Closed LNER Railway Lines

[Green Arrow]

Now that Waverley's gone out the window (If only Scotrail would do the whole thing!), are there any other LNER lines surcommed to the Beeching Axe or anything else?

[Tom Quayle]

These the Foxfeild-Consiton branch on the Cumbrian coast, the S and D (alot being done oready), Proderbly alot of south coast branches and there alot of extentions to lines that would be good. For example Batersby-Malton link, L and H Ulverston (Pumpton Junction)-Haverthwate. Tebay-Kirkby Shephen wet or the Wensleydale route would be good for through trains, especally the wenslydale (Ripon-Garsdale)

[CVR1865]

The Colne Valley line was closed by Beeching. Well the Haverhill CVR station was closed to passengers by the LNER. Then as with all good political decisions, Haverhill at the Cambridge end of the line, became a 60's development town expanded by the GLC. So its goodbye to the CVR and stour valley lines that ran through haverhill and on to Colchester or Cambridge, and hello to 10,000 people now with no connection to work outside of the town with no buses and no railway line.

Recently the local or latest railway campaigners have launched a feasability study for line resurrection costed at 20 mill to resurrect the line from Cambridge, sadly the local council has sold the old station site to Tesco. Isn't it great when everyone gets along, oh yes and ONE had agreed in principal to operate trains along the route, with EWS keen to utilise the line for freight.

But never mind cos i live in London now and we have trains everywhere.

[52D]

I work in Haverhill quite a lot and admire the brick viaduct i must climb up and have a closer look. This line is a good candidate for reinstatement as is the Mildenhall branch especially if the Yanks go home and Mildenhall becomes another London Airport.

[Bullhead]

Now that Waverley's gone out the window (If only Scotrail would do the whole thing!)

First ScotRail don't have anything to do with sponsorship of the Borders Rail Link between Tweedbank and Newcraighall - it's a joint enterprise between various local councils and Scottish Enterprise, and doubtless in due course Transport Scotland. First ScotRail's business is running trains and operating stations, not promoting and constructing new railway infrastructure.

Although the thought of reopening the Waverley route throughout the whole of its former length is attractive from a nostalgia point-of-view, from a business perspective it would be very difficult to justify. This is, after all, why railways were built in the first place: to make money; in the 1820s Joseph Pease spotted and exploited a market between Stockton and Darlington. Indeed, I think even the northern section of the Waverley reopening proposal has made some pretty heroic assumptions about likely costs and patronage. People go on about freight and charter services but with the possible exception of timber there's no appreciable industry between Carlisle and Edinburgh whose products or raw materials would sensibly transfer to rail, and the odd special train (splendid though this would be - I'd love to hear the sound of a V2 tackling Whitrope) doesn't generate much revenue in the overall scale of things. Besides, there's already a perfectly adequate through route from Carlisle to Edinburgh via Carstairs with a journey time of, I guess, 90 minutes or so - something the Waverley couldn't compete with.

I know that probably sounds a bit Bah Humbug but IMHO there are far more deserving railway (re)opening schemes to spend Scottish public money on - for example, I would suggest that finally building the chord whose solum already exists at Greenhill Upper Junction to allow trains from Cumbernauld to access the Edinburgh Waverley-Glasgow Queen Street main line would add valuable journey opportunities as well as operational resilience; and extension of the recently reopened Larkhall line to Stonehouse and Strathaven would tap into a sizeable commuter market which currently depends entirely on road transport.

[Trainman31]

Now that Waverley's gone out the window (If only Scotrail would do the whole thing!), are there any other LNER lines surcommed to the Beeching Axe or anything else?

I need to draw your members attention to the old Liverpool St to Kings Lynn service via March and Wisbech in Cambridgeshire. The Beeching cuts closed the line down in 1968 leaving just a freight link to Wisbech now also finished.
The single track remains as far as Weasenham Lane, Wisbech. The whole 10 miles designated as a siding by Network Rail. There was an attempt back in 2000 and again in 2003 to re open the branch but both attempts failed. Another attempt was made in 2004 to open the branch as a heritage line. This attempt I understand is still on going but like the other attempts it will also fail.

A local resident put up a Government petition to re open the line as a commuter line in view of the fast growing motor traffic in the area. This brings frequent isolation of Wisbech due to road accidents that seal of the town for hours.

There is an interesting website relating to this branch at www.bramleyline.com that also supports a commuter re opening. Since very little use would be made of the branch on Sundays and Bank Holidays. Maybe a Steam visit on those days might pacify the heritage attempt?

We are all aware now how the cuts to branch lines has affected communities. Only support, as shown by the Corby community to obtain a station can this opening be visualised. If you’re a UK resident then I ask you to support this venture and sign.
Thank You

[Colombo]

It is possible to object to any planning application to build on the route of a railway by referring to the Government's Planning Policy Guidelines PPG12 and PPG13.

PPG12 states that local authorities should consider the potential of disused railway track beds and routes for possible future transport schemes and apply appropriate protective policies where justified.
PPG13 puts an emphasis on rail transport and discusses local authorities funding rail infrastructure and exploring the potential for re-opening rail lines. In this context para.5.8 of the guidance advises that disused transport routes such as railways should not be unnecessarily severed by new buildings and non transport uses especially where there is a reasonable chance that such routes may be put to use in the future.
5.36 Local authorities should also consider the potential of disused railway trackbeds and possible future transport schemes, including rail (both passenger and freight), metro and light rail projects, and apply appropriate protective policies where justified.”
5.8 Authorities should ensure that disused transport routes, such as old canals and railways, are not unnecessarily severed by new buildings and non transport land uses, especially where thereis a reasonable chance that such routes may be put to use in the future.

If you hear of a local scheme to build on the route of an old railway near you it is up to you to follow the correct procedures, contact the local planning office for the details and object to the proposal in writing quoting the above guidelines.

They cannot ignore you. An example that comes to mind is that a planned supermarket in Pickering was stopped because it was on the route of the old railway line out towards Malton, which could be reinstated one day.

Colombo

[Trainman31]

[quote="Colombo"]It is possible to object to any planning application to build on the route of a railway by referring to the Government's Planning Policy Guidelines PPG12 and PPG13.

Can you provide a date when this ruleing was made?

[Colombo]

Trainman,

I am not going to quote chapter and verse, or give advice on any aspects of Planning Regulations. These are in a constant state of change. At the present Planning Policy Guidelines are being replaced by Planning Policy Statements. The process does not appear to be complete. Local Authorities then have to incorporate PPGs and PPss into their own Planning Policies.
If you Google PPG Protecting route of old railway you will find lots of examples of documents relating to these aspects, which you should be able to paraphrase.

When making a planning objection, it is best to be able to quote your local planning authorities policies at them, failing that use the PPGs mentioned above. They make interesting bed time reading. Best of all, they cannot ignore a planning objection based on their own policy statements.

If you look hard enough you should be able to find what you want.

PPGs have been around for some time.

Colombo

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

As CVR 1865 and 52D both have said, there is a very good case for reinstating the Colne Valley / Stour Valley routes.

I lived in Haverhill in the late 70's / early 80's and can confirm that the town really needs a railway from the point of view of employment, whilst from the perspective of someone who works in shipping and is involved with the Haven Ports, reinstatement of the freight route would be very useful.

[CVR1865]

Tesco have bought the old haverhill north station sight and are currently generating plans to open a superstore on it. The rest of the site already having a housing estate on. The haverhill south site on the CVR route already has houses on. The north site ran to Cambridge and if Tesco build then it is probably the end for any slim chance of re opening.

[Colombo]

CVR

Have they retained a route through the other developments? The route should not have been built on, but it will probably be too late now if there is no longer a way through. The Local Planning Authority appear to have contravened Government Guidelines.

If there is a route through, it simplifies the case for protecting the route through the Supermarket site. You need to get the Local Authority to make Tesco leave the route of the line undeveloped. You must do this before the final date for objections to be placed has passed.

Colombo

[Robert Washington]

Hello everyone,
Being new to the forum I just recently noticed this thread.

CVR

The Colne Valley Railway wasn't strictly speaking a victim of Beeching to begin with, as passenger traffic ceased on December 30th 1961. Freight continued on a truncated line with a closed Haverhill South to Yeldham section, up until April 1965. The line was lifted the following year.

Regarding the Stour Valley Line, the Haverhill North Station site & former goods shed has indeed been aquired by Tesco. It is thought that building will begin some time this year, although there are some chronic access issues to be addressed
None of the line through Haverhill has been directly built on, although breeched in several places where roads have been built onto estates. However the west of town has a large flood defence built straight on the formation right next to Withersfield Road overbridge

A local, councillor has tried to get the formation protected in the past, but has only had partial success.

I have been a member of the Society trying to reopen the line for over ten years but progress is painfully slow!

Regards

Robert

PS these websites are worth a look

http://disused-stations.org.uk
http://stourline.co.uk

[CVR1865]

Hi Robert

I liked the websites you posted. The story about the Haverhill north closure makes truly sad reading. I was aware of the part closure on the CVR the usage served a brick company i understand, my memory struggles a bit on the details.

Many thanks and the best of luck on your re opening, i think i have signed at least one of your petitions in the past.

Simon

[redtoon1892]

According to this mornings ceefax work is in progress on the Waverly but has run into funding problems and is awaiting a decision. In this area (GATESHEAD) I would like to see the Leamside route reinstated, track still in place apart from a strech which was stolen, This was once a very important route before the Low Fell diversion was built, the Liverpool - Newcastle express used it right up until closure, I have some video of Peaks passing into Pelaw Junction from the Leamside on this diagram. I also have some video of Green Arrow held up at the Follonsby Level Crossing due to concrete inserts that had been fitted between the tracks for vehicular traffic into the coal disposal site, unfortunatly the wheel flanges on Green Arrow were to deep for it to pass over so she was stuck there until they were removed, somebody had their wits about them as if she had passed over it could have derailed the loco or at least damaged the driving wheel flanges according to the British Rail engineer on site. She was stuck there quite a while but made good video with the valves lifting off.