Find out what’s been happening on the rail network in your area
WESTERN
Exminster: While Devon County Council is keen for stations to reopen, it has discounted Exminster ( closed in 1964) because there is no capacity for extra services on the West of England Main Line. The decision is despite 1,500 new homes being built near to where the old Exminster station operated until June 30 1964.
Melksham: The station is to gain more parking spaces and a cafe.
Tidenham: The 1,188- yard tunnel on the former Chepstow- Monmouth line ( closed to passengers in January 1959 and to freight in 1981), and which is now part of the Wye Valley Greenway, is to get a new surface and lighting to make it safer for walkers and cyclists. The Railway Heritage Trust has awarded a grant of £100,000.
EASTERN
Huddersfield: The landmark bridge over John William Street may be replaced as part of the area remodelling for the £1 billion Dewsbury line upgrade. As well as changes to the general station layout, part of the roof will be replaced, and a footbridge installed to the new platform.
Huntingdon: Station users are being warned to take great care as the mid-1970s flyover carrying a redundant section of the upgraded A14 road is dismantled. A protective barrier is being placed over the East Coast Main Line.
Knaresborough: The Railway Heritage Trust has awarded a £14,516 grant towards the conversion of three rooms at the station into a micropub.
MIDLANDS
Beeston: Two acres of redundant railway land is to be sold to enable the building of 40 prefabricated houses.
Bricket Wood: The passing loop at the intermediate Watford Junction-St Albans line station could be reinstated, to increase capacity. When it had two platforms in the early 1960s, the location featured in several British films ( often low- budget crime thrillers). The Grade 2- listed atomic bomb- resistant Emergency Railway Control Centre is also nearby.
Derby: The future of the Grade 2- listed warehouse is in doubt after it sustained extensive damage in an arson attack on May 22. Despite losing much of its roof, the 1888 Great Northern building may still be repaired.
Leek: The Churnet Valley Railway is reversing the closure of a ¾ - mile section of the North Staffordshire line from Leekbrook Junction, by relaying the track. It was lifted soon after the end of freight traffic on June 6 1970.
Northampton: The borough council says it is closer to building a 1,300- space multi- storey car park next to the station. The project was first discussed in 2015, along with a hotel and new office space.
Radlett: St Albans District Council has withdrawn its objections to the rail freight depot, to concentrate on its efforts on finding land for new housing.
SOUTHERN
Dulwich: Network Rail has sponsored a community artists’ mural in Burbage Road, to mark the borough’s strong sporting connections. It is in close proximity of North Dulwich, Herne Hill and Tulse Hill stations.
Eridge: The old station footbridge has had to be removed two months before the arrival of its replacement, because it is unsafe.
ANGLIA
Hunstanton: Any future railway access to the former station terminus will be hampered if West Norfolk Council obtains approval to build 32 new flats across part of the site, which has been a car park since the line to King’s Lynn closed in May 1969.
Lowestoft: Network Rail has gifted a set of old level crossing gates to the historical area being created at the back of the station, where the railway route to the harbour operated until the late 1950s. It will
complement the conversion of the former parcels area into an exhibition space.
LONDON
Rayners Lane: Transport for London wants to build 130 new homes ( in blocks of up to six storeys) on the station car park, reducing the number of parking spaces to 75. There have been widespread objections from local residents.
South Kensington: Over 30 years since improvements to the London Underground station were first discussed, the formal planning application has been filed by the developers. The frontage will be replaced by a larger building to secure rental income, and a gap on one side filled with new housing. An additional entrance will be created, and the ticket hall reconfigured.
SCOTLAND
Ayr: Despite ongoing concerns over the structurally unsafe hotel next to the station, Network Rail is embarking on a £1.3 million programme of improvements that include a new staff accommodation block opposite Platform 4, replacing the temporary building that is taking up car parking spaces. Next in line is a new ticket office and waiting area.
Blindwells: Plans for the East Lothian new town on the site of the former Cockenzie Power Station show a new station running through its centre. Network Rail has already proposed this section of the East Coast Main Line for quadrupling, so platforms could be installed at the same time. The Edinburgh-Berwick service would also serve the reopened halts at East Linton and Reston.
Granton: Edinburgh City Council has approved the £1.3 million Waterfront regeneration scheme, which includes conversion of the former North British station ( closed in November 1925) into modern offices, 3,500 new homes, and a coastal park. Kilmarnock: The fifth and final stage of the restoration of unused rooms at the station is being supported with a £ 70,000 grant from the Railway Heritage Trust.
Milngavie: The station platforms are being extended. Wemyss Bay: The empty two- bedroom flat in the station clock tower could be converted into holiday accommodation. A £ 5,000 grant has been awarded to the Landmark Trust to conduct an investigation.