Cornish Branch Line Revival?

[Gwiwer]

http://www.cornishguardian.co.uk/cornwall-council-backs-reviving-lostwithiel-fowey-branch-line/story-29435992-detail/story.html

 

It seems the reduction in freight might have a silver lining for the Lostwithiel - Fowey branch if initial investigations are pursued.  There isn't a lot to stop a service being reintroduced to a location close enough to the town centre, though not the original station site, if Imerys were to release some land which is currently under-utilised.

 

The other route to Fowey from St. Blazey is not up for consideration.  It forms part of an active private roadway and in any case does not link directly to the Cornish main line.  A reversal at the currently-closed St. Blazey station would be required and there are other obstructions along this route preventing a reinstated rail service.

 

Of passing interest is the comment from GWR that stopping the up sleeping car train at Lostwithiel, as sought by the councillor driving these proposals, would require an earlier start from Penzance.  The up sleeper did in fact stop at Hayle (which is also omits in the up direction now) and Lostwithiel to match the down working.  Those stops were allegedly withdrawn after just two years due to low demand but the train left Penzance and arrived at Paddington at the same times as it now does.  

 

Lostwithiel is a growing town.  Until recent years it remained fairly quiet but the Eden Project has changed that.  Many of their staff live in Lostwithiel and have been instrumental in turning it into a thriving little town which is now quite sought-after.  Having more trains stop and offering a service to Fowey will only improve things.  All roads to Fowey are narrow and can be very congested so a train service will also alleviate some of the worst of the congestion.  If it operated as a park and ride then so much the better.

 

Inevitably comparisons are being drawn with the never-ending saga of getting Bere Alston - Tavistock reopened which has been "on the books" since 1989 and is not now expected until 2022 at the earliest.  Good luck to those hoping to reawaken the Fowey branch.  It deserves at least a close look and really ought to be a success in the current climate.

[bubbles2]

We could see more of this .....

Golant, Fowey Valley, Cornwall, 4th Sept 1994. by mailrail, on FlickrGolant, Fowey Valley, Cornwall, 4th Sept 1994. by mailrail, on Flickr

 

and this...

 

Carne Point Fowey, Cornwall 4th Sept 1994. by mailrail, on Flickr

 

Which would be good.

[Rods_of_Revolution]

I very much doubt the branch will have a passenger service reintroduced. Even if Imerys decided to surrender part of the site at the docks, the actual cost to build the station would likely be around 5 million even for a simple platform and shelter. For a town that isn't even half the size of Looe, the ridership would mean a service would almost certainly need a constant subsidy of sort.

 

It's a pretty branch line, but I think folks will have to make do with photographing clay trains from the garden of the Fishermans Arms at Golant!

[brianusa]

Interesting thought!  Lostwithiel is becoming a bedroom community as the outer environs of Plymouth come ever closer with commuters living in Callington, Saltash and points further afield.  The docks at Fowey seem to do good business and as long as it keeps up, it is hard to visualise Imerys giving up so where does the proposed train go?  The old sidings at Lostwithiel would make an admirable Park n Ride for Fowey but Carne Point is a long way to walk into town. I don't know if the old station still exists or of any similar area closer in where a more suitable site would be. 

 

Brian.

[Karhedron]

I don't know if the old station still exists or of any similar area closer in where a more suitable site would be. 

 

No, the trackbed is now a private road I think and the station site now has assorted buildings on it. The old alignment from Carne Point does not look viable to me and there is an inconvenient hill blocking any alternative route. I can't see the earthworks involved being worth it for the level of traffic. I think that a Park and Ride at Carne Point would be the most practical option, possibly with a shuttle bus completing the journey into the town.

[Gwiwer]

I would see the major costs being these:-

 

Upgrading signalling to allow passenger trains to use the bay platform at Lostwithiel;

Upgrade branch safeworking to include a lock-in to release the branch for passenger operation when a clay train is at Carne Point;

Upgrading track and associated lineside infrastructure where required;

Providing a safe system to manage the open crossing at Golant for passenger trains;

Purchase or lease-back of a single track on the landward side of the Imerys operation at Carne Point and extending as far as practicable towards the former station site;

Construction of a new basic terminus platform with minimal facilities;

Associated road works at Fowey and car parking at Lostwithiel.

 

I would not envisage a reopening of Golant as a stopping place.  It's a small village and while access is difficult via a very steep and narrow lane I suspect there is no viable traffic to be won here.  Compare Lelant (village) or Sandplace; would they exist is the lines were being opened today?

 

It's not going to be cheap and not necessarily easy but it may well be a lifeline and as the china clay industry winds slowly down it is a perfectly reasonably way to ensure the continued use of the railway.   Fowey (2395) may be smaller than Looe (5280) but it attracts more day visitors in summer and already requires a park and ride bus which Looe does not.

[The Stationmaster]

I reckon they'd be looking at a total cost which works out at c. £2,500 - 3,000 per inhabitant for the people of Fowey and that would be for a station which won't really be anywhere too close to the town.  I suspect if you asked the locals how they'd like that amount per head to be spent in the area/on transport links a rather small percentage of them would even consider reopening the railway.  Sorry to say it but that, I think, is the way things would be.

[Gwiwer]

That is actually my gut feeling as well.  Too expensive for too little benefit.  The numbers won't stack up.  But credit where due for looking into things.  

 

This is the same Cornwall Council which massively cut bus subsidies (including routes to Fowey) resulting in isolation for some communities and very limited travel options for others.  It's also worth pointing out that Cornwall Council themselves are not as yet backing this project rather it's being promoted by one of their number.   

 

Taking a bigger picture view there are severe constraints on the site at Fowey meaning any station would be close to Carne Point and at one corner of the town centre.  Anyone who knows Fowey knows that the town centre is a single very narrow one-way street and not the main residential area.  That lies at the farthest edge of town and up a decent hill from the only possible station site.  Car access between station and homes would be difficult as it would require coming through the centre or taking a long detour around the top of town.  There could be no connection with the local buses which are obliged to terminate at the top of town though are also somewhat nearer the residential area.  

 

The main travel axis is Fowey - St. Austell not Fowey - Lostwithiel.  Even with good connections (which are not guaranteed) it would take significantly longer door to door by train than by car.  Probably longer than the bus as well.  

 

There does seem to be a groundswell of support for a passenger railway however and more so for trips "up-country" and there would be land available at Lostwithiel for a park and ride operation though actually getting to the station there also requires negotiating very narrow one-way streets not suitable for heavier traffic, or entry via a residential area south of the railway line.

[Zomboid]

Wouldn't a bus from Par be a better option than a station which is still a bus ride from the town anyhow?

[Gwiwer]

Wouldn't a bus from Par be a better option than a station which is still a bus ride from the town anyhow?

 

 

The existing bus service which runs once or twice an hour (though seldom in the evenings) serves both St. Austell and Par stations but is not specifically times to connect with trains.

[Zomboid]

A bit of joined up thinking could stick a bus down the private road. Theoretically at least. I'd be a mixed traffic version of the Ottawa bus ways... The tunnel might be troublesome though.

I'm not one to advocate putting buses on a railway, but from where we are now, investment in a decent bus link would seem like the better approach.