| Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/9014 Written by Lee on Wednesday, 12th December 2007 As visitors to this site who read the PWQ's section (click on http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4456.msg8231) will have noted , a political row is brewing over the Sheffield to Manchester Woodhead line , which shadows one of Britain's busiest rail routes and was taken out of service in 1981. The government has approved plans by National Grid to plant electricity cables in a tunnel in the Peak District , which would prevent the line from being reopened , campaigners say (link below.) http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/2007/12/dormant_lines_could_ease_rail.html#more Graham Stringer , MP for Blackley , Manchester , expects more than 100 parliamentary colleagues to back his early day motion against the move. He said it would be "extremely difficult" to accommodate the millions of extra passengers on the railway by 2030 if disused lines were redeveloped. "If we are going to increase rail capacity we have to reopen lines like the Woodhead tunnel. Without doing that, we cannot reach any of the projections that the government is predicting." Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/9386 Written by Lee on Friday, 11th January 2008 A demonstration is planned for Saturday (12/01/2008, link below.) http://www.savethewoodheadtunnel.blogspot.com/ Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/9420 Written by Lee on Monday, 14th January 2008 The demonstration has been halied as a success (link below.) http://savethewoodheadtunnel.blogspot.com/2008/01/demonstration-huge-success.html Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/9467 Written by Lee on Wednesday, 16th January 2008 From Save The Woodhead Tunnel : [quote]This is to remind you all of our next meeting: Date: Wednesday 16th January 2008 Time: 7.30 p.m. Venue: Glossop Labour Club, 11-13 Chapel Street, Glossop, SK13 8AT We have lots to discuss following the demonstration on Saturday, plus our meeting with National Grid representatives today. Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday. [/quote] Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/9493 Written by Lee on Thursday, 17th January 2008 A Radio 4 report on this can be found in the link below. http://savethewoodheadtunnel.blogspot.com/2008/01/radio-4-you-yours-report.html Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/9536 Written by Lee on Saturday, 19th January 2008 Article links. http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/Protest-over-plans-for-Woodhead.3671697.jp http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1031833_woodhead_fight_goes_on http://savethewoodheadtunnel.blogspot.com/2008/01/railstaff-people-power-resists-cable.html Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/9577 Written by Lee on Monday, 21st January 2008 The National Grid brochure detailing their plans can be found in the link below. http://savethewoodheadtunnel.blogspot.com/2008/01/national-grid-woodhead-brochure.html Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/9633 Written by Lee on Thursday, 24th January 2008 Further article link. http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/local-west-yorkshire-news/2008/01/22/save-our-tunnel-appeal-86081-20376842/ Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/9640 Written by Lee on Friday, 25th January 2008  From Save The Woodhead Tunnel (link below) : http://savethewoodheadtunnel.blogspot.com/2008/01/work-has-started-but-campaign-goes-on.html [quote]We can reveal that National Grid have started work at Woodhead. The above photo shows that a compound and portakabins have been set up next to the Eastern portal at Dunford Bridge for the contractors who will be doing the work. We were told by National Grid last week that work had started to set up this site last Monday, January 14th. We were also told that work to form a roadway will begin at the end of February, with work to install the cables commencing in June this year. This is not a time for despair and resignation. This campaign was set up in haste and at the last minute against the background what should be viewed as a genuine potential threat to the environment and the future direction of transport infrastructure in the North West region, perhaps even the country. We will continue to build our campaign to raise awareness and to act to prevent disaster. But we need your help... [/quote] Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/9721 Written by Lee on Monday, 28th January 2008 Ruth Kelly appears to be in difficulties over this issue (link below.) http://savethewoodheadtunnel.blogspot.com/2008/01/save-woodhead-tunnel-press-release.html Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/9739 Written by Lee on Tuesday, 29th January 2008 The link below contains a compilation of speeches from the demonstration at Woodhead's western portal on 12th January, all taken from YouTube & all in the order they spoke on the day. http://savethewoodheadtunnel.blogspot.com/2008/01/speeches-from-our-demonstration.html Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/9872 Written by Lee on Monday, 4th February 2008 Latest Woodhead news (links below.) http://savethewoodheadtunnel.blogspot.com/2008/02/save-woodhead-tunnel-press-release-more.html http://savethewoodheadtunnel.blogspot.com/2008/02/ruth-kelly-house-of-commons-transport.html http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1034695_save_tunnel_plea_to_blears_ Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/10156 Written by Lee on Sunday, 17th February 2008 An MP has called for the Woodhead Tunnel to form part of a high-speed rail link (link below.) http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/news/headlines/display.var.2035872.0.mep_calls_for_resort_to_have_channel_tunnel_link.php Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/10223 Written by Lee on Tuesday, 19th February 2008 Cat Hobbs (Campaign For Better Transport) has written a letter to Ruth Kelly asking her to do a cost benefit analysis of different options for the Woodhead tunnel (link below.) http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/system/files/Ruth+Kelly+letter+-+cost+benefit+assessment+Woodhead+with+header.pdf Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/10266 Written by Lee on Thursday, 21st February 2008 There will be a demonstration at Salford Central station tommorrow (22/02/2008) to coincide with the ceremonial re-opening by both the Secretary of State for Transport, Ruth Kelly, and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears, who is also the local MP for Salford (link below.) http://savethewoodheadtunnel.blogspot.com/2008/02/demonstration-salford-central-station.html Time: 12.00 p.m. (for 12.30 p.m.) Place: Salford Central Railway Station, New Bailey Street, Salford, M3 5ET Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/10330 Written by Lee on Sunday, 24th February 2008 Salford demonstration video link. http://savethewoodheadtunnel.blogspot.com/2008/02/video-of-our-salford-demonstration.html Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/10367 Written by Lee on Tuesday, 26th February 2008 Campaigners fighting to secure Woodhead new tunnel for future railway use have been asked to contribute to the consultation process on a key government White Paper, Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/10388 Written by Lee on Tuesday, 26th February 2008 Hillsborough MP Angela Smith has met with transport secretary Ruth Kelly to press for the threatened Woodhead Tunnel to be retained for future rail development (link below.) http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/Angela-Smith-in-talks-over.3812698.jp Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/10696 Written by Lee on Monday, 10th March 2008 Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly will be answering questions about the Woodhead Tunnel in the House of Commons tomorrow (link below.) http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/system/files/woodhead_briefing_for_adjournment_debate.pdf Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/10763 Written by Lee on Friday, 14th March 2008 FOI request for information regarding details of meetings and correspondence relating to meetings between National Grid and Ministers/Civil Servants at the DfT regarding proposals to use the Woodhead tunnels for cabling, and in particular the meeting held on or around 20th December (link below.) http://www.dft.gov.uk/foi/responses/2008/march08/foinationalgridanddft/ Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/10852 Written by Lee on Sunday, 16th March 2008 A government minister has said the possibility of reopening the trans-Pennine rail route through the Woodhead tunnels was being considered (link below.) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/7299483.stm Doncaster MP Rosie Winterton, who is the Transport Minister, said the Woodhead Tunnel in would be maintained for possible use : [quote="Rosie Winterton"]"We don't have studies that say we would need a whole new route at the moment. "There are something like three routes across the Pennines that there is the potential to use. "But in the meantime what I will be doing is meeting with National Grid (the tunnel's owners) to look at their plans, to make sure that if necessary, if we needed to reuse the tunnels, how we could do that, how we could make sure that they are properly maintained in the meantime."[/quote] Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/11030 Written by Lee on Monday, 24th March 2008 Latest Woodhead links. http://www.tamesidereporter.com/fullstory.php?paper=1&ID=467 http://www.glossopadvertiser.co.uk/news/s/1041627_tunnel_vision_reaps_rewards http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1041453_woodhead_tunnel_decision_delayed http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/New-blow-to-tunnel-hopes.3885744.jp http://www.fleetwoodtoday.co.uk/latest-north-west-news/MP-calls-for-train-route.3866131.jp http://savethewoodheadtunnel.blogspot.com/2008/03/adjournment-debate-11th-march-2008_12.html http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/MP-Angela-Smith-calls-to.3863364.jp http://savethewoodheadtunnel.blogspot.com/2008/03/oldham-evening-chronicle-looking-for.html Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/11031 Written by Industry Insider on Tuesday, 25th March 2008 [i]"Under the government Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/11032 Written by Lee on Tuesday, 25th March 2008 A cynic would suggest that the choice of the nearby Penistone line for the tram-train trial may be related to the flak from Woodhead (link below.) http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=6424.msg10891#msg10891 Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/11040 Written by Lee on Tuesday, 25th March 2008 The latest press release from Save The Woodhead Tunnel pretty much agrees with Industry Insider (link below.) http://savethewoodheadtunnel.blogspot.com/2008/03/press-release-woodhead-tunnel-victory.html Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/11364 Written by Lee on Monday, 7th April 2008 Save The Woodhead Tunnel have a new PO Box address (link below.) http://savethewoodheadtunnel.blogspot.com/2008/04/contact-address.html Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/11649 Written by Lee on Friday, 18th April 2008 It doesnt look like "victory" to Save The Woodhead Tunnel (link below.) http://savethewoodheadtunnel.blogspot.com/2008/04/this-is-what-victory-looks-like.html Re: Woodhead Tunnel Row - 4949/11998 Written by Lee on Monday, 28th April 2008 Government response to petition on the PM's website : [quote="PM's Office"]No current proposals for tunnels on the Woodhead route stop them from being re-opened for future rail use, if they are needed. The Rail White Paper, published in July 2007, identified the need for more passenger capacity across the Pennines. It concluded that this could best be met by longer trains and faster journey times on the Manchester to Leeds via Huddersfield route. The White Paper did not identify any need for substantial extra trans-Pennine capacity for freight. The Minister of State for Transport, Rosie Winterton, proposes to meet National Grid in the next few weeks to confirm that the Government would wish to explore further the option of continuing the inspection and maintenance regime for the Victorian tunnels once National Grid have vacated them. Following that meeting, she would also like to meet key stakeholders to gain the transport industry and northern economic perspectives on the issue of TransPennine transport and how that will tie in with the process of developing a longer term strategy. This will be conducted as part of the process outlined in the document - Towards a Sustainable Transport System (TaSTS).[/quote] link to index of articles |
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Save the Train was the campaign to bring an approriate train service back to and through Melksham. Most big contributors are still around writing at the Coffee shop forum where new members are very welcome. The train has been saved - sort of - we have stepped back up from an unusable service to a poorish one but it's doing very well. We did that through setting up the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership. That fulfilled its early objectives; it has been taken over by local and regional government types who are now doing medium and long term work. The team from this forun can also be found at the Melksham Rail User Group (which was the Melksham Rail Development Group at the time these articles were written and we had no users. We mustn't loose sight, though, that the train service remains poor and needs our community support in marketing and campaigning to keep it going in a positive direction ... and all the more so when we're expecting to find a different normallity once we get out of the Coronavirus Pandemic and head for zero carbon via the climate crisis. Yes, it's saved ... it's now a key community facility ... the need for enhancement and the strong and near-universal local support remain, and the rail industry and goverment remain slow to move and provide the enhancements even to level us up with other towns. Please support the Melksham Rail User Group - now very much in partnership rather than protest with the rail industry and local government, including GWR, TransWilts and unitary and town councils. And please use the trains and buses, and cycle and walk when you can. -- Graham Ellis, (webmaster), February 2021 | |||
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