Reopened Railways & New Lines

Great thread.

It says alot that most of the reopened lines have come with devolution in Scotland and Wales, thus proving my point that centralised systems are a disaster for localised services.

Stoke before nationalisation had the Staffordshire Knot railway network after nationalisation it was all shut down.

Anyway back on topic, there is currently a railway survey being conducted to open the Fleetwood to Poulton railway line:

www.wyrebc.gov.uk/Page.aspx?DocID=8756&PgeID=48156

The last survey said it would cost 15 million pounds to reinstate the railway line as the track bed is still there and until recently was regularly maintained.

Giving Fleetwood access to the national railnetwork would be a big boost to the town.


Apart from that line, one other line I would love to see open is the Woodhead Tunnel in Sheffield, this would have a huge benefit in taking pressure of the national network.


On the heritage railway front, the Welsh Highland Railway are making good progress in re opening their line:

http://whr.bangor.ac.uk

(again this is a project that has been supported by the Welsh Assembly).

Kettering - Corby is due to open in December

Some more that are in the planning stages (and have been for years...)

Bere Alston - Tavistock (near Plymouth - being financed by a housing developer in Tavistock)

Uckfield - Lewes This one crops up from time to time. It might have a chance because it is a way of relieving pressure on the crowded London - Brighton main line http://home.clara.net/wealdenline/st_set.html

Colne - Skipton there is a well organised campaign to reopen this line http://www.selrap.org.uk/

Bicester - Bletchley (including connection to Aylesbury) http://www.eastwestrail.org/ An extension north of Aylesbury is actually under construction at the moment.

Absolutely fascinating thread. I never knew there was so much fervour for reopening old lines! But this is great.

A couple of notes about my area. The reinstatement of Uckfield to Lewes is a great idea, and the re-linking to Tunbridge Wells a great idea. Unfortunately there is a supermarket blocking the route at Tunbridge Wells West, making this probably impractical. Uckfield to Lewes is still an OK idea - there is a half hourly double decker bus route that I often use and there is definately the potnetial passengers required. As a diversionary route for the Brighton mainline to Eastbourne I don't feel it's appropriate as it's a little circuitous, but the East Grinstead - Lewes route is, and this is the Bluebell railway line, and the trackbed is almost entirely intact with no supermarkets. I would love to see this line reopened, taking 2 fast trains per hour off the Brighton mainline. Two slight diversions would be required to be built south of Horstead Keynes due to stupid housebuilding, but not by much as there are empty fields next to the old line (where they didn't build the houses - it beggars belief that in open countryside they built on the old railway line - I know why, but its still stupid!)