Cheaper at Welborne

The proposed new station to serve the new development of Welborne in north Fareham can be built for a small fraction of the quoted £80 million ( Regional News, RAIL 848).

Network Rail’s pre-GRIP feasibility study on behalf of Fareham Borough Council is for a two-phase station. Option 4 is the preferred option, as it is next to the Welborne site and the only option in Fareham. The other three options are in Winchester.

Phase 1 is for a single-platform

station on the existing single-track line from Fareham to Botley, and has a quoted base cost of £11m. This is for a 12-car platform, so the cost could be further reduced with fewer facilities and a shorter platform (all stations between Eastleigh and Portsmouth and Southsea have platforms for trains of six-car or eight-car length, with trains longer than the platforms using selective door opening).

This would work with the existing hourly Portsmouth Harbour to Waterloo service via Fareham, so Welborne station can be built and opened as this Phase 1 station - similar to Chandlers Ford station on the single-track line between Eastleigh and Romsey.

Phase 2 adds a second platform and converts to double-track the single-track third rail electrified line from Botley to the Fareham tunnels, at an additional base cost of £33m (making £44m in total). This would be needed to run a more frequent service between Fareham and Eastleigh.

Applying the higher-range risk factor increases the quoted cost to £78m, but this is for a twoplatform station and double-tracking the third rail electrified line from Botley to the Fareham tunnels.

Alan Mayes, Fareham