Re-open the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway, E-Petition Options

[Tom H]

Seeing the info from previous posts on the state of the trains and the A34, it thought that I would bring to peoples attention the e-petition that someone else has started, it is as follows:

We urge the government to re-open the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway (DNSR). The South of England is short of North-South railway lines and this hampers expansion of freight and passenger services. Re-opening the DNSR (with minor route changes, where necessary) would be a relatively cheap and effective solution to this problem.

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/12815

So if people are for it then please spread the word!! Personally I use the A34 every day to travel down to Bournemouth area and a rail link down there would be very helpful indeed and also my partner drives to Oxford, which would be infinately less stressful than queuing for 45 mins each day getting into Oxford..

Regards,

Tom.

[Simon Kirby]

Hello Tom, welcome to NewburyToday.

What I believe the country needs is an integrated, sustainable transport policy, and I can't agree that there's any good sense in re-opening the line without that national strategic policy.

For example, does it make more sense to expand the rail and road network so that people can commute more easily, or is it more sustainable to build communities in which people both live and work? The problem isn't necessarily a transport one, but possibly one of sustainable urban design and business logistics. Rather than driving to work rather a lot of us could work from home in some shape or form, and while there'll always be some people who need to travel, it'll be a lot less the at present.

For another example, the problem of freight on the roads could be improved by shipping more by rail, but it could also be improved just by shipping less if we just bought less stuff. If agribusiness imported less and produced more locally, and more especially if the supermarket supply network could be distributed and local rather than centralised and global then that alone would get a lot of freight off the roads.

[Biker1]

Seeing the info from previous posts on the state of the trains and the A34, it thought that I would bring to peoples attention the e-petition that someone else has started, it is as follows:

We urge the government to re-open the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway (DNSR). The South of England is short of North-South railway lines and this hampers expansion of freight and passenger services. Re-opening the DNSR (with minor route changes, where necessary) would be a relatively cheap and effective solution to this problem.

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/12815

So if people are for it then please spread the word!! Personally I use the A34 every day to travel down to Bournemouth area and a rail link down there would be very helpful indeed and also my partner drives to Oxford, which would be infinately less stressful than queuing for 45 mins each day getting into Oxford..

Regards,

Tom.

Pie in the sky I'm afraid!
If only eh?
The line was closed under Beeching in that short-sighted time in the 60's when railways were allegedly finished and road transport was the answer to everything.
How wrong we were!
The cost of re-opening this line would run into possibly (and I am guessing here) over a billion pounds.
Much of it has been built on and the rest is farmers' fields.
It would be an extremely useful link for freight travelling from Southampton to the Midlands / North as this has now to go via Basingstoke and Reading thus taking up vital passenger train paths.
There are many other projects in the country attempting to re-open long lost rail links that were closed due to short sighted thinking but most of these have fared no better.
I will sign up to the petition in a vain hope that it will have an effect and I wish it well but cost, practicality and a general anti-rail culture in this country are heavily against it.
Perhaps one day!

[Andy Capp]

As Simon says, we need to make it less necessary and attractive to travel rather than facilitate more expensive was to do so. Succeeding in doing that would have a profound effect on how we lead our lives though.

[JeffG]

Much of it has been built on and the rest is farmers' fields.

Exactly - but made me think about alternatives. What about an elevated monorail along the central reservation of some existing motorways/dual carriageways? The land is already available, but it's probably not a feasible solution.

[dannyboy]

Hello Tom, welcome to NewburyToday.

What I believe the country needs is an integrated, sustainable transport policy, and I can't agree that there's any good sense in re-opening the line without that national strategic policy.

For example, does it make more sense to expand the rail and road network so that people can commute more easily, or is it more sustainable to build communities in which people both live and work? The problem isn't necessarily a transport one, but possibly one of sustainable urban design and business logistics. Rather than driving to work rather a lot of us could work from home in some shape or form, and while there'll always be some people who need to travel, it'll be a lot less the at present.

For another example, the problem of freight on the roads could be improved by shipping more by rail, but it could also be improved just by shipping less if we just bought less stuff. If agribusiness imported less and produced more locally, and more especially if the supermarket supply network could be distributed and local rather than centralised and global then that alone would get a lot of freight off the roads.

Another allotment post!

[Biker1]

For anyone who doesn't know what we are talking about and may be remotely interested, without being branded today's top insult of being a "spotter", here's a brief resume.

[On the edge]

Suspect on previous threads I might be seen as 'anti' but want to stress I'm not against railways - simply shoddy management. So I'd certainly sign up! Again wholly support the need for a properly sustainable and integrated transport arrangement. And, with regard to monorail suggestion - no reason why it shouldn't be fun.

[Andy Capp]

A more sustainable option maybe would be to make the route cycle friendly. It won't help the original posters ambition, but it would make a nice cycle route.

[Andy Capp]

Another allotment post!

At least you're here, keeping an eye on the subversive's every move!

[Adrian Hollister]

I've walked the route from Didcot to Newbury several times, it's a shame that so much of it has now been developed or left to rot. Beechings cuts were very short sighted and took a vision where everyone would have a car and somehow we could fuel the cars and provide the road networks to take the load. There must be routes like this that would benefit the local community... a rail station at Compton for example would significantly boost the local economy and take the load from the only real alternative - road. A rail link from Newbury to Lambourn would also help the communities in North Wessex Downs area such as Great Shefford and Boxford.

Sadly the cost of replacing these lost assets is massive. I would be keen to hear alternative plans and thoughts - after all many of our disused canals have been brought back into use (Kennet and Avon included).

[Andy Capp]

I'm no expert, but I thought Beeching was 'instructed' to make the cuts as the rail system was financially unsustainable and the government couldn't afford it.

[Biker1]

I'm no expert, but I thought Beeching was 'instructed' to make the cuts as the rail system was financially unsustainable and the government couldn't afford it.

That's basically correct.
He was under the instruction of Ernest Marples, Transport Minister and owner of Marples Ridgway, a major road building firm!!
How do they get away with it????

[Cognosco]

That's basically correct.
He was under the instruction of Ernest Marples, Transport Minister and owner of Marples Ridgway, a major road building firm!!
How do they get away with it????

Because of public apathy. Some of us get knocked every time we question local councils, MP's , etc, on this forum but if we don't then the above can be the outcome.

[dannyboy]

Because of public apathy. Some of us get knocked every time we question local councils, MP's , etc, on this forum but if we don't then the above can be the outcome.

LOL,


as if what is posted here makes any difference!

[user23]

Relatively cheap?

They'd have to build a whole new track round Newbury as the by-pass is on the route of some of the old line as are housing developments.

I would guess it would cost millions.

[Cognosco]

LOL,


as if what is posted here makes any difference!

Ah I see; just turn a blind eye and let them get on with whatever they wish to then? Only those who support the councils etc to make any comment on the forum that backs them up? I must remember that then for my future posts!

[Nothing Much]

Spending millions/billions on failed IT projects seems to be the norm for governments.

I was flummoxed on reading the first posts to find a Highclere Station. Never found any trace of it as a teenager on a pedal bike.
It turns out to be on a long road that led nowhere and rejoined the Andover road a bit further on.
The now reclusive Swampy had his camps there. Son found the route via tree lines and then Station House,
which seems to have been tastefully renovated and enlarged.
Can't say the same for the signal box on the other side of the A34. Liike a WW2 pillbox, possibly listed.

Land is probably still owned by railway companies and councils from way back. It could be just a historic line, with
additional freight use. The viaduct near Hurstbourne Tarrant is spectacular.
Ask Boris and Crossrail!
.

[Biker1]

Spending millions/billions on failed IT projects seems to be the norm for governments.

I was flummoxed on reading the first posts to find a Highclere Station. Never found any trace of it as a teenager on a pedal bike.
It turns out to be on a long road that led nowhere and rejoined the Andover road a bit further on.
The now reclusive Swampy had his camps there. Son found the route via tree lines and then Station House,
which seems to have been tastefully renovated and enlarged.
Can't say the same for the signal box on the other side of the A34. Liike a WW2 pillbox, possibly listed.

Land is probably still owned by railway companies and councils from way back. It could be just a historic line, with
additional freight use. The viaduct near Hurstbourne Tarrant is spectacular.
Ask Boris and Crossrail!
.

The railways enjoyed giving misleading names to their stations.
Highclere Station was / is in Burghclere, Burghclere Station was / is in Old Burghclere!
I think the old signal-box you refer to is at Burghclere Station and is one of the ones that were rebuilt during the Second World War when the line was upgraded for the war effort.

[JeffG]

The railways enjoyed giving misleading names to their stations.
Highclere Station was / is in Burghclere, Burghclere Station was / is in Old Burghclere!

... and Midgham is in Woolhampton. (I think that was to avoid confusion with Wolverhampton.)