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Let's build a station


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Interesting concept from India, there are five places as per the article below who decided to build a station rather than waiting for Indian Railways!

 

Might be an idea for some in the UK, comments keep getting made about Elland being one of the largest towns in Yorkshire with a railway but no station.

 

https://www.thebetterindia.com/121688/railway-stations-built-by-residents/

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Interesting concept from India, there are five places as per the article below who decided to build a station rather than waiting for Indian Railways!

Might be an idea for some in the UK, comments keep getting made about Elland being one of the largest towns in Yorkshire with a railway but no station.

https://www.thebetterindia.com/121688/railway-stations-built-by-residents/

How would you propose that that would work in the UK?

 

Regards, Ian.

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I like the idea but I can't help feeling that NR would be slightly unenthusiastic about a group of British villagers turning up with tools and materials to erect a station. For a start they would have kittens over health and safety. And they own the land and have boundary fences so it would be trespass. 

In India I am pretty sure that railways are unfenced and there is a much lighter "safety" regime, so building something adjacent to the railway line would be no problem.

But I like the idea. Crowd funding perhaps?

Jonathan

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I like the idea but I can't help feeling that NR would be slightly unenthusiastic about a group of British villagers turning up with tools and materials to erect a station. For a start they would have kittens over health and safety. And they own the land and have boundary fences so it would be trespass. 

In India I am pretty sure that railways are unfenced and there is a much lighter "safety" regime, so building something adjacent to the railway line would be no problem.

But I like the idea. Crowd funding perhaps?

Jonathan

Ignoring the H&S, land ownership/trespass issues (and not to even mention Railway Group Standards) for a minute, building such a station is one thing (even with crowdfunding), but (here comes the boring bit) how do you "persuade" the TOC to stop trains at the station, introducing "delays" into their schedule and incurring penalties (compensation to others for delays in train paths etc.)? Oh yes, you amend the timetable - and how are you going to persuade Network Rail to do that? Would you want to provide Customer Information Systems for the passengers at such a station? It wouldn't be much of a user friendly station if you didn't, but again how do you persuade the TOC and/or NR to provide such kit?

 

Nice idea, but I think trying to copy what has been done in India with what you might think would work in the UK is a bit like comparing apples with elephants.

 

Regards, Ian.

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Network Rail will build you a station if you pay them enough money. They will even arrange to stop trains there too, along with handling the timetable changes. They will even do it on a busy multi track main line. It is what is happening at Brent Cross at least.

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Network Rail will build you a station if you pay them enough money. They will even arrange to stop trains there too, along with handling the timetable changes. They will even do it on a busy multi track main line. It is what is happening at Brent Cross at least.

That is exactly the point I'm trying to make, ignoring the myriad of hoops needing to be jumped through, it will cost millions - even for a "small" station. No offence, but I don't see the impoverished villagers in remote India coming up with that sort of capital.

 

Regards, Ian.

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I really like the idea of the local community itself making the investment to open a station and the fact people have put money in would surely be a sign to NR/TOC that demand was there.

 

Anyone can campaign for a line/station to be opened or to add a more frequent service, but potential passengers showing how much they want it/would use it with their wallet would be a much better indication to the TOC. A crowdfunding style system would be perfect for this kind of thing.

 

I don't think anyone is seriously suggesting a 'Titfield Thunderbolt' type scenario where the locals literally build it themselves.   

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Didn't Aneka Rice build the KESR extension to Northiam in 2 weeks by herself?

 

Trains in India seem to run by a calendar rather than a clock, it takes 2 days to get from Delhi to Madras, so it must be Tuesday. 

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