What railways should be looked at for reopening?

[Bittern]

We've had railways reopening all over Scotland from Larkhall and Alloa to A-B and soon to be the Borders. Unfortunately, some lines which would be useful today have had their trackbed pretty much wiped out of existence (Hamilton - East Kilbride), but some others are still pretty much intact.

One line that could use with reopening is Dunblane to Crianlarich via Callander and Glen Ogle. Callander is very much a tourist village which lost it's railway in the 60s and now has extremely poor road access. Plus, the scenery from the line would be a compliment to the West Highland Line itself. Only a small part of the trackbed has been built upon (a main road), but I'm sure the railway could be moved slightly to run alongside said road.

The other line that comes to mind is the St Andrews branch. St andrews is, again, a tourist village, but is also home to one of Scotland's' oldest universities. This one is actually being campaigned for by StARLink.

 

[DarloRich]

it is madness ST Andrews has no rail ine.

For me i would reopen the Leamside line tomorrow if i was allowed

 

[GingerSte]

In Yorkshire, I would like to see the Leeds-Wetherby-Harrogate line reopened, possibly with a spur to Tadcaster. I don't live there, but I imagine that a lot of the people who live there commute into Leeds/York.

I would also like to see the line from Barnsley through Athersley and Royston to Wakefield restored, with stations at those two points.

Last, (and probably least likely) I would like to see Harrogate-Ripon-Northallerton open. Combined with the Wetherby line (above), this could be quite a heavily used service, and would also provide a much-needed route for when the ECML is down.

But I concede that in today's climate, it's just a bit of a pipe dream at the moment. What the railway needs is a couple of quick wins.

 

[sprinterguy]

I’m in support of reopening the Dunblane-Callander line, as like you say Callander is a major tourist destination and without major road improvements in the future the road link will remain exceptionally congested during the summer months. Beyond Callander towards Chrianlarich though I’m not sure there would be a large enough regular passenger traffic to support the line. The Glen Ogle section was always exceptionally prone to rock falls onto the line that disrupted the train service (indeed this was the cause of the lines’ closure), so would probably be expensive to maintain. Whilst it would be nice to have the option of being able to reach Oban and Fort William from both Glasgow (via the WHL) and Edinburgh (via Callander), I’m unsure of its feasibility. The trackbed in Callander is also obstructed by recent housing development.

Other reopenings I’d promote would be to extend the Larkhall branch round to Strathaven on its old alignment, as surely there is sizeable commuter traffic from there into Glasgow. And similarly, at the other end of this once continuous route, reopen a branch from Kilmarnock to Darvel.

Finally for my Scottish suggestions, I think reopening Dumfries to Newton Stewart would be very useful for local and tourist traffic, and help to open up the Galloway area by rail.

In England, I’d like to see the Matlock-Great Rocks (Buxton) line reopened to give better connectivity between north and south Derbyshire, which are currently almost two separate counties in terms of accessibility, and the Leamside line from Pelaw to Ferryhill.

 

[Bittern]

Chrianlarich

Crianlarich.

 

[YorkshireBear]

The line from sheffield up to sotkcbridge is one for me.... the roads there can be awful,

maybe extend to penistone to give it a much better faster connection to sheffield, and maybe a faster train to huddersfield too... as the current train form sheffield to huddersfield does not compete in any way shape or form as far as i know that bit of woodhead is still mostly intact

cant really comment on scotish ones dont know enough... but i agree with leamside line

 

[sprinterguy]

Crianlarich.

*Pulls out rail atlas* Yep, you’re right, cheers for the correction. I’ve been getting that one wrong for years, despite passing through periodically. Why change old habits now?

 

[Lampshade]

Buxton - Matlock

 

[sprinterguy]

As per usual, general concensus on Buxton-Matlock and the Leamside line. Lubbly jubbly How the Leamside line has been overlooked for reopening for so many years is beyond me.

 

[DarloRich]

Cash sprinter guy, cash! (or more likely to whom the cash required to reopen the line belongs!)

 

[sprinterguy]

Cash sprinter guy, cash! (or more likely to whom the cash required to reopen the line belongs!)

Ah yes, the perennial obstacle: £££

 

[DarloRich]

I think on the Leamside line, the councils want the line open, passengers want the line open, Nexus wants the line open, even NR want the line open (deep down) but no one wants to pay for it.
Nexus want the top end, as far as Washington for a metro expansion, Durham,Stockton and Middlesbrough councils want the southern end open to allow for more services from Newcastle via Stillington and Leamside (and a new station at Ferryhill and Sedgefield)
NR Want it open for a diversion route
TOCs for the same reasons
FOCs want to run coal trains from Tyne Dock South via Ferryhill and Stillington to Northallerton and the 4 track ECML south

But no one will pay and a deal cant be done on the costs!

 

[craig87034]

Claydon-Bletchley

 

[Bittern]

*Pulls out rail atlas* Yep, you’re right, cheers for the correction. I’ve been getting that one wrong for years, despite passing through periodically. Why change old habits now?

Beautiful wee area, Crianlarich.

 

[sprinterguy]

Beautiful wee area, Crianlarich.

Yeah I’ve got to agree with you there. I’ve spent a lot of time in the restaurant/café at the Green Welly Stop up the road at Tyndrum when on my way to/from summer holidays and the like, and some time exploring around the Crianlarich area itself. I prefer the country up towards Fort William and beyond, but Crianlarich is still very pleasant.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
On the subject of line reopening, I’ll add Bletchley-Bicester (mentioned above I believe): It would be good to see a Milton Keynes-Bicester-Oxford-(Bristol) local/semi-fast service: The track is still in place, but its’ freight only.

 

[bladesman123]

woodhead line

 

[steamybrian]

Uckfield- Lewes line and reconnect a through route London-Coast. A look at a modern railway map and the missing piece is obvious.
Uckfield and nearby Crowborough are rapidly growing towns. The narrow streets of Lewes are being clogged with traffic dispite a by-pass
The trackbed has been kept clear of development by the local Council although the Uckfield by-pass will have to be bridged and the route into Lewes will use the original 1868 alignment.
The only downside is that the Lavender Line becomes homeless.

 

[imagination]

My personal list (note: areas which I don't really know anything about are missed off for obvious reasons):

St Andrews - Leuchars
Dunblane - Callander
Tweedbank (future reopening already planned that far) - Hawick and possibly to Carlisle
Leamside line
Penrith - Keswick
Bicester - Bletchley
Bristol - Portishead
Okehampton - Bere Alston

 

[route:oxford]

One line that could use with reopening is Dunblane to Crianlarich via Callander and Glen Ogle. Callander is very much a tourist village which lost it's railway in the 60s and now has extremely poor road access. Plus, the scenery from the line would be a compliment to the West Highland Line itself. Only a small part of the trackbed has been built upon (a main road), but I'm sure the railway could be moved slightly to run alongside said road.

The line is pretty much built over at the Dunblane end, but there would be potential for it to be re-routed (albeit expensive).

Witney-Thame via Oxford would be busy, but the route has been partially built-over at Witney, near Wheatley "Beeching Way" and it would need a few bridges to get over the A40 & M40. Not impossible though.

 

[LE Greys]

King's Lynn-Hunstanton
I've often wondered why they closed it, since it is a major tourist area, and currently depends on a bus link that actually appears in the FCC timetable

Braintree-Great Dunmow(-Divert to Stansted)
Gives access to Stansted Airport from the east, replacing what I believe is a coach link from Colchester

March-Spalding
Freight line to avoid Peterborough

March-Wisbeach
Worth considering for a passenger service

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Uckfield-Lewes (hopefully as BML2, with the adjusting of the Elmers End-Woodside Tramlink in Surrey): Norman Baker (the MP for Lewes, and a senior Lib Dem) fought endlessly for this before May. He's been a bit quiet o the matter since.
Aberystwyth-Fishguard H/Whitland (a totally new opening): this would open up the rest of West Wales, and places like Cardigan with Swansea/Cardiff etc
Leuchars-St Andrews: University town, golf tournaments...
Stocksbridge/Woodhead: there was talk about Stocksbridge and a station near the old Sheffield Victoria station opening recently, and Woodhead because it is a vital TransPennine link
Leigh-Manchester/Huntingdon-Cambridge: towns with desperate needs of train services once more/between them, and they get (shudders) guided busways
Tweedbank-Carlisle: get IC trains over there and slash Birmingham-Edinburgh times, as well as opening up Melrose, St Boswells and Hawick (currently the biggest town in Britain furthest from a railway station)

 

[tbtc]

Matlock - "Buxton" (e.g. Great Rocks) would probably be first on the list...

One criteria people forget with these lists is what realistic level of service there would be. For example, Matlock - Buxton would mean a through service from the East Midlands to Lancashire. Based on current service levels you could extend the Nottingham - Matlock onto the Hazel Grove - Preston service to give a direct link from Nottingham to Manchester, from the East Midlands to the WCML, to take a lot of pressure off the Norwich - Liverpool service etc etc.

However, the St Andrews branch? I'm from St A, but even I don't think it'd be a good idea. What would the service be? A DMU shuttle to/from Leuchars every half hour? That might be a little "tight" and invariably wouldn't connect perfectly with all the Dundee - Edinburgh trains.

The St Andrews branch wouldn't get any Edinburgh - Dundee/Aberdeen trains, as the half hour diversion up and down the branch would turn long-distance users off. Also, as the London HSTs (and VX Voyagers) wouldn't use the branch, a large number of people would still drive to Leuchars for the long distance trains (and if you've ever seen the number of Students going for the "English" trains, you'll know what I mean). A St Andrews station would still be a way from the real centre of the town, meaning people would still need taxis (and, if you wanted lift, why get one to St A station and change again at Leuchars, when you can just go straight to Leuchars?). Also, there are six-eight buses an hour from Leuchars to St Andrews (some serving the University halls/ suburbs, which no train service would get near).

The Leamside line is a good shout, but it depends on what you want it reopened for. A fast diversion for long distance trains to avoid the Durham curves/ congestion? A "local" service to connect Washington-area to the railway? A two-track line can't be both. And any diversion of stopping services to use a Washington station (etc) may mean a reduction in service to Durham

Self contained lines to existing stations with spare capacity are good too, like a Blyth - Newcastle service.

Woodhead/ Deepcar is one I'd love to see, but I can't work out how it'd realistically happen. It'd need to be pretty frequent to justify a new station at Sheffield Victoria, and you'd end up in the situation where some Manchester trains depart one Sheffield station and others depart from the other one - something which is only going to cause problems. Plus, the Glossop stoppers are going to disrupt any plans for a *fast* service via Woodhead. A nice idea, but one I'd like to see a sensible plan for before i could support it.

 

[Gareth Marston]

Aberystwyth-Fishguard H/Whitland (a totally new opening): this would open up the rest of West Wales, and places like Cardigan with Swansea/Cardiff etc

There are lots of sound topographical reasons why there was never a railway line along that coast, try driving over the A487 or better still try a TrawsCambria 550 bus- remember to take your sick bag though its a roller coaster ride! Unlike north of Aberystwyth theirs no coastal plain, its hills into the sea interspersed with narrow river valleys and you go up and down and up and down and twist. The railway lines that were built into Ceredigion followed the river valleys inland mainly.

 

[woodhead]

Woodhead! And obviously Oxford - Milton Keynes. Just think how many of these mouth watering options that could be funded if we're sensible and don't waste billions on building a swathe across middle england just to get those who will be able to afford it and indeed the fewer who might be able to access it, from Birmingham to London 20 mins faster .... the money is clearly there; let's spend it wisely.

 

[The Planner]

Witney-Thame via Oxford would be busy, but the route has been partially built-over at Witney, near Wheatley "Beeching Way" and it would need a few bridges to get over the A40 & M40. Not impossible though.

Too difficult, Chiltern looked at it a few years back. All of the trackbed through Wheatley is built on, Horspath tunnel is a bat reserve and Oxford services on the M40 was built on top of the alignment too. Thame has gone the way of SUSTRANS.

 

[AutoKratz]

How the Leamside line has been overlooked for reopening for so many years is beyond me.

Absolutely, Has to be the Leamside Line Roll on 2016....

 

[YorkshireBear]

Woodhead/ Deepcar is one I'd love to see, but I can't work out how it'd realistically happen. It'd need to be pretty frequent to justify a new station at Sheffield Victoria, and you'd end up in the situation where some Manchester trains depart one Sheffield station and others depart from the other one - something which is only going to cause problems. Plus, the Glossop stoppers are going to disrupt any plans for a *fast* service via Woodhead. A nice idea, but one I'd like to see a sensible plan for before i could support it.

yeah i agree with that, which is why i said only ro stocksbridge as i think they could do with a better link to city centre, rather than a little tram link thing :/ would also serve sheffield college (hilsbrorough)which is a big flow for students in stocksbridge....
i went their and 35% of students came from stocksbridge and deepcar...

 

[IanXC]

York-Beverley - the A1079 which roughly follows the route can be extremely busy, theres a very poor service between Hull and York, unless there happens to be a direct service (circa 1hr10mins) most journeys take 1h30-1h50 to do about 40 miles as the crow flies.

Id suggest a local service Beverley, Market Weighton, Pocklington, Stamford Bridge(?), York. But also some kind of longer distance service, Hull, Beverley, York... Glasgow?!

 

[Squaddie]

There are lots of sound topographical reasons why there was never a railway line along that coast, try driving over the A487 or better still try a TrawsCambria 550 bus- remember to take your sick bag though its a roller coaster ride! Unlike north of Aberystwyth theirs no coastal plain, its hills into the sea interspersed with narrow river valleys and you go up and down and up and down and twist. The railway lines that were built into Ceredigion followed the river valleys inland mainly.

The old line from Carmarthen to Aberystwyth would be an extremely useful rail link today but, like most other former lines, has now been built over to the extent that it can never be reopened.

 

[Invincibles]

Might not get everyone excited as much as a proper Woodhead Route with express trains but how about

Upgrade Barnsley to Penistone
Reopen Penistone to Hadfield
4 track Piccadilly (Ashburys) to Guide Bridge

Then you can have a 15 minute frequency on Manchester Piccadilly to Dinting with 2tph being stoppers serving all stations to Glossop and 2 tph being "fast" serving Ashburys, Guide Bridge, Dinting, Hadfield, Woodhead*, Penistone, Barnsley. What happens to the train after Barnsley I am not sure, possibly onward in the path of the Huddersfield to Sheffield, which could be reduced to Penistone - Huddersfield shuttling.

Just a shame there is a gap between Barnsley and Doncaster or a quick alternative for that route would have been identified.

Such a route would offer another alternative diversion route for the trans pennine services, and freight could be routed that way to free up some paths on the hope valley line.

This is more an Airdrie to Bathgate kind of suggestion in terms of the services I can see it creating.