Mid Cornwall Metro

[Kris]

Cornwall Council have asked Network rail to upgrade the network between Truro and St Austell to allow for Falmouth to Newquay services. 

 

http://railnews.mobi/news/2020/10/28-upgrade-scheme-unveiled-for-cornish.html?fbclid=IwAR0PeoChrg4SBOKHoEOFDnuGs3PGehkGywaIJAF1GXPYGqg7HMZ7_5mQ0N8

 

I do wonder how many people would actually use these services and whether this is a good use of money.

[Miss Prism]

What needs to be 'upgraded'?

 

[Joseph_Pestell]

8 minutes ago, Miss Prism said:

What needs to be 'upgraded'?

 

I think that it would need additional signalling to be able to reduce headways/create more paths.

[KeithMacdonald]

From that link:

 

The Bid Notice says: ‘The greater Newquay area is seeing a growth in demand for new homes and a number of major developments, with the railway having the potential to be part of the transport solution. It can connect four of the major centres in Cornwall – Falmouth, Truro, St Austell and Newquay, and provide access to sustainable transport.’

 

I always wonder what exactly they mean by "sustainable transport". Transport that can be recycled?

 

Why does "sustainable" get conflated with "viable"?

[Miss Prism]

There's an hourly bus service between Truro and Newquay. No one is going to get a train between those two places, however much improved the signalling is on the mainline.

 

[KeithMacdonald]

Call me slow-witted, I've only just noticed the last paragraph.

 

Quote

The work will include design, survey and ground investigations, along with feasibility reports and cost estimates. Network Rail will appoint the subcontractors.

 

It reminds me of all the fuss about the "re-opening" of a line just over the border into England. i.e. Bere Alston to Tavistock (and maybe Okehampton). Many £100,000's spent on "design, survey and ground investigations, along with feasibility reports and cost estimates", before they decided it was "sustainable transport", but not "viable transport".

 

[Fat Controller]

It would appear, given the mention of St Austell, that this could be the reconstruction of the Parkandillack single line. I think they'd need to reinstall a second platform in Newquay as well.

[Captain Kernow]

On 30/10/2020 at 15:29, Fat Controller said:

It would appear, given the mention of St Austell, that this could be the reconstruction of the Parkandillack single line. I think they'd need to reinstall a second platform in Newquay as well.

Not in a million years, sorry, that one was kicked into touch when the A30 dualling took a northern route over Goss Moor and didn't require the railway formation after all.

 

They'd be better off relaying it, though, if they want a 'viable' service between the two places.

 

[Captain Kernow]

On 30/10/2020 at 14:07, KeithMacdonald said:

It reminds me of all the fuss about the "re-opening" of a line just over the border into England. i.e. Bere Alston to Tavistock (and maybe Okehampton). Many £100,000's spent on "design, survey and ground investigations, along with feasibility reports and cost estimates", before they decided it was "sustainable transport", but not "viable transport".

That project (the Bere Alston to Tavistock scheme) was effectively kicked into touch because of (a) Network Rail hiking up project management 'contingency' amounts, following getting their fingers seriously burned with the GWML electrification work and (b) the project becoming a Devon County Council transport project, approximately coinciding with the time that all the County officers with any serious knowledge of rail schemes left or retired.

 

As such, Devon found (or find) themselves with a project that Network Rail has effectively made too expensive for them (although this all happened two or three years ago now).

 

With all the government debt building up and a determination to press ahead with other projects like HS2 and rebuilding the Dawlish Sea Wall (both essential, in my view), I can't see there being any money for poor old Tavistock.

 

[St. Simon]

Hi,

 

Wow, that was quick to get through to the public domain, I was appointed as the responsible signalling designer on the job only last week!

 

On 30/10/2020 at 13:52, Joseph_Pestell said:

I think that it would need additional signalling to be able to reduce headways/create more paths.

 

It’s a bit more than additional signalling, there’s nothing between Burngullow and Newquay to start with!

 

Simon

[Joseph_Pestell]

10 hours ago, St. Simon said:

Hi,

 

Wow, that was quick to get through to the public domain, I was appointed as the responsible signalling designer on the job only last week!

 

 

It’s a bit more than additional signalling, there’s nothing between Burngullow and Newquay to start with!

 

Simon

 

Not your fault but you take my comment a bit out of context. I was responding to another post where someone asked why they could not simply add more trains onto the timetable now.

[St Enodoc]

10 hours ago, St. Simon said:

Hi,

 

Wow, that was quick to get through to the public domain, I was appointed as the responsible signalling designer on the job only last week!

 

 

It’s a bit more than additional signalling, there’s nothing between Burngullow and Newquay to start with!

 

Simon

Has the track between Burngullow and Parkandillack gone now then?

[St. Simon]

3 hours ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

Not your fault but you take my comment a bit out of context. I was responding to another post where someone asked why they could not simply add more trains onto the timetable now.

Ah, I see now, sorry!

 

Simon

[TrevorP1]

9 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Has the track between Burngullow and Parkandillack gone now then?

 

I believe the Treviscoe plant has been mothballed. Don't know about the railway but I can't see them ripping it just yet.

 

Of course I could be talking rubbish!   

[Co-tr-Paul]

Development funding approved today. 

[brianusa]

5 hours ago, Co-tr-Paul said:

Development funding approved today. 

 

For what project?

    Brian

[KeithMacdonald]

40 minutes ago, brianusa said:

 

For what project?

    Brian

 

Good question!

Various secret ones?

Or these, announced 25th Nov 2020, in the Policy paper, National Infrastructure Strategy?

 

Quote

The National Infrastructure Strategy sets out plans to transform UK infrastructure in order to level up the country, strengthen the Union and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

 

e.g.

 

Quote

“The government will also deliver on its manifesto commitment to spend £500 million to restore transport services previously lost in the Beeching cuts of the 1960s, including reopening the Ashington-Blyth line in Northumberland to passenger services, and restoring rail links to Okehampton in Devon.”

 

[Co-tr-Paul]

Was referring to Newquay to Falmouth through services.

[DavidLong]

Hang on, isn't the quickest route Falmouth - Truro - Newquay the one via Chacewater? What's that? It's closed! Ah well, it must have slipped by me when I wasn't paying attention. I guess someone must have decided it wasn't needed any more . . .

 

David

[DavidLong]

This bonkers scheme has just had more money thrown at it:

https://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/20219652.funding-mid-cornwall-metro-falmouth-newquay/

 

As was commented further up the thread there is an hourly bus from Newquay to Truro which, I suspect, does not go via Par! Even as someone who would encourage the use of trains I find this project completely baffling.

 

Now if they proposed reopening the Newquay and Chacewater . . .

 

David

[Kris]

Yet another pie in the sky idea from a politician to go with the Metro plan (which does appear to have taken another step forward). 

 

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/cornwall-public-transport-call-extra-8970904?fbclid=IwAR3TKH5qFtCwmUNIXW7DG2tQPkfa1W_9H9rLp55D0O94JqQSwGGQcc_L0wI

 

 

[KeithMacdonald]

1 hour ago, Kris said:

Yet another pie in the sky idea from a politician to go with the Metro plan (which does appear to have taken another step forward).

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/cornwall-public-transport-call-extra-8970904?fbclid=IwAR3TKH5qFtCwmUNIXW7DG2tQPkfa1W_9H9rLp55D0O94JqQSwGGQcc_L0wI

 

That article says:

Quote

"There is a disused 'cattle dock' (which once served the livestock market) which could be re-purposed; it is close to the town centre and to Truro Bus Station, which provides services to the hospital, industrial estates and, of course, the town centre including Pydar Street."

 

Astonishing. That cattle dock is only 500 yards from the main station. How much would a new station cost? When it would be so much simpler and far cheaper to just provide a shuttle bus from the main station to the city centre.

[KeithMacdonald]

Main station on the left, cattle market with siding on the right.

 

[Halvarras]

11 hours ago, KeithMacdonald said:

 

That article says:

 

Astonishing. That cattle dock is only 500 yards from the main station. How much would a new station cost? When it would be so much simpler and far cheaper to just provide a shuttle bus from the main station to the city centre.

 

Precisely. Such a daft idea simply reinforces my view that these days there's nothing common about sense.

 

Reminds me that in early 1972 while I was waiting for my working life to start proper, I was temporarily employed on conducting a traffic census at the junction at the top end of Pydar Street, within sight of Truro Viaduct. As a result of this Pydar Street was 'pedestrianised' shortly after (except business access) and, unsurprisingly, remains so to this day.

At that time there was a small and short-lived model shop at the bottom end of the street - within months the proprietor moved into a corner of an indoor market created when HTP Motors closed down (on the corner opposite the bus station) and later in 1972 I purchased a 15W Antex soldering iron from him for £3.25 which only failed last year!!

 

Which has nothing to do with a Mid-Cornwall Metro......sorry!😬

[KeithMacdonald]

On 22/06/2022 at 22:11, DavidLong said:

This bonkers scheme has just had more money thrown at it:

https://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/20219652.funding-mid-cornwall-metro-falmouth-newquay/

 

I can spot at least three logical fallacies.

 

1)

Quote

“This new direct route will unlock faster, more direct routes for Newquay residents, along with the communities along the way, to get to not only Truro and Falmouth, but also the mainline and beyond

 

Somehow assuming either that the only benefit that matters is to people who live in Newquay adn want to get to Truro and Falmouth.

 

2)

Quote

while also bringing more visitors and trade into Newquay’s businesses.

 

Somehow ignoring how most visitors arrive in Cornwall (down the M5 and A30)

 

3)

Quote

“This project will allow people in Truro quicker access to the coasts of our beautiful Duchy by rail, and in particular a route for students in Falmouth and Penryn a direct line to Newquay and the many excellent leisure opportunities on the north coast.

 

Quicker access (that is) for in-town people who only use public transport, with no mention of how others out-of-town people would access these "benefits" e.g. by first having to drive to a railway station, and then park somewhere (if they can, and at extra cost).

 

There may be more fallacies I haven't spotted yet.

Edited December 14, 2023 by KeithMacdonald
Typo fixes