Trivia - If you had 100 miles of track....?

[Llandudno]

Bit of lighthearted fun during lockdown!

If you had 100 miles of track which routes or sections of route would you reopen?

Would you blow most of the 100 mile budget on one long route like Aberystwyth to Carmarthen or would you slice and dice your allowance to reopen and reconnect a number of smaller sections such as:
Skipton - Colne
Bangor - Afon Wen
Matlock - Buxton
Poulton le Fylde - Fleetwood

To give some guidelines, cost is not an issue, but it must be a reopening not a new route.

Contributors may like to give two options:

1. 100 miles of reopened routes from a nostalgic but not commercial perspective

2. 100 miles of reopened routes that would carry the most passengers per annum.

 

[D365]

Can I be the first to tout the Woodhead reopening?

 

[30907]

I would rather use some of it on enhancing existing capacity, such as
Conington-Peterborough and Salisbury-Exeter, but I realise that's not allowed.

 

[Calthrop]

To give some guidelines, cost is not an issue, but it must be a reopening not a new route.

Contributors may like to give two options:

1. 100 miles of reopened routes from a nostalgic but not commercial perspective

My bolding -- "nostalgic" is what I do; so: assuming that anything whatever -- regardless of real-life practicalities -- can and may be reopened... I will (just because it's a thing that I greatly like) go for the Midland & Great Northern Joint: reopening Peterborough -- Wisbech -- Sutton Bridge -- South Lynn -- Fakenham -- Melton Constable; thence, on to linking with the preserved North Norfolk Railway at its Holt terminus (modern road developments impeding this, being set at naught). Leaving, by my reckoning, some twenty miles to spare. (I'd have gone for M & GN main line right through to Yarmouth Beach; except that that would considerably exceed the stipulated 100 miles.)

The extra twenty miles, I see giving to the Churnet Valley Railway and its various associates -- to accomplish with, the ultimate toward the best / most / maddest, that they have wished and hoped for. First and foremost: restoring in full the line, linking with the national system, Stoke-on-Trent -- Leekbrook Junction; as I gather -- track thereon partly down, but the whole thing in ruinous condition.

 

[rf_ioliver]

Aberdare-Hirwaun then over the the Vale of Neath. Then bits of connections between the VoN line and the SWML between Neath and Swansea. Relinking most of the S Wales valleys with rail services.

 

[backontrack]

*Lentran Long Loop noises*

Also I'd restore the passing loops at Kinbrace and Evanton on the FNL, and redouble the Highland Main Line in places.

What remains can be spent on Keswick-Penrith, and if there's any more then I'd reopen Bullgill-Brigham-Cockermouth.

 

[py_megapixel]

I would rather use some of it on enhancing existing capacity, such as
Conington-Peterborough and Salisbury-Exeter, but I realise that's not allowed.

If that was allowed I'd probably use it on several small capacity increases which would add up. I'd want 2 extra tracks from Manchester Airport to the main northern WCML via the Castlefield Corridor, which is a distance of 32mi so 64mi for both tracks. Also I'd extend the bay platform at Stoke-on-Trent to accommodate 6- or even 9-car formations, maybe build some bays at Cheltenham Spa, along with various new platforms, loops and sidings around the country that would probably total about a mile. As for the remaining 35 miles I would melt it down, and turn it into overhead line equipment .

In terms of what OP actually asked for, wasn't their once a railway to Keswick? That would be a useful route to have.

 

[Iskra]

I would re-open;

Buxton-Matlock
Wakefield-Dewsbury-Batley-Bradford
Dewsbury-Heckmondwike-Cleckheaton-Gomersal-Birstall-Birstall RP-Morley-Leeds, hopefully giving Morley a new station better located.
Skipton-Colne
Deepcar-Penistone

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Any or all of the following...

Inland route from Okehampton -> Bere Alston thus avoiding Dawlish;
Uckfield -> Lewes;
Spalding -> Boston;
Honeybourne -> Stratford-upon-Avon;
Rugby -> Leicester;
Matlock -> Buxton;
Poulton-> Fleetwood;
Colne -> Skipton;
Penrith -> Keswick;
Missing section of Waverley Route from Tweedbank (Borders) into Carlisle.

 

[Calthrop]

*Lentran Long Loop noises*

I'm not big on Scotland -- with a bit of memory-jogging, I know where Lentran is; but am ashamed to admit that "Lentran Long Loop" means nothing to me, beyond obvious surmising...

What remains can be spent on Keswick-Penrith, and if there's any more then I'd reopen Bullgill-Brigham-Cockermouth.

With your clear interest in this part of the world -- one bit fairly-long-vanished (the former), and the other very-long-vanished (the latter) -- and everything in your post, seemingly very well within the 100-miles limit; wouldn't you wish also, to reinstate Cockermouth -- Keswick? I always felt it to be so sad that that section was closed in the mid-1960s, before I had any chance to experience it first-hand; that I never had the heart to make an expedition to travel the lasting-a-good-few-years-longer Penrith -- Keswick stretch, though I could quite easily have done so -- it struck me as a wretchedly miserable remnant of something which had once been, in its entirety, splendid.

 

[backontrack]

I'm not big on Scotland -- with a bit of memory-jogging, I know where Lentran is; but am ashamed to admit that "Lentran Long Loop" means nothing to me, beyond obvious surmising...

By this, I mean redoubling a section of the Far North Line, at the southern end; this would allow the services to be improved. It's a bit cheeky of me, but ultimately there's nothing in the original post that doesn't mean I can't reinstate removed track on an existing line.

With your clear interest in this part of the world -- one bit fairly-long-vanished (the former), and the other very-long-vanished (the latter) -- and everything in your post, seemingly very well within the 100-miles limit; wouldn't you wish also, to reinstate Cockermouth -- Keswick? I always felt it to be so sad that that section was closed in the mid-1960s, before I had any chance to experience it first-hand; that I never had the heart to make an expedition to travel the lasting-a-good-few-years-longer Penrith -- Keswick stretch, though I could quite easily have done so -- it struck me as a wretchedly miserable remnant of something which had once been, in its entirety, splendid.

Oh, I would love to, I'd really love to, more than any of the other things I've said. But sadly...unlike the route east of Keswick, and west of Broughton Cross on the other side of Cockermouth, the A66 has devoured the old trackbed. It must have been such a splendid thing when it was open - a railway journey like no other – but now I'm afraid that there's probably not even room adjacent to the main road to put the tracks in.

It might just about be possible if they widened the northbound dual carriage on the A66 and connected it to the Thornthwaite road to make that the new A66. East of Thornthwaite, the A66 could be kept as is, with the railway running diagonally across the fields to Keswick. But it'd be unbelievably costly to engineer.

 

[HSTEd]

Nottingham victoria and reopening the various lines that would allow it to take over the traffic from Nottingham Midland which could be closed.
Although without allowing newbuild chords, rather more track will be necessary than othrerwise.

 

[Huntergreed]

I would reopen the “port road” from Dumfries to Stranraer Harbour, would make boat traffic from N. Ireland - England much greener having 1 freight train compared to 50-100 lorries, and it would speed up journey times compared to the 40mph bus that goes around every tiny village along the route

 

[Aictos]

My bolding -- "nostalgic" is what I do; so: assuming that anything whatever -- regardless of real-life practicalities -- can and may be reopened... I will (just because it's a thing that I greatly like) go for the Midland & Great Northern Joint: reopening Peterborough -- Wisbech -- Sutton Bridge -- South Lynn -- Fakenham -- Melton Constable; thence, on to linking with the preserved North Norfolk Railway at its Holt terminus (modern road developments impeding this, being set at naught). Leaving, by my reckoning, some twenty miles to spare. (I'd have gone for M & GN main line right through to Yarmouth Beach; except that that would considerably exceed the stipulated 100 miles.)

Good luck with the Peterborough to Wisbech section as you've got the A47 built on the formation which is very busy so unless you plan on ripping it up to reinstate a train service that finished 61 years ago.

I would reopen:

Horsham to Guildford
Uckfield to Lewes
Colne to Skipton
Ilkley to Skipton

I would redouble:

Newhaven Harbour to Seaford
Hever to Uckfield
Newcraighall to Tweedbank
Colne to Rose Grove

I would reopen to passenger service:

Leicester–Burton upon Trent
Melton Mowbray to Nottingham

 

[Calthrop]

Oh, I would love to, I'd really love to, more than any of the other things I've said. But sadly...unlike the route east of Keswick, and west of Broughton Cross on the other side of Cockermouth, the A66 has devoured the old trackbed. It must have been such a splendid thing when it was open - a railway journey like no other – but now I'm afraid that there's probably not even room adjacent to the main road to put the tracks in.

It might just about be possible if they widened the northbound dual carriage on the A66 and connected it to the Thornthwaite road to make that the new A66. East of Thornthwaite, the A66 could be kept as is, with the railway running diagonally across the fields to Keswick. But it'd be unbelievably costly to engineer.

Good luck with the Peterborough to Wisbech section as you've got the A47 built on the formation which is very busy so unless you plan on ripping it up to reinstate a train service that finished 61 years ago.

The OP writes of "a bit of lighthearted fun": which I've construed as this exercise being in the realms of magic -- with nothing which has, in real life, been done on the lines' routes subsequent to their closure; being an obstacle or problem ! OP includes in his list, Bangor -- Afonwen: I'd considered -- including from first-hand observation -- the Bangor to Caernarfon part of that route, to be obstructed by post-closure development, to the point of semi-obliteration.

 

[backontrack]

The OP writes of "a bit of lighthearted fun": which I've construed as this exercise being in the realms of magic -- with nothing which has, in real life, been done on the lines' routes subsequent to their closure; being an obstacle or problem ! OP includes in his list, Bangor -- Afonwen: I'd considered -- including from first-hand observation -- the Bangor to Caernarfon part of that route, to be obstructed by post-closure development, to the point of semi-obliteration.

In that case, to hell with it: I'm reopening the entire line from Workington to Darlington! And any left will go into reconstructing the Lybster Light Railway, too.

 

[Llandudno]

The OP writes of "a bit of lighthearted fun": which I've construed as this exercise being in the realms of magic -- with nothing which has, in real life, been done on the lines' routes subsequent to their closure; being an obstacle or problem ! OP includes in his list, Bangor -- Afonwen: I'd considered -- including from first-hand observation -- the Bangor to Caernarfon part of that route, to be obstructed by post-closure development, to the point of semi-obliteration.

Absolutely it is only a bit of fun!

Any reopening would count irrespective of whether the old trackbed has been obliterated or not!

Not sure whether any of the 100 miles should be used for redoubling though!

Has anyone had any thoughts as to which 100 miles (either one route or combined sections) would generate the most passengers per year?

 

[tbtc]

Has anyone had any thoughts as to which 100 miles (either one route or combined sections) would generate the most passengers per year?

If we are fully in the realms of speculation (and therefore not worrying about stock or pathing through existing bottlenecks etc), and we aren't talking about redoubling/ requadrupling existing lines (e.g. Dore) then I'd suggest between five and a dozen "stubs" from unconnected towns/suburbs into big cities.

• Renfrew - Glasgow
• Penicuik - Edinburgh
• Ashington/Washington - Newcastle
• Otley/ Wetherby - Leeds
• Portishead - Bristol
• Tavistock - Plymouth

(not all of these branches would be as long as the description suggests, given that they only need to be spurs as far as the nearest existing line, e.g. a Renfrew route would join the line from Paisley into Glasgow Central)

Keep it simple, focus on the kind of boring everyday journeys that boring everyday people do (often routes with relatively frequent commercial bus services, which is a decent benchmark for where demand lies), forget about the "nice to have" routes through the Lake District/ North Yorkshire/ Dartmoor etc - I'm sure they'd be splendid for a jaunt in the summer but mass transportation isn't suited to running through lightly populated villages. Forget about luxuries like "diversionary resilience", focus on short simple journeys that people do on a regular basis.

For argument's sakes, I've avoided routes where there's existing Light Rail

 

[haggishunter]

1. A Direct and 100mph+ route from Forth Bridge to Perth.
2. Tweedbank to Hawick.
3. New line from Tulloch to Newtonmore.

 

[MarkRedon]

BML2.

 

[[.n]]

Let me see;

Maiden Newton - Bridport West Bay (that's probably around 10 miles of my allocation used)

I'll fill in the other 90 miles later

 

[hst43102]

Re-open the GCR between Leicester and Aylesbury, both for nostalgic and commercial purposes. The route can be used for semi-express passenger services to the Midlands and Sheffield/Leeds using the Midland Mainline, and would also be able to remove most of the freight services off the WCML, freeing up paths for more express services.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Brockholes to Holmfirth. I presume the compulsory purchase of houses and rebuilding of a viaduct is included with my track, of course!

 

[popeter45]

i would replace the seven tunnel with a new suspension bridge, build it to GC gauge and spec to high speed specs so could be used by future possible high speed lines

 

[youngiecj]

Grimsby-Spalding for me, would loved that to reopen (probably never will) but one can dream!

 

[The Planner]

Re-open the GCR between Leicester and Aylesbury, both for nostalgic and commercial purposes. The route can be used for semi-express passenger services to the Midlands and Sheffield/Leeds using the Midland Mainline, and would also be able to remove most of the freight services off the WCML, freeing up paths for more express services.

please, not this again...

 

[backontrack]

please, not this again...

It's not 'this again'. The first sentence of the OP is LITERALLY "Bit of lighthearted fun during lockdown!"

 

[hst43102]

please, not this again...

Perhaps the reason it keeps coming up is because it's a great idea?

 

[beardedbrit]

Northern Heights Line - Alexandra Palace to Finsbury Park.
Steyning Line -Horsham to Shoreham-by-sea.
Kelvedon and Tollesbury Light Railway.

 

[Calthrop]

Kelvedon and Tollesbury Light Railway.

Including the extension Tollesbury -- Tollesbury Pier?