Berney Arms...

 

[Meerkat]

Berney Arms...

don’t get me started!

 

[onlinespotting]

Without the rail support, I suspect the bus service will cease rather than decrease - except perhaps for a couple of school journeys.

The train is actually cheaper than the bus so, if you get your ticket from the station first, it is the better option (£3.20 single Stone to Hanley on the 14, £5.00 single on the First 101, £2.50 single by train but to Stoke rather than Hanley of course). Pensioners go free on the bus of course.

Your bus fare prices are incorrect

 

[Deafdoggie]

Your bus fare prices are incorrect

Really? Do you have ticket images to show what you’ve been charged & I can investigate what’s gone wrong.

 

[Southern Dvr]

Both Barlaston and Wedgewood have level crossings and are quite close together. I don’t know what the land usage is but could you not build a new station inbetween them with a suitable access road and car park? The line is incredibly busy so perhaps if there is room the station could have passing loops so intercity trains could overtake the WMT stoppers?

 

[The Planner]

Both Barlaston and Wedgewood have level crossings and are quite close together. I don’t know what the land usage is but could you not build a new station inbetween them with a suitable access road and car park? The line is incredibly busy so perhaps if there is room the station could have passing loops so intercity trains could overtake the WMT stoppers?

Would blow the case for reopening right out the window.

 

[Deafdoggie]

Either station has a dubious case to reopen due to lack of locals to patronise it. To move it to an area with even less would blow the case for a station out of the water completely.
Most of the land is part of the privately owned Wedgwood estate. Wedgwood station is currently on such land and accessed by private road. Although you wouldn’t necessarily notice if you didn’t know, the land isn’t actually public and thus harder to build on and get access to. There’s also the canal running alongside the railway providing further access problems and making it harder to widen the railway.

Both Barlaston and Wedgewood have level crossings and are quite close together. I don’t know what the land usage is but could you not build a new station inbetween them with a suitable access road and car park? The line is incredibly busy so perhaps if there is room the station could have passing loops so intercity trains could overtake the WMT stoppers?

 

[vlad]

Both Barlaston and Wedgewood have level crossings and are quite close together. I don’t know what the land usage is but could you not build a new station inbetween them with a suitable access road and car park? The line is incredibly busy so perhaps if there is room the station could have passing loops so intercity trains could overtake the WMT stoppers?

It'd be in the middle of a field so not particularly suitable for either Wedgwood or Barlaston.

If you build an access road the question is where from. The present road past Wedgwood is private so it won't come from that direction. From Barlaston it's too built up but if you come from the west you need to cross the canal. It's not going to happen.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Your bus fare prices are incorrect

In what way.

In June I paid £3.20 to the D & G driver and got a ticket to the same value. I asked the First driver whilst waiting and he told me £5.00 single. I paid £2.50 on the train in September.

What do you think the fares are?

 

[onlinespotting]

Sorry! Your post said Stone to Hanley- I was assuming Wedgwood or Barlaston to Hanley which is 2.80

 

[Baxenden Bank]

I notice in the new edition of the Baker Rail Atlas:
Wedgwood: to close late 2020 / early 2021
Baralston: to re-open late 2020 / early 2021

Is this official?

Perhaps I've been pre-occupied by something or other, can't think what, and DfT sneaked out a press release?

 

[Deafdoggie]

I notice in the new edition of the Baker Rail Atlas:
Wedgwood: to close late 2020 / early 2021
Baralston: to re-open late 2020 / early 2021

Is this official?

Perhaps I've been pre-occupied by something or other, can't think what, and DfT sneaked out a press release?

As far as I’m aware, nothing official has actually been announced. But that is widely expected to be the outcome.
To reopen Wedgwood would require mammoth work (essentially a whole new station) as the wooden platforms are now rotten and all buildings and shelters have long since been removed.
Barlaston has had recent work done to it and both platforms are now in useable condition.

 

[387star]

Understand Barlaston to reopen ? One of four on the same line to recently close (last decade or so)

 

[Bletchleyite]

Understand Barlaston station to reopen ? One of four on the same line to recently close (last decade or so)

It was part of WMT's franchise agreement to investigate reopening either Barlaston or Wedgwood, with Barlaston being seen generally as more likely. However, very little seems to have come of that so far, and the end of franchising may have knocked it on the head.

 

[38Cto15E]

When I signed the line in the early 70's, the full name of the station always made me have a schoolboy type giggle, Oh well, it was the 70's.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

The only evidence I can find for the OP's claim is a wikipedia edit for which the source has been deleted.

Barlaston railway station - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The station will reopen in the future in either December 2020 or May 2021 and nearby Wedgwood will close to passengers.

In the absence of any evidence, it would be helpful if the OP could explain where he's heard about this alleged reopening?

 

[swt_passenger]

The only evidence I can find for the OP's claim is a wikipedia edit for which the source has been deleted.

Barlaston railway station - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

In the absence of any evidence, it would be helpful if the OP could explain where he's heard about this alleged reopening?

There’ll be plenty of evidence that WMT were told to investigate reopening, we’d have had a thread about it.

(The above was written before the new thread was merged into this one.)

 

[323235]

Yes I seem to recall the DfT giving out those dates not so long ago in an update to the situation, as they were keen to resolve the matter. I can't immediately find reference to it though.

 

[bussikuski179]

What service did Norton Bridge have before the bridge went?

Polesworth and Etruria should probably be considered along with these stations as they also suffered similar fates at the same time.

Does Polesworth not have 1tpd Northampton-Crewe?

 

[flitwickbeds]

Does Polesworth not have 1tpd Northampton-Crewe?

Yes, it still does.

Does anyone have any more updates as to Barlaston or Wedgwood reopening in May or later?

 

[Deafdoggie]

Etruria was slightly different. It didn't close because a bridge was removed (which is what happened with Norton Bridge-and to a lesser extent, Polesworth) but for track realignment, and also was poorly used. The surrounding area having greatly changed, access was poor with no road drop-off point and pedestrian access off the busy 3-lane each way A53 dual carriageway. The platforms sat below road level with brick walls obscuring the view. It always felt like an ideal place to commit murder! Plus there is very little at Etruria.
Wedgwood & Barlaston are different, both very close together and on a twin track section of the WCML which is very busy. Both stations are in sparsly populated areas. If there were not stations there already, you would not choose there to build one station, never mind two.

 

[The Planner]

Both stations are in sparsly populated areas. If there were not stations there already, you would not choose there to build one station, never mind two.

The reason they are always considered to re-open is plans to increase the housing round there. It will only ever be one of the two though.

 

[6Gman]

Etruria was slightly different. It didn't close because a bridge was removed (which is what happened with Norton Bridge-and to a lesser extent, Polesworth) but for track realignment, and also was poorly used. The surrounding area having greatly changed, access was poor with no road drop-off point and pedestrian access off the busy 3-lane each way A53 dual carriageway. The platforms sat below road level with brick walls obscuring the view. It always felt like an ideal place to commit murder! Plus there is very little at Etruria.
Wedgwood & Barlaston are different, both very close together and on a twin track section of the WCML which is very busy. Both stations are in sparsly populated areas. If there were not stations there already, you would not choose there to build one station, never mind two.

We used to use Etruria occasionally. It was, indeed, a grim, grim place to wait for a train.

 

[onlinespotting]

More of a bus update than a railukforum update
The 14 group of routes has been split, 14 was a mixture of rail replacement buses, a school bus and work buses, almost a circular route at points, it also up until 31/03/19 allowed an hourly service to Stafford and a Hanley to Stafford all stations Stoke to Stafford (inc Norton Bridge) peak service in each direction.

Recently the service had been split into the 24 group of routes for the work service , and the 100 which is a six times (plus weekday school service) daily in each direction Monday to Saturday including bank holidays service from Hanley to Stone. Calling at Trentham Gardens and potentially poaching passengers from First bus’s 101 and skewing demand.

The bus had never until recently been announced at Stoke-on-Trent, it is now announced in the direction of Stone and although it does call at Wedgwood’s bus stop, Barlaston Orchard Drive is announced as a calling point. And Anne pronounces Barlaston wrong!