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Topic: Newmarket station (Read 2196 times)
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philmcm
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Not sure if anyone here is familiar with Newmarket station, but I had reason to visit it this week and immediately spotted some interesting parallels with Melksham. To begin with, it's been reduced to a single line from what were obviously, to anyone with half an eye for industrial architecture, former glories. The station building has been converted into industrial units, much as what's left of Melksham's has, and next to it on what was obviously once a goods yard there's a new housing development. The remaining, single half a platform sports an ugly, post-modern "bus shelter" and little else. What they do have and what we OUGHT to have though is both a regular train service in each direction, and an electronic indicator telling people what times the trains run (hourly, pretty much). What caught my eye particularly was who paid for it to be installed and maintained....  |
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Graham Ellis
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Indeed - a good example of co-operation between the local authorities, the operators, other parties. There are examples in our area:  and there's certainly some county council involvement in the Heart of Wessex line (I'm not sure whether that's financial - capital projects / running costs of just manageial). The Swindon to Salisbury service, though, is part of the Local Transport plan but - in the recent past - has received council officer support (and I have to take my hat off to certain of them for the time they have put in) without, it seems much backing from the elected WCC representative who should be throwing her weight behind integrated travel, and information systems using rail and road. The current biggest hole? Integrates transport needs some services which use each of the elements to be integrated at a time they're required. Phil - did any trains arrive / depart while you were at Newmarket? Were they busy? Many people on or off? |
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philmcm
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Yeah, I used the train quite a few times while I was there last week to travel to and from Cambridge, and there was usually 5 or 6 people alighting with me each time at Newmarket station.
I'm under no illusions though: it's the hundreds if not thousands of punters using the service on race days that no doubt make the trains financially viable the rest of the year round.
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Graham Ellis
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For sure, it wouldn't be viable as as the end point of a service .... but isn't there a far higher traffic on the same train from Cambridge through to Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich?
I happened to be staying in a hotel backing on to this line at the beginning of this week and heard the train buzzing up and down from time to time. What a contrast to the old St. Ives lines from Cambridge wich for many years has laid buried in the undergrowth either side of a level crossing by the Science Park. What a wasted resource, and how crazy with all the traffic queuing from the centre of Cambridge to the Park.
But on Monday evening as I left, I saw then taking down the protecting wire fence and on Tuesday they were clearing undergrowth. Track's being removed too, alas ... as this corridor / route is being used for the new guided bus. Not really "my" topic, but I do share concerns about ripping out one perfectly good system to install another which isn't so well proven in this country.
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