RMweb Premium melmerby Posted February 9, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 9, 2015 (edited) Hi all The proposed station at the intersection of the Cotswold and B'ham-Gloucester lines gets a step closer. See here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-31289143 Keith Edited March 1, 2020 by melmerby Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Miles Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Interesting. The Birmingham and Gloucester avoided Worcester because the landowners wanted lots of cash for their land so the railway built an 1840s version of Worcester Parkway at Spetchley. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted February 9, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 9, 2015 About time - but can Worcester support 3 stations? Will Cross Country want to stop? And how about Abbotswood Junction's down loop - will that get truncated? Or perhaps a better option might be to install platform loops in both up and down directions on the B&G? Not so much pressure on the OWW! Phil 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
28XX Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Its conceiveable, Phil, that Shrub Hill will close to passenger traffic. Foregate provides the station for the city per se, for pedestrian passengers, Parkway would provide an interchange, and a station that you drive or catch a bus to / from. Shrub Hill would have no specific role. Birmingham - Malvern - Hereford services already bypass S.H. except at peak times. Careful re-casting of the timetable will be crucial to the success of this venture. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted February 9, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 9, 2015 Yes, Shrub Hill has been precarious since N-S mainline services stopped calling - suspect the best service the faithful citizens might get from the new station on the main line is an hourly Cardiff - Nottingham if they are lucky, change at BNS or Cheltenham for anything longer distance. SO that's two changes if joining in the town at Foregate Street. Its mainly the northbounds as IIRC there is currently no direct service from Worcester further north than Brum at the moment - at least going south you currently have some longer distance FGW services via FS & SH but they wont be able to call at the new station of course! Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.hill64 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Yes, Shrub Hill has been precarious since N-S mainline services stopped calling - suspect the best service the faithful citizens might get from the new station on the main line is an hourly Cardiff - Nottingham if they are lucky, change at BNS or Cheltenham for anything longer distance. SO that's two changes if joining in the town at Foregate Street. Its mainly the northbounds as IIRC there is currently no direct service from Worcester further north than Brum at the moment - at least going south you currently have some longer distance FGW services via FS & SH but they wont be able to call at the new station of course! Phil I wonder if there is a market for extending the Hereford - Malvern - Worcester services to Nuneaton - Leicester - Nottingham - Derby? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
28XX Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I wonder if there is a market for extending the Hereford - Malvern - Worcester services to Nuneaton - Leicester - Nottingham - Derby? The new station will do nothing to make this a more attractive proposition. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Depot Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I must be out of touch since escaping Network Rail and the UK! What happened to the Cardiff-Nottingham trains that ran via Worcester SH Can remember them starting with Cl156's every two hours in the beginning... Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted February 10, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 10, 2015 (edited) I wonder if there is a market for extending the Hereford - Malvern - Worcester services to Nuneaton - Leicester - Nottingham - Derby? Some Malvern services go to Whitlocks End on the North Warks line (the core service is Worcester - Whitlocks End) This has nothing to do with the Parkway station however. Keith EDIT the only stopping trains through Worcester Shrub Hill these days are Great Western and London Midland: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced/WOS/2015/02/10/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt A couple of XC trains each way pass through to get to/from New St from the west Edited February 10, 2015 by melmerby Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted February 10, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10, 2015 Yes, Shrub Hill has been precarious since N-S mainline services stopped calling - suspect the best service the faithful citizens might get from the new station on the main line is an hourly Cardiff - Nottingham if they are lucky, change at BNS or Cheltenham for anything longer distance. SO that's two changes if joining in the town at Foregate Street. Its mainly the northbounds as IIRC there is currently no direct service from Worcester further north than Brum at the moment - at least going south you currently have some longer distance FGW services via FS & SH but they wont be able to call at the new station of course! Phil The closure of Shrub Hill has been part of previous plans for the 'parkway' station and I wouldn't be at all surprised if that idea again emerges as this scheme starts to be debated openly in the area. The only problems I can see are the divorcing of dmu stabling from a station where trains start or terminate (assuming stabling continues in the vicinity of Shrub Hill?) and a poor connecting situation for passengers changing off an NE/SW train hoping to go into the city by train - although that's more than they can do at present of course! Ideally a rail shuttle between Foregate St and the Parkway station might make it more useful for commuters into the city and for connecting passengers possibly. But it is interesting to see the long planned intention finally looking like it will come to fruition. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted February 10, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10, 2015 About time - but can Worcester support 3 stations? Will Cross Country want to stop? And how about Abbotswood Junction's down loop - will that get truncated? Or perhaps a better option might be to install platform loops in both up and down directions on the B&G? Not so much pressure on the OWW! Phil XC will want to stop, I believe. IMO, there will be little support for truncating Abbotswood DGL with freight traffic also set to grow. As for the future of Shrub Hill, there is a lot of housing in the area, and whilst it isn't as good for the city centre as Foregate Street, I've not detected a whiff of closure suggestions. Don't forget that when Abbotswood Jct to Stoke Works or Barnt Green etc. is closed for engineering works, trains will divert via Shrub Hill. Once XC have started stopping trains at the new station, they will need an alternative to call at. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Worcester, for me, epitomises the fall of the railway from grace. You only have to look at maps of the city circa 1950, with it's loco works, sheds, extensive yards, and two stations, then compare it to now, with an idea floated to build a new station what must be five miles OUTSIDE the city. One wonder how the average rail-user would cope. Those with no transport of their own I mean. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted February 10, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10, 2015 Worcester, for me, epitomises the fall of the railway from grace. You only have to look at maps of the city circa 1950, with it's loco works, sheds, extensive yards, and two stations, then compare it to now, with an idea floated to build a new station what must be five miles OUTSIDE the city. One wonder how the average rail-user would cope. Those with no transport of their own I mean. They'd use Foregate St (although I don't know how it compares with Shrub Hill 'bus route wise in terms of non-motorist access). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted February 10, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10, 2015 Anyone know of a link with some detailed plans? I suppose it should be possible to look on the Worcester planning but I was hoping for something more railway based. The layout looks as though it will be rather awkward unless there is provision for trains to terminate there. It is good news but I can't help wonder about the timing. We don't do politics here so I won't post the 2010 election result for Worcester. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted February 10, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 10, 2015 They'd use Foregate St (although I don't know how it compares with Shrub Hill 'bus route wise in terms of non-motorist access). I think you will find Foregate Street is overall better served than Shrub Hill as it is on the old main road through the town and is closer to the bus station and city centre. Keith 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold teaky Posted February 10, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10, 2015 Foregate Street is very easily accessed by bus. It is a couple of minutes walk from Worcester bus station. Shrub Hill is not handy for buses nor is it too good for cars with restricted parking facilities. Provided there is sufficient parking at the new site, it should be easy to access from M5 J7. It is close to substantial housing developments locally (Norton), to the south east (St Peters) and north east (Warndon Villages) of Worcester. If someone has their head screwed on it would be simple to lay on a couple of circular bus routes to sweep up commuters from the two largest developments at peak times. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted February 10, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 10, 2015 (edited) Anyone know of a link with some detailed plans? I suppose it should be possible to look on the Worcester planning but I was hoping for something more railway based. The layout looks as though it will be rather awkward unless there is provision for trains to terminate there. It is good news but I can't help wonder about the timing. We don't do politics here so I won't post the 2010 election result for Worcester. It's being ongoing for some time and the funding was in place last year Plans wise There is this: http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CDAQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.worcestershire.gov.uk%2Fdownload%2Fdownloads%2Fid%2F3727%2Fworcestershire_parkway_leaflet&ei=ql_aVNiyEsTqUquKhJgN&usg=AFQjCNFLIGHyMYbiTgf1YbyQ7OoxbL1gxg&bvm=bv.85464276,d.d24 and this: http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&ved=0CEAQFjAG&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.worcestershire.gov.uk%2Fdownload%2Fdownloads%2Fid%2F1741%2Fparkway_railway_station&ei=3l_aVPHGOcjvUPjDgtgP&usg=AFQjCNEiIPTPuf8qL6E-zBkDJg0-_Z3jsw&bvm=bv.85464276,d.d24 And it's partly to do with this: http://www.swdevelopmentplan.org/?page_id=52 Keith EDIT Something wrong with the hot links - now fixed! Edited February 10, 2015 by melmerby Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted February 10, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10, 2015 I think you will find Foregate Street is overall better served than Shrub Hill as it is on the old main road through the town and is closer to the bus station and city centre. Keith I think the main argument in the past (from the County/city) in respect of closing Shrub Hill was its poor situation in relation to the city centre. Once the parkway station opens Shrub Hill would lose its main benefit of having car access which isn't really feasible at Foregate St. (Incidentally that last time I was involved in a Worcester study, c.10/11 years back, it was on behalf of a consortium of councils and was mainly based around the feasibility of the parkway station covering what Shrub Hill offered and more - however I recommended at that time having two platforms on the Oxford line as well as the NE/SW route). 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold teaky Posted February 10, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10, 2015 (edited) The latest plan is for two platforms on the Bristol line and one on the Oxford line. Not clear how this will operate. I hope they've allowed for people to get on at Worcester and off again on the return leg! It is still single track at present but there are moves to (re-)double it. Edited February 10, 2015 by teaky Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted February 10, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10, 2015 Thanks for all the local and rail perspective comments folks - please keep them coming if anything else emerges. JeffP hit the nail on the head but in many ways Worcester's rail service fate was sealed when the B&G route via Spetchley was built all those years ago. Kind regards Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Miles Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 The B&G has a good history of missing towns. The original line ignored Worcester and Tewkesbury and only altered its route to serve Cheltenham at the last minute. Then many years later, Gloucester was omitted in the post Beeching rush to get rid of railways. I wonder if the citizens of Gloucester now regret the loss of through north-south trains. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted February 10, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10, 2015 You bet they do! Schemes to build a new station at various locations to address the issue continue to surface Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin_m Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 The latest plan is for two platforms on the Bristol line and one on the Oxford line. Not clear how this will operate. I hope they've allowed for people to get on at Worcester and off again on the return leg! It is still single track at present but there are moves to (re-)double it. I read on another forum that the design allows for a second platform to be added on the Cotswold line if it is re-doubled. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted February 11, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 11, 2015 I read on another forum that the design allows for a second platform to be added on the Cotswold line if it is re-doubled. Mentioned in the documents I linked to earlier. Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 The B&G has a good history of missing towns. The original line ignored Worcester and Tewkesbury and only altered its route to serve Cheltenham at the last minute. Then many years later, Gloucester was omitted in the post Beeching rush to get rid of railways. I wonder if the citizens of Gloucester now regret the loss of through north-south trains. There was a 'Gloucester Parkway' at Barnwood which kept being proposed back in the late 1960s/early 1970s- we must be due for a revival.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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