| Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
The New Age Of The Train? - 6887/11478 Written by Lee on Friday, 11th April 2008 More than a thousand miles of high-speed railway line and new rail tunnels under the Irish Sea and the English Channel will be needed to cope with the continuing rapid growth in rail travel, according to the industry Re: The New Age Of The Train? - 6887/11508 Written by Lee on Saturday, 12th April 2008 More from Cat Hobbs of Campaign for Better Transport (link below) : http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/campaigns/public_transport/rail/blog [quote="Cat Hobbs"]We are quoted in the Independent today which reports that rail use is at a record-breaking high, with passengers now travelling 30 billion miles a year. Industry figures show that demand for rail travel is rising year after year and is at its highest level since the Second World War. However, passengers are paying for the investment needed in our railways with above-inflation fare increases. We're campaigning for lower fares that reward passengers for travelling in this low carbon way. We're also campaigning for Government to safeguard key railway lines for the future. We can't double the capacity of our railways by 2030 without new stations and lines.[/quote] Re: The New Age Of The Train? - 6887/11522 Written by Lee on Sunday, 13th April 2008 Related BBC article with its focus on the possible need for reopening the line between Okehampton-Plymouth because of the Dawlish issue (link below.) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7344204.stm Interesting quote : [quote="Jim Steer"]"I think it's important not to get too romantic about reinstating the railway lines that Dr Beeching closed in the 1960s. "Instead we should looking at the real transport needs and in this case it is a faster route into Cornwall and a route that avoids the risk factor around the coastal route that are the motivations."[/quote] Re: The New Age Of The Train? - 6887/11547 Written by Lee on Monday, 14th April 2008 More in the link below. http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=141507&command=displayContent&sourceNode=257390&home=yes&more_nodeId1=257393&contentPK=20389452 [quote="Jim Steer"]"This is all notional stuff, but it is worth posing the question. The easiest proposition would be to fashion a new route out of the old line out of Tavistock and Okehampton. "But then you might have to build some new railway. For instance, as I remember it, the line at Tavistock is blocked. "You have to look at it from a contemporary perspective, not as competing railways as it was historically. You need a proper route from Plymouth and Cornwall to Exeter and to the rest of the world. The risks are rising sea levels, and it's pretty clear that at Dawlish this will be no less of a problem in 50 years time than now."[/quote] [quote="Roger Creagh-Osborne, Saltash Rail Users Group/Campaign for Better Transport"]"We absolutely welcome this. We are increasingly concerned about the security of the Dawlish link, particularly with future predictions over the climate. "It's very encouraging that people are proposing 50-year visions for the future of the rail. These are exactly the kind of issues that need to be addressed."[/quote] [quote="FGW"]"It would help with rail services to and from West Devon and Cornwall. But there is a social and environmental impact that has to be considered."[/quote] Network Rail said it was undertaking a study, likely to be published by the end of the year, which would look at the viability of the Dawlish line until 2050 : [quote="Network Rail"]"As for an inland route, it's still up for discussion. We welcome new ideas, but until we complete the study we can't say what's the better option."[/quote] Re: The New Age Of The Train? - 6887/11639 Written by Lee on Friday, 18th April 2008 However, the existing line to Okehampton appears to be under threat (link below.) http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=2338.msg17477#msg17477 Re: The New Age Of The Train? - 6887/12597 Written by Lee on Thursday, 26th June 2008 Interesting BBC article link. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7474951.stm Re: The New Age Of The Train? - 6887/12603 Written by Nick on Thursday, 26th June 2008 What about Nottingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Plymouth and Leicester? enough demand? Re: The New Age Of The Train? - 6887/12604 Written by Lee on Thursday, 26th June 2008 [quote author=Nick link=topic=6887.msg12603#msg12603 date=1214508044] What about Nottingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Plymouth and Leicester? enough demand? [/quote] The link below contains a relevant debate. http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=3037.msg23324#msg23324 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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