Open Access
Something to say? This is your platform.
Please, not Dawlish again! As I write, CrossCountry trains west of Exeter have been suspended (again!), due to the combination of a high spring tide and a south easterly gale. Great Western services are more or less as usual.
How often has this happened since the summer? And is this to be regular CrossCountry or Network Rail policy?
The CrossCountry proposal for a new timetable, published in the summer, more or less implied that almost all services would be cut back to Exeter, and this old cynic wonders why (in the light of this) its trains are cancelled while others plough on through the spray?
Perhaps some rosters could be rearranged so that services were not operated by the vulnerable Class 220s, where the electrics are on the roof? There are - or will be - a few spare good old HSTs available…
Meanwhile, the Okehampton diversion raises its head again. It is totally unaffordable in present terms, and I shall not believe otherwise until the Okehampton line is providing a regular service at express speeds, and the line to Tavistock is similarly restored.
True, it would bring back rail services to an area with a total population of around 35,000. But this would be at the expense of the east-south Devon corridor, where there are already a million passengers a year, where plans for a ‘Devon Metro’ have been on hold for five years, and where the Peninsula Rail Task Force survey found that extra track to cope even with increasing local demand between Exeter and Newton Abbot would be needed within 20 years. And don’t forget the 150,000+ inhabitants of Torbay!
There is more, such as the impossibility of running an hourly stopping service on the single track between Exeter and Honiton (even using the Waterloo trains), because the DfT refuses to fund even a feasibility study on greater resilience promised after Dawlish 2014.
I have supported railway travel for my entire life. But if the best Chris Grayling can do for his “number one priority” is a sticking plaster solution soon to be overtaken by the waves, is it really worth me still doing so?
Richard Giles, Exmouth
Dawlish suffers again… and so does north Devon, as evidenced by that huge void in the map on page 7 of RAIL 866.
That gap used to be filled by a railway between Barnstaple and Taunton, until Beeching had north Devon’s only sensible rail link with the outside world closed in 1966.
To have to travel south to Exeter on a slow single-track line, then back up north to Taunton before proceeding eastwards towards London (or alternatively eastwards on the single line from Exeter to Salisbury for onward travel to London) defies all reason in the 21st century.
While I acknowledge the need for a Dawlish avoiding line, is it really not possible for the blue line on that map to be completed? It was started just before the Second World War and was dropped when the Great Western Railway was nationalised in 1947.
It’s so obvious that resurrecting that route is preferable to a new ‘Great Way Round’, just as it is obvious that north Devon needs a new fast link between Barnstaple and Taunton with Class 800s taking passengers on to London.
Sadly, there are too many people in Devon without the vision to see the beneficial effects that the new railway will have on the economy of the area, and there are too many vested interests (road hauliers, for example) who don’t want their goods transferred to rail.
Tony Olsson, Nottinghamshire
Winter hasn’t yet arrived and already the Dawlish Sea Wall is unable to cope with rough seas. Will this railway have another breach this winter, costing west Devon and Cornwall £20million a day in lost business - and even more if the line is breached over the Christmas or Easter holidays? The 2014 Dawlish breach cost Devon and Cornwall more in lost business than the cost to rebuild the LSWR route.
The South West Peninsula Rail Task Force (PRTF), in a change of heart from 2014, confirms that it has an ambition to reopen the northern route. There are many railway lines across Britain that deserve to be rebuilt, but the former LSWR line from Exeter to Plymouth via Okehampton, Tavistock and St Budeaux should be high on the list of reopenings!
A rebuilt line would bring Okehampton (a railhead for north Cornwall) and Tavistock back onto the map. Both towns have grown considerably since the line was closed in 1968.
Moreover, the railway still runs from Exeter to Meldon (west of Okehampton) and from Bere Alston to St Budeaux (Plymouth). Viaducts and tunnels remain in good order and only two missing bridges, an office and a few houses prevent an easily rebuilt line.
It must be remembered this is a railway for Okehampton and Tavistock, which deserve their railway back. This rebuilt line IS NOT to replace the Dawlish line, which must remain open (Mother Nature permitting).
It just so happens that this line, when rebuilt, provides an ideal diversionary route for the entire GWR line between Plymouth North Road and Exeter St Davids.
Even with two reversals, the journey from Plymouth to London via the LSWR would be less than 30 minutes longer than via Newton Abbot. Even passengers from Paignton and Torquay would prefer an extra 90 minutes on their journey to London via Newton Abbot, Plymouth, Okehampton to spending an extra 45 minutes getting on and off a bus.
Tim Naylor, Penzance
With global warming, it is inevitable that rising sea levels will close the Dawlish line on an increasing number of occasions in future years.
Of course, it should be reopened as soon as possible after each inundation, but to maintain passenger and freight services to Plymouth and Cornwall during the inevitable Dawlish closures, the Okehampton Line should be reinstated sooner rather than later.
In the past, when one or other of the two routes between Exeter and Plymouth was closed (by flooding at Dawlish, snowdrifts on Dartmoor or Luftwaffe bombing), the alternative route was found to be invaluable - and it should be available today.
A fast, single-track line with dynamic passing loops could be provided, with capacity for an hourly service calling at Crediton (with Barnstaple line connections), Okehampton, Tavistock and Bere Alston (with Gunnislake line connections). In its heyday, speeds of 80mph were recorded.
Ideally, the existing South
Western Railway Waterloo-Exeter St Davids service could be extended to Plymouth, reinstating London services withdrawn in the Beeching era.
Sufficient dynamic passing loops would allow non-stop Great Western Railway and CrossCountry services to run to Plymouth and Cornwall when the Dawlish line is shut. One suitable section of double track (more than four miles long) already exists between Crediton and the site of Coleford Junction.
Because of the steep South Devon banks, at present heavy sand trains from Cornwall have to be split into two between Plymouth and Exeter, with the Class 66 coming back for the second part. This can be avoided by using the Okehampton line, with its much easier ruling gradient of 1-in-80.
In the early BR period, the Western Region ran several daily heavy goods trains on the more easily graded Okehampton route, avoiding the steep South Devon banks.
The inflated price for rebuilding could be significantly reduced by reopening Meldon Quarry for its high-quality ballast, instead of bringing in from distant quarries.
John Nicholas, Cirencester
We have learned much recently about the troubles of the railway at Dawlish, and the problems with the sea and the cliffs.
A major problem occurred in February 2014, with the rail undermined by the sea, disrupting all services to the South West. A similar occurrence took place in March 2018, when holes were discovered under the track which could have been attributed to poor maintenance.
During these and many other times in recent years, the regular flow of trains has been severely disrupted and stopped for considerable amounts of time. This alone has caused major disruption to travellers, and more importantly a major impact to the South West’s economy in general.
Surely the most logical, sensible and cost-effective long-term solution is to reopen the inland route from Exeter via Okehampton and Tavistock to Plymouth, along the old Southern Railway trackbed? To a large part it is still intact, and therefore would not take great sums of money to reinstate.
If the inland route via Okehampton and Tavistock was reopened both routes could be used all year round - providing an alternative route whenever required, and enabling the South West to remain ‘open for business’ even when we have bad weather.
At the moment, the residents of northwest Devon and northeast Cornwall have to travel over an hour to get a train. Opening the former Southern route would bring a station nearer them, encouraging more people to travel by rail from these areas and tourists to visit the areas.
I would venture to suggest that there is a strong case for reopening/rebuilding/extending the line from Barnstaple to Bude, Padstow and Newquay, which would give another alternative route to the far South West throughout the year, unaffected by bad weather.
Douglas Beazer, Dorset
I remain mystified by the logic behind policies to maintain the Dawlish coastal line, while pressing for reconstruction of the old Okehampton-Tavistock line as the diversionary route.
RAIL 866 outlined scenarios for 2040 and 2060, when the Dawlish line is forecast to be closed for up to 64 days annually and require rebuilding on the scale of 2014. Assuming this is both unacceptable and unaffordable, presumably it is accepted that some other route must be constructed.
If the Dartmoor route is chosen, then almost all of south Devon would eventually be removed from the rail system - also unacceptable, surely? In addition, journeys would take longer and involve a reversal, plus another for Cornwall-bound trains.
I also find it hard to understand how the Dartmoor route would improve links to parts of Cornwall and north Devon, as is often claimed. Assuming that aspirations for both Exeter-Okehampton (already in situ) and Plymouth-Tavistock will be achieved, what would the intervening section (expensive to rebuild) actually add?
I can only think of Gunnislake and Callington as towns that theoretically could benefit, plus Tavistock itself to a limited extent. But Gunnislake is already rail-connected and Callington is an approximate 45-minute bus ride from opposite Plymouth station (hourly by the direct route, quicker overall than via Tavistock).
So, logic inevitably points to construction of an inland Exeter-Newton Abbot route as the only realistic scenario. Planning to rebuild the old Southern route is simply a delay-inducing sideshow.
Desirable as it is to reopen old lines in many parts of the UK, there is no justification for this to be one of them.
Walter Brown, Crediton
Peninsula Rail Task Force Chairman Andrea Davis is quite wrong to make the route through Oakhampton a priority to avoid Dawlish.
We all know that Brunel got it wrong - building an atmospheric railway that didn’t work, and building a railway along the coast that was far too exposed to the elements. The Great Western Railway knew this as far back as the 1930s, and actually started to build an avoiding line with planned inland stations at both Dawlish and Teignmouth.
What is now required is a robust, reliable railway that gives priority to public needs and addresses the needs of the entire South West. The vast sums that have been ploughed into the present route could have built the proposed GWR diversionary route many times over.
Rising sea levels are predicted, so why are we moving track further out into the sea? We are already suffering closures, and this is only going to get worse along the present route.
Network Rail claims the present route is the most cost effective. It’s time NR puts robustness and reliability of service at the head of main requirements and builds the inland route as originally planned by the GWR, and to hell with the so-called cost:benefit calculations.
Such a move will pay for itself very quickly out of the savings not being spent on maintaining the current route. What customers want is speed and reliability, not pretty views which very few actually look at from moving trains.
Jim Wigmore, Dawlish
North must improve
I recently travelled to Manchester for a day out at the Museum of Science and Industry.
What a farcical journey. We left Leeds 20 minute late, passed through Victoria over the Ordsall Chord, and spent ten minutes at Deansgate station before proceeding to Oxford Road, where we left the train.
The return journey took a turn for the worse. We went for the 1750 train to Leeds, which was displayed on the destination board but with no platform shown - only flashing lights saying nine minutes delay.
This began to move back, so we headed for the 1817 for Leeds from Platform 1. This was not in the platform, and we were told it would be further along the platform, as a loaded Northern local service being at the buffers.
The train came in at 1815, and we boarded. It was a stopping train, but we thought at least we are on our way! After ten minutes it was announced that they were waiting for a Guard. He did arrive, and we left at about 1830.
We stopped at Greenfield, Stalybridge and Marsden. Before arriving at Huddersfield, it was announced that the next stop would be Leeds, missing out Deighton, Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury, Batley, and Morley. Any passengers for those stations should leave the train at Huddersfield. What a farce!
We are led to believe that the trains in the North are improving. I haven’t seen it yet!
Peter Dougherty, West Yorkshire
L&Y station
I enjoyed David Clough’s article tracing the route of the historic Liverpool & Manchester Railway ( RAIL 864).
When they extended the line from Liverpool Road station, it was to their own station (subsequently Exchange), next to what became Victoria station (the L&Y station).
The two stations were physically connected with what was claimed to be the longest platform in Britain, running the full length of the two adjoining stations.
Carl Earl, Somerset
Access at Waverley
John McNab ( Open Access, RAIL 864) states that the Waverley Steps “now at least have an escalator”, but fails to mention the lift that is available up to Princes Street.
He also states that the access to Platform 2 from Carlton Road “is only for the fit and agile”, which totally ignores the lifts provided at each end of the footbridge.
CrossCountry trains regularly use the east end platforms, and Platforms 8 and 9 are regularly used by East Coast trains, and solely used by West Coast services to Euston.
These platforms also benefit from lifts and a modern staircase on the western side, in addition to the original staircase to the East of the walkway along with a new escalator to the main concourse.
Gordon Harrington, Falkirk
Crossrail ups & downs
To quote Victor Meldrew: “I don’t believe it!”That was my utterance on Crossrail, when I saw that on this new billion-pound railway they had neglected to mention until now that the platforms outside the tunnel section would be of various heights, and that anyone with even a minor mobility problem would not be catered for!
How about using a non-driving trailer, and seeing if a step arrangement could be retro-fitted (where a ramp/panel slides out horizontally, then drops to the platform level)?
There cannot be that greater a difference on these older platforms. And if viable, they could retrofit from now onwards and possibly paint these accessible cars in yellow to make it obvious to those who need that extra assistance. The only other requirement would be to remind the relevant passenger to only leave by the same door!
I am sure that two cars per unit would suffice until the next generation of trains, or they found the cash to rebuild all the platforms!
Brian V Fox, Norfolk
Importance of the market
Christian Wolmar asserts that it is “fanciful” to believe the market can deliver an effective combination of transport services, which he attributes to a mistaken understanding of “externalities” - inaccurately described as “effects brought about by external factors” ( RAIL 864).
Externalities are actually effects that are not priced into a given transaction, and so may be relatively under-provided (positive externalities, the classic example being education) or over-provided (negative externalities, such as pollution).
Properly understood, externalities are clearly relevant to transport policy. For example, it could be argued that road transport pricing does not accurately reflect the cost to society of its negative externalities, and that if this were corrected rail freight may be relatively more attractive.
However, it seems that practical gains can be delivered before economic theory is engaged. Ultimately, until very recently government has effectively been able to cap the size of the rail market to give its monopoly position controlling the supply of rail infrastructure, regardless of excess demand for rail services from freight customers or otherwise.
However, as the Hansford Review has recognised, by enhancing the mechanisms for the private sector to deliver rail infrastructure in conjunction with Network Rail, the transport market can respond to demand by creating supply where necessary - the current Felixstowe branch upgrade, jointly funded with Hutchison Ports, is an example of this in practice.
Thus, rather than simply lamenting the role of the market and championing that of active government, it seems likely that a further streamlined and enhanced public-private partnership approach could enable rail to enhance its offering without being beholden to the occasional politician who “understands” and wins the argument within government. This is surely a key benefit of increasing the role of the market in the rail industry that all can recognise?
Edward Longinotti, Milton Keynes
Wales fails! Railwales?
What a boring name has been chosen for the new Wales franchise. ‘Transport for Wales’ sounds like something thought up by a committee of bureaucrats. Surely, they could have come up with something snappier, such as ‘Railwales’ or ‘Walescymru’, or perhaps ‘Welsh Railways’.
Even the station announcers have trouble getting their mouths round the new name.
A wonderful opportunity for rebranding has been sadly missed.
Richard Field, Powys