Earlier this year Norton Bridge station was closed by stealth after the
footbridge was condemned as unsafe, and has been subsequently removed.
The SRA West Midlands Route Utilisation Strategy says there is no case
on cost grounds to rebuild it, so the station has been closed without
prior consultation.

Similarly, Polesworth, Atherston, Barlaston and Wedgwood have also
closed, originally on the pretense of driver training for Central, but
Polesworth will never reopen as that needs a new footbridge, and I
suspect neither will the others.


By what authority can this happen without public consultation, and why
does no one seem to care?  It could be the thin end of the
wedge.............

"Grumpy Old Man"  wrote in message 
news:1123096836.499565.252010@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...

> Earlier this year Norton Bridge station was closed by stealth after the
> footbridge was condemned as unsafe, and has been subsequently removed.
> The SRA West Midlands Route Utilisation Strategy says there is no case
> on cost grounds to rebuild it, so the station has been closed without
> prior consultation.
>
> Similarly, Polesworth, Atherston, Barlaston and Wedgwood have also
> closed, originally on the pretense of driver training for Central, but
> Polesworth will never reopen as that needs a new footbridge, and I
> suspect neither will the others.
>
>
> By what authority can this happen without public consultation, and why
> does no one seem to care?  It could be the thin end of the
> wedge.............


By the authority of the 2006 Railways Act. Did you vote Labour?

Peter Fox

"Grumpy Old Man"  wrote

>
> By what authority can this happen without public consultation, and why
> does no one seem to care?  It could be the thin end of the
> wedge.............
>

The stations haven't been closed yet - it's just that the entire train
service has been temporarily bustituted.

Croxley Green was bustituted (well, taxistuted) and the line severed for
some years before a formal closure proposal was published.

AIUI the 2005 Railways Act has simplified (i.e. reduced opportunities for
consulation/objection) the procedure for formal closure.

Peter

On 3 Aug 2005 12:20:36 -0700, "Grumpy Old Man"
 wrote:


>Similarly, Polesworth, Atherston, Barlaston and Wedgwood have also
>closed, originally on the pretense of driver training for Central, but
>Polesworth will never reopen as that needs a new footbridge, and I
>suspect neither will the others.


I believe there is an intention to serve Atherstone with the WCML
stopping service, if it ever happens, but not any of the others.
However, this doesn't detract from your very valid point.

Neil

-- 
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"Grumpy Old Man"  wrote in message
news:1123096836.499565.252010@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...

> Earlier this year Norton Bridge station was closed by stealth after
the
> footbridge was condemned as unsafe, and has been subsequently removed.
> The SRA West Midlands Route Utilisation Strategy says there is no case
> on cost grounds to rebuild it, so the station has been closed without
> prior consultation.
>
> Similarly, Polesworth, Atherston, Barlaston and Wedgwood have also
> closed, originally on the pretense of driver training for Central, but
> Polesworth will never reopen as that needs a new footbridge, and I
> suspect neither will the others.
>
>
> By what authority can this happen without public consultation, and why
> does no one seem to care?  It could be the thin end of the
> wedge.............
>

Any other country would let people walk across the rails, but not here.
Regards   Mike.

On Wed, 3 Aug 2005 23:47:05 +0100, "Mike Cawood, HND BIT"
 wrote:


>Any other country would let people walk across the rails, but not here.


I don't think I'd want to "just walk across" the WCML, TBH, though I
know what you mean. 

The issue of Polesworth could, of course, be solved by the addition of
a cheap access road on the "inaccessible" side, were the HSE not so
picky about stations not having their own footbridge, despite the fact
that there are many such stations already.

Neil

-- 
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
When replying please use neil at the above domain
'wensleydale' is a spam trap and is not read.

Grumpy Old Man wrote:

> Earlier this year Norton Bridge station was closed by stealth after
> the footbridge was condemned as unsafe, and has been subsequently
> removed. The SRA West Midlands Route Utilisation Strategy says there
> is no case on cost grounds to rebuild it, so the station has been
> closed without prior consultation.
>
> Similarly, Polesworth, Atherston, Barlaston and Wedgwood have also
> closed, originally on the pretense of driver training for Central, but
> Polesworth will never reopen as that needs a new footbridge, and I
> suspect neither will the others.
>
>
> By what authority can this happen without public consultation, and why
> does no one seem to care?  It could be the thin end of the
> wedge.............


The railways are a business, why should there be public consultation?

On Wed, 3 Aug 2005 23:16:18 +0000 (UTC), "Brimstone"
 wrote:


>The railways are a business, why should there be public consultation?


Because there is public subsidy.  If there were not, and the entire
rail system were run for a profit as a private business, I would agree
with you.  However, it is not.

Indeed, the direction to close these stations is coming not from
private business but the public sector in the form of the SRA/DfT.

Neil

-- 
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
When replying please use neil at the above domain
'wensleydale' is a spam trap and is not read.

On Wed, 3 Aug 2005 19:28:58 +0000 (UTC), "Peter Fox"
 wrote:


>
>"Grumpy Old Man"  wrote in message 
>news:1123096836.499565.252010@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
<snip>
>> By what authority can this happen without public consultation, and why
>> does no one seem to care?  It could be the thin end of the
>> wedge.............
>
>By the authority of the 2006 Railways Act. Did you vote Labour?
>

and then find that the Tories were apparently still in power two
elections later ?
-- 
                                                             _______
 +---------------------------------------------------+      |\\   //|
 | Charles Ellson: charles@e11son.demon.co.uk        |      | \\ // |
 +---------------------------------------------------+      |  > <  |
                                                            | // \\ |
                                              Alba gu brath |//___\\|

On Wed, 3 Aug 2005 19:28:58 +0000 (UTC), Peter Fox wrote:


> "Grumpy Old Man"  wrote in message 

>> By what authority can this happen
> 
> By the authority of the 2006 Railways Act.


I think you should save that answer for a later question.

-- 
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p9633119.html
(60 080 at Cardiff Central, 3 Jul 1999)

Neil Williams wrote:

> On Wed, 3 Aug 2005 23:16:18 +0000 (UTC), "Brimstone"
>  wrote:
>
> >The railways are a business, why should there be public consultation?
>
> Because there is public subsidy.  If there were not, and the entire
> rail system were run for a profit as a private business, I would agree
> with you.  However, it is not.
>
> Indeed, the direction to close these stations is coming not from
> private business but the public sector in the form of the SRA/DfT.
>


If the railways were indeed run on a wholly commercial basis, with no
subsidy whatsoever, I wonder what services we would be left with.

Andy Kirkham

Peter Fox wrote:

> >
> >
> > By what authority can this happen without public consultation, and why
> > does no one seem to care?  It could be the thin end of the
> > wedge.............
>
> By the authority of the 2006 Railways Act. Did you vote Labour?
>
> Peter Fox




That's fine and dandy, but these stations closed before Royal Assent of
that act, so my question appears to be still valid.

Out of curiosity, just what does the 2006 act say about closures?

On 4 Aug 2005 01:51:13 -0700, "Andy Kirkham"
 wrote:


>If the railways were indeed run on a wholly commercial basis, with no
>subsidy whatsoever, I wonder what services we would be left with.


Assuming no public subsidy whatsoever, including the PTEs and the
likes, I expect it would be the main London-radial IC lines and a few
of the busier main London commuter services.  There would likely be
nothing west of Bristol/Exeter, nor north of Edinburgh/Glasgow, nor a
CrossCountry service, any Sleepers or any local services whatsoever
outside London.  Services during the day in the week and on Saturday
and Sunday mornings would be very sparse indeed, as on many US
commuter lines.  IC stations would likely have vast car parks to
compensate.

The WCML would have remained operated by old rolling stock, probably
with a speed limit of 100mph at most.

I believe this is roughly what the Serpell/second Beeching reports
proposed, anyhow.

Neil

-- 
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Neil Williams wrote:


> The issue of Polesworth could, of course, be solved by the addition of
> a cheap access road on the "inaccessible" side, were the HSE not so
> picky about stations not having their own footbridge, despite the fact
> that there are many such stations already.


Shame they could not have arranged for a contractor's crane to
accidentally knock the footbridge down...

Charlie

DERWENT Re: Why can stations be closed without formal authority?
 4 Aug 2005 01:51:13 -0700, "Andy Kirkham"
 


>If the railways were indeed run on a wholly commercial basis, with no
>subsidy whatsoever, I wonder what services we would be left with.
>


Hex, GX? Although without the other services running along side them
even these may struggle to cover Network rails costs.




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On Thu, 04 Aug 2005 19:01:40 GMT, Charlie Hulme
 wrote:


>Shame they could not have arranged for a contractor's crane to
>accidentally knock the footbridge down...


I don't think Polesworth is quite big enough for a super-Tesco...

:)

Neil

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