Thank you for visiting the TAG blog site.
With the exception of this introduction and the sketch map of the railway triangle of land, the posts in this blog are arranged chronologically.
The TAG Group hope that you will be convinced of the need to protect at least the north east side of the triangle area of land for future rail use as a mainline station serving the key areas of South Wales, Bristol and Birmingham.
Tuesday 1 November 2011
Monday 31 October 2011
Letter to The Citizen, 31 October 2011
TO THE EDITOR (letters page) GLOUCESTER CITIZEN
31 October 2011
The citizens of Gloucester have been let down by the MP, Gloucester County Council and Gloucester City Council by not promoting Gloucester as a tourist destination. Gloucester is the capital city of Gloucestershire with 110,000 population but it is only served as a branch line on a north/south route.
When Virgin Railway decided to abandon Gloucester as a main line station people were forced to extend their journey time, an example being—going north you have to leave Gloucester at 0601hrs to connect with the 0712hrs Cross Country service at Cheltenham. There are many other instances North and South where passengers have a long wait at Cheltenham. First Great Western is the exception with their service from Gloucester to London.
As it is now possible for MPs to debate on an electronic survey, the citizens of Gloucester should be listened to as well.
Our MP, Gloucestershire County Council and Gloucester City Council should take note of the public opinion that there is a demand for a better rail service north/ south for the citizens of this city.
If a rail station was built on the triangle the city would be well served in all directions. Network Rail have pulled the wool over the aforementioned authorities eyes by stating there was insufficient running time to serve passengers when it is a fact that there is allotted recovery time (spare time) at Bristol Temple Meads and Birmingham New Street. Also trains are diverted via Wakefield and Leeds incorporating additional running time.
As ex train drivers with over 85 years' experience in total on the railway it is obvious to us that Gloucester could have a far better train service than it has now.
INCIDENTLY, HAS ANYONE THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO HAVE A SUPERMARKET (IF WE MUST) AND A STATION ON THE TRIANGLE.
Colin Rosser
David Bush
Gloucester
Sunday 30 October 2011
Letter to The Citizen, 30 October 2011
30 October 2011
Mr Ian Mean,
The Editor,
The Citizen,
6 – 8 The Oxebode,
Gloucester
GL4 1RZ.
Dear Mr Mean,
Let us go ahead with a Citizen campaign for a new railway station
I write in support of John Allison (The Citizen, Oct 28) advocating a Citizen led campaign to have a new railway station built within the railway triangle. Your newspaper has championed many excellent causes, and I would suggest that the need for a new station now deserves such attention.
As Mr Eeles (The Citizen, Oct 27) points out, although there are welcome improvements being done to our existing station, it does not alter the fact that the station is not on the mainline route for Birmingham - Bristol trains. Gloucester is therefore a sideline station.
Gloucester’s city planners and its councillors are about to face extremely important decisions with regards to the triangle’s development. If the current planning proposals are agreed, we would see the building of retail units in the north east side of the triangle which would foreclose any possibility to construct a new mainline station serving direct trains north and south. The planning application should therefore be rejected.
The cost of a new station at, say, £30 million would be about a quarter of the annual revenue brought in by tourists. The additional tourists would generate far more income for the city than a supermarket. A new station would also serve the expected future expansion of populations around Quedgeley and Churchdown. More details can be found on http://glosrailway.blogspot.com/
A Citizen led campaign would take the case from the people of Gloucester to Government and Network Rail to advance the very justifiable case that our city, as the county capital, should have the mainline station it rightly deserves.
Yours sincerely,
Nick Edwards
Copies:-
Cllr Paul James, Leader of the Conservative Group and Leader of the Council, Gloucester City Council
Cllr Jeremy Hilton, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, Gloucester City Council
Cllr Kate Haigh, Leader of the Labour Group, Gloucester City Council
Mr Ian Mean,
The Editor,
The Citizen,
6 – 8 The Oxebode,
Gloucester
GL4 1RZ.
Dear Mr Mean,
Let us go ahead with a Citizen campaign for a new railway station
I write in support of John Allison (The Citizen, Oct 28) advocating a Citizen led campaign to have a new railway station built within the railway triangle. Your newspaper has championed many excellent causes, and I would suggest that the need for a new station now deserves such attention.
As Mr Eeles (The Citizen, Oct 27) points out, although there are welcome improvements being done to our existing station, it does not alter the fact that the station is not on the mainline route for Birmingham - Bristol trains. Gloucester is therefore a sideline station.
Gloucester’s city planners and its councillors are about to face extremely important decisions with regards to the triangle’s development. If the current planning proposals are agreed, we would see the building of retail units in the north east side of the triangle which would foreclose any possibility to construct a new mainline station serving direct trains north and south. The planning application should therefore be rejected.
The cost of a new station at, say, £30 million would be about a quarter of the annual revenue brought in by tourists. The additional tourists would generate far more income for the city than a supermarket. A new station would also serve the expected future expansion of populations around Quedgeley and Churchdown. More details can be found on http://glosrailway.blogspot.com/
A Citizen led campaign would take the case from the people of Gloucester to Government and Network Rail to advance the very justifiable case that our city, as the county capital, should have the mainline station it rightly deserves.
Yours sincerely,
Nick Edwards
Copies:-
Cllr Paul James, Leader of the Conservative Group and Leader of the Council, Gloucester City Council
Cllr Jeremy Hilton, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, Gloucester City Council
Cllr Kate Haigh, Leader of the Labour Group, Gloucester City Council
Wednesday 26 October 2011
Letter to The Citizen, 26 October 2011
From: John Allison
Sent: 26 October 2011 11:57
To: ' citizenletters@glosmedia.co.uk '
Subject: The new railway station.
Sent: 26 October 2011 11:57
To: ' citizenletters@glosmedia.co.uk '
Subject: The new railway station.
Ian Mean Esq, 25/10/11
Dear Mr Mean,
Firstly I would like to thank you for your excellent support and campaign to have the docks and the canal properly dredged. To me it is very important on a personal note in that my great grandfather who was a shipwright came to Gloucester docks from Monkwearmouth near Sunderland between 1851-1861 with Messrs Pickersgill and Miller. The reason being the Canal Company at Gloucester were having problems and needed the skills for an efficient ship-repairing service which resulted in Pickersgill and Miller coming here. . It appears some stayed at Gloucester but at least one family returned to Sunderland . My grandfather followed on working at the docks until he retired as a shipwright too... So very many thanks as I have spent very many hours enjoying the docks right down to Sharpness. So thank you very much for a very successful campaign.
Following on from this I have been reading the articles and letters to the editor about the railway triangle .which definitely needs attending too. My thoughts are that as we are in recession any new supermarket will create some jobs but sadly this will decrease business on the existing ones. The resulting reduced turnover on existing supermarkets and other shops will need less staff and hence cause more unemployment. I refer to the new Morrisons, larger Tescos and a new one at Kingsway etc. This will cause smaller takings in existing supermarkets and private shops too. We have too many empty shops at present.
There have been many excellent articles and letters to the editor in the Citizen regarding the railway triangle and a new railway station. I am hopeful that you may consider a campaign similar to the docks and canal regarding the possibility of a new railway station. This would be helpful to residents from Gloucester and its surrounding area wishing to travel north and south without the need to travel to Cheltenham .
The improvement at the existing railway station is to be welcomed but that is not the answer. The north/ south line from Gloucester is very poor to say the least. At the moment to travelling further than Birmingham or Bristol is almost impossible. The answer is to go by road to Cheltenham Spa and Cross Country then will take you direct to very many places in the South West including Plymouth , Torquay Penzance and obviously stops between these. Travelling north they go to Manchester York ,Glasgow, Edinburgh right up to Aberdeen . Here again they stop at many stations on the routes covered. They also add that Cheltenham is an excellent place to change trains especially rather than Birmingham New Street etc which is horrible. The reason being you do not have to struggle with cases since the connecting train is on the same platform…I suggest if you have not seen a Crosscountry time table you do look at it in detail. Our city does NOT get one train during the week days operated by Crosscountry..
My main concern is that we NEED VISITORS to our city with the Cathedral and Docks just to mention 2 gems and shops etc This will help the economy of Gloucester. With fuel prices rising, more people are using rail transport .Cheltenham has an increasing number of passengers while Gloucester actually FELL last year!!!!!. This says a lot since this is one of the exceptions where passenger numbers were down. Figures obtained from rail stations on the internet). We need the new railway station. It is vital for people visiting the city. Gloucester and its surrounding population is growing and I believe well in excess of Cheltenham . I am not knocking Cheltenham .
My wife and I do not use Gloucester railway station at all now owing to trains between Gloucester and the north or the south routes. We go directly to Cheltenham which is extra cost and likewise if we have guests from Scotland they can arrive at Cheltenham where they can be met. This year we had guests from Arbroath (Population about 20,000) which is near Aberdeen which arrived at Cheltenham without a change.
Yours sincerely,
John Allison
Gloucester .
Sunday 23 October 2011
Letter to The Citizen, 20 October 2011
Mr Ian Mean,
The Editor,
The Citizen,
6 – 8 The Oxebode,
Gloucester
GL4 1RZ.
Dear Mr Mean,
Rail station improvements are welcome, but are not the solution
I read with interest M.P. Richard Graham’s letter (The Citizen, 18 Oct) relating to the improvements which are ongoing or have been completed. Rail passengers will be thankful for these improvements which everybody will agree are long overdue.
Rail travellers will know that although these improvements are very welcome, they do not alter the fact that Gloucester’s station is not situated on the direct line between Bristol and Birmingham and as a result far fewer direct trains to major cities call at Gloucester than Cheltenham.
Gloucester City Council is shortly to decide what is to become of the north-east part of the railway triangle. The current planning proposal to be considered relates to the construction of large retail units on this land. This site is the only area where a new mainline station could be situated to serve Bristol, Birmingham and South Wales, and is therefore of vital strategic importance to the rail network. Building retail units in this area would foreclose the option of constructing a new mainline railway station in the future and leave the present station serving only direct trains to and from South Wales. If such retail construction were permitted, Gloucester would remain a branch-line station for Bristol and Birmingham.
After over seven years of campaigning, the doubling of track between Swindon and Kemble, has been approved and is expected to be completed by 2014. This will improve the London – Cheltenham services.
The other factor which is not trumpeted enough is the value of tourists to our local economy. Figures for year 2009 show that tourists to Gloucester contributed about £120 million that year to the city’s economy, with around 5% of employment supported by visitors. Very visible and successful tourist attractions have been the weekend Tall Ships festival and the Cathedral’s Crucible exhibition. We must do everything to encourage and welcome tourists to our city. It does not take a great leap of imagination to realise that if a new mainline station were to be constructed, with far more direct trains stopping at Gloucester from the key Bristol – Birmingham route, there would be far more tourists, business opportunities, etc.. What is needed now is for our elected leaders to recognise these facts and grasp the opportunities which are presented to us. Our leaders should be vigorously and persistently asking Network Rail and the Department for Transport for the necessary funding. A look at nearby stations shows the level of railway refurbishment being undertaken (Reading, £515 million, Newport £22 million and Birmingham New Street £600 million, Swindon-Kemble rail track doubling, £42 million), so where necessary, funding can be found.
The City Council’s decision on 30 November will in effect determine whether Gloucester remains for the most part a branch line station, or whether it has the courage to look to the future and ask for a new railway station to be constructed. Nobody is pretending that obtaining finance for such a request will be easy, but a new mainline station in the north east side of the triangle is technically feasible and certainly in Gloucester’s long term interest. The Triangle Action Group’s view is that the development of this land is of such long term strategic importance for Gloucester’s connection with the national railway network that the Secretary of State for the Environment should call in the application for a public inquiry.
Yours sincerely,
Nick Edwards
Letter to The Citizen, 12 October 2011
Dear Mr Mean,
The same principles operate for the railways and the docks
Marion Pingriff (The Citizen, 12 Oct) is quite right to ask when Gloucester’s citizens are going to wake up and when its leaders to show foresight in supporting a better railway station in the triangle. Our MP, local leaders and Citizen readers might reflect on the recent words written by Boris Johnson, Mayor of London.
“If you look at the history of London and Britain over the last century, you can see how a failure to invest in transport infrastructure was fatal to long-term growth. When London lost the docks in the Sixties, there was a collapse of employment and population as the ships went elsewhere. We cannot make the same mistake again.”
“If you look at the history of London and Britain over the last century, you can see how a failure to invest in transport infrastructure was fatal to long-term growth. When London lost the docks in the Sixties, there was a collapse of employment and population as the ships went elsewhere. We cannot make the same mistake again.”
There is no difference in principle between docks in Gloucester which are not dredged adequately and a railway station not directly connected to the key mainline stations of Bristol and Birmingham.
The Citizen organized a very commendable and successful campaign to protect the current level of dredging in the docks, now is the time to organize a similar petition to have a new direct line railway station on the triangle. I suggest that those readers in support should write to you, and those elected representatives who agree should have the courage to say so in public.
Yours sincerely,
Nick Edwards
Thursday 22 September 2011
Letter to The Citizen, 22 September 2011
----- Original Message -----
The Editor
Dear Sir
From the increasing number of letters appearing in the Citizen criticising the proposals for the development of the railway triangle, St Oswalds and Kings`s Square, it is pretty clear that there is lack of confidence in those entrusted with the future development of this once great and industrious City. All of the proposals lack imagination and vision.
The `one size fits all` answer to the question of any redevelopment appears to be `more retail space`.
Imagination does not mean destroying the heritage of the city by destroying good traditional architecture and replacing it with currently fashionable fancy (and cheap) buildings that will soon date but good land use in the city that will ensure the future prosperity of the city while genuinely enhancing the quality of life for its citizens and giving good value for money in the long term.
It is clear that some good work is going on, linking conservation to development, but real vision is needed and opportunities taken. The quays was imaginative in concept but has been of limited success for a number of factors, not all the city`s fault. Principally it is not `site specific` enough by not making more of its location - once inside the shopping mall for example one could be anywhere - no views through to the Docks, no shipping reference. So why Gloucester when you can get the same in Cheltenham or Bristol?
I would urge the council to look again at the current proposals for redevelopment.
What is to be lost by creating a simpler but more attractive King`s Square giving desirable amenity space for markets, displays, activities or simply watching the world go by? All of which has been successfully tried and tested. Why such a huge increase in retail space when all that is currently available cannot be filled?
Why greatly increase St Oswalds Tesco such that local businesses suffer yet again. With the requirement for vastly increased hard surfacing and car parking area the flooding risk will also be greatly exacerbated? Has 2007 been forgotten so soon?
The railway triangle. A chance to provide an up to date station/transport interchange with proper amenities befitting of the 21st century for the convenience of travellers, to attract tourism and something for the citizens to be proud of?
Develop the triangle inmaginatively: combine new business opportunity with an attraction that offers something Cheltenham or Bristol does not have. Maybe a theme park developed in conjunction with a private developer, an observation tower, a `water world` or similar? Why not? This would then give a triangle of attractions to visitors making a visit to the city a worth while trip: shopping, family entertainment, history and culture, on offer throughout the year.
My apologies if I am simply restating views already made but I believe they cannot be over stated.
The time to act is now while all is possible. Courage, passion and vision are required. Carpe diem!
Roger Price
Monday 12 September 2011
Letter to The Citizen, 12 September 2011
The Editor
The Citizen
6-8 The Oxebode
12th September 2011
Dear Sir
I refer to the article by Max Wilkinson on page 2 of the Weekend Citizen dated Saturday, September 10, 2011, regarding the Elmbridge Court hub and a possible railway station. Gloucestershire County Council has made a good decision in rejecting the railway station which would perhaps have been known as Elmbridge Halt.
The grandiose scheme as pictured by an artist’s impression in the Citizens of Tuesday 11th July 2006 and Thursday 7th December 2006 was nothing of the kind. The proposed station at Elmbridge was just a two platform Halt with no added track or even a cross-over. A train stopping there would simply block the track and not serve any useful purpose such as changing trains.
In the July 2006 article, City Councillor Mark Hawthorne said that Gloucester should be placed firmly on the cross country map for services between the north of England
A station at the north east vertex of the triangle would meet his requirements.
Yours faithfully
Brian Cowell
Tuesday 30 August 2011
Letter of objection to Planning Application 11/00902/OUT
The Planning Committee
Herbert Warehouse
The Docks
30th August 2011
Dear Sir,
Planning Application 11/00902/OUT
I write with regard to the planning application for the development of land within the railway triangle at Gloucester
Most trains to the north east and to the north west used to stop in Gloucester Edinburgh
Four platforms at the north east vertex of the triangle would accommodate north – south trains, south – north trains, and trains to and from South Wales . The bulk of the infrastructure would be within the triangle with plenty of space for shops and businesses to be incorporated into the station; perhaps funded by the developer.
A station at the triangle would make an ideal changing point. One could alight from a London Gloucester stations, as they do in Worcester
The track work is already in place, together with most of the signalling.
Long distance trains may then, once again, stop in Gloucester Gloucester
I therefore strongly object to the development at the location proposed.
So, I am asking the Planning Committee to, please:
Reject the Planning Application and ask the Developers to investigate land that would not impinge on the best location for a station to serve Gloucester , Gloucestershire and the Forest of Dean
Insist that a Section 106 Clause be inserted into any planning consent obliging any development to preserve a suitable piece of land, incorporating access, at the north east vertex of the triangle.
Thank you.
Yours faithfully
F B Cowell C.Eng.,M.I.Mech.E.,M.A.Cost E.
Friday 26 August 2011
Letter of objection to planning application 11/00902/OUT
The Secretary,
Planning Committee,
Gloucester City Council,
Herbert Warehouse,
The Docks,
Gloucester GL1 2EQ
Dear Sir,
Ref : Planning Application 11/00902/OUT
I write with reference to the above planning application for development of land within the railway triangle at Gloucester by LXB, and wish to object to these plans for the following reasons.
Small shop keepers in the city centre are already suffering from an over-supply of large supermarkets and a recent survey by The Citizen found that 1 in 8 (12.5%) small retail premises in the city centre are now vacant. This situation can only be exacerbated by the construction of a large supermarket within the triangle of land. Gloucester has already large supermarkets in:-
(a) City centre, Northgate Street, (Sainsbury)
(b) City centre, Bruton Way (Asda)
(c) City centre, Grosvenor Square, (Tesco express)
(d) St Oswald’s (Tesco) (and with a further large expansion planned),
(e) Brockworth (Tesco)
(f) Tredworth (Tesco express)
(g) Abbeydale (Morrisons)
(h) Abbeydale (Tesco express)
(i) Quedleley (Tesco)
(j) Longlevens (Co-op)
(k) Hucclecote (Co-op 2 stores)
This represents 12 supermarkets serving a city population of about 125,000 or about 1 supermarket per 10,000 citizens – surely an over-abundance already?
There has been very understandable and considerable opposition to the construction of yet another supermarket in Gloucester, whilst on the other hand, there is a growing swell of opinion that a new mainline rail station should be built and would bring welcome economic benefits to the city.
The reason is clear - Gloucester is by-passed by many rail services particularly in the Birmingham, Bristol direction where passengers from Gloucester face the inconvenience of changing trains at Cheltenham. This is to the detriment of the potential business and tourist growth of the city. The estimated cost of a new railway station (£30 million) is only about a quarter of the annual amount which the city earns from tourism (£120 million in 2009). A new station therefore represents real value for money and would increase commerce and tourism in the whole county.
With the on-going re-doubling of the track between Kemble and Swindon an enhanced train service from Cheltenham to London is likely to be offered, but it is unlikely that many of these extra trains will call at Gloucester because the current station is not on the main line.
The case for a new station was given in a letter to Mr Ian Mean, Editor, The Citizen (letter attached), most of which was published on 10 August).
Network Rail appears to have a negative and very limited view of this matter, which is very disappointing in view of the recent McNulty report which predicts a potential doubling of UK rail traffic volume by 2030. (In fact Network Rail were criticised in the McNulty Report for being too centralist and being out of touch with Train Operating Companies and the rail travelling public.)
I also ask you to note that in the minutes of Gloucester City Panning Policy Sub Committee meeting held on Thursday 13 January 2011, at 18:30, the statement is made that the site is contaminated (Agenda Item 2, pages 10, 15, 19, 20, 39). However no mention is made about the degree or nature of contamination, nor I believe is there any mention of any survey results to hand. I am therefore astonished that so much planning work could have been done without a thorough survey of the whole 90 acres of this land.
I find it puzzling that whilst there is no mention of housing in the application title of 11/00902/OUT, there is such a mention in the Council meeting of 13 January 2011. The minutes refer to ‘high quality residential’ (Agenda Item 2, pages 16 and 21, and the Gloucester Renaissance letter of 11 January 2011). How does potential ‘high quality residential [housing]’ square up with [admittedly] contaminated land?
I cannot see how either plans can be drawn up, or timeframe or cost of construction can be given for any development until a full survey has been undertaken and its findings made known and evaluated.
I understand the land in question belongs to Network Rail and is therefore still public property. If so, it should not be sold to third parties without the widest possible consultation and agreement which in my view has not been done.
I therefore wish to register formally my objection to this application and ask the planning committee:-
(a) To recognize that this land is of such long term strategic importance for Gloucester’s connection with the national railway network that the Secretary of State for Environment should call in the application for a public inquiry.
(b) If (a) above is not possible for any reason, to reject the current proposals,
(c) If (a) above is not possible , to immediately safeguard the north east apex of the triangle with a Section 106 clause inserted in the conditions of use of this land for the sole use of becoming a four platformed mainline railway station, the clause remaining in force until such time a new station is constructed,
(d) To immediately ask for help from the Minister of Transport in reversing Network Rail’s present position of refusing to help Gloucester in the building of a new station and also to ask the Minister to consider financing the construction of such a station,
(e) To consider building (in order of importance):
(i) A new four platformed mainline railway station, with parking space,
(ii) A new bus station/terminus with integrated access, parking, etc.,
(iii) A new fire station,
(iv) Possible extensions to Gloucester Royal Hospital,
(v) Cafés, parks, trees and gardens with pedestrian access only,
(vi) Other buildings deemed of benefit to the Gloucester community.
Yours faithfully,
J P N Edwards
Attachment - Letter to Mr Ian Mean, Editor, The Citizen, Gloucester
Mr Ian Mean,
Editor,
The Citizen,
6 – 8 The Oxebode,
Gloucester GL1 1RZ.
Dear Mr Mean,
The Gloucester Railway Triangle – the pressing need for a new station
Gloucester’s railway triangle has an area of nearly 27 acres and is located within surrounding land to give a total area of about 90 acres. Within the triangle there were once railway workshops, sidings, etc.. The regeneration of this land presents the city and its neighbours with a once in a lifetime chance of changing this brown field site for the better, so it is important to have the widest consultation in this matter and above all make the right decisions.
Two of the authors of this article have worked for a total of eighteen years in the railway industry in and around Gloucester.
We believe that the railways are a national strategic asset and should remain and be developed as such. What is required with this development is a leap of intelligent imagination on the one hand and a firm and enquiring mind on the other.
A new main line railway station is required principally because Gloucester is currently off the main Birmingham – Bristol line, which means that trains which call at Gloucester usually have to reverse. Only trains that continue on the Gloucester - Newport route do not have to reverse. This situation means that Gloucester is bypassed by most long distance trains travelling north/south. For example, even the Cheltenham – Gloucester – Paddington trains would be quicker and more convenient with a new station, since the trains entering (or leaving) Gloucester would not waste time and effort reversing direction to continue onwards.
During 2009/10 Gloucester’s railway station was used by over 1.1 million passengers compared with the figure of nearly 7.9 million for Bristol Temple Meads and over 25 million for Birmingham New Street. Cheltenham had almost 1.6 million passengers in the same period, despite having a slightly smaller population. These figures are worth keeping in mind because the recently published McNulty report identifies the potential of rail traffic to double in the UK by 2030 – now less than 20 years away.
The Gloucester Heritage and Regeneration Company (GHURC) and Gloucester city councillors have been informed by Network Rail that cost is one of the main factors in rejecting proposals for a new station construction. We believe that Gloucester city councillors, our Gloucester MP and the GHURC should have been far more robust in not taking ‘no’ for an answer from Network Rail. Our reasons are easy to find and not too far away, as a web search of Network Rail’s own and other sites reveal recent and future expenditure. For example, Reading station has an ongoing upgrade programme costing £850 million, Newport has had a £22 million revamp, with monies from Network Rail, the Welsh Assembly and Arriva Trains Wales, and Birmingham New Street Station and environs are undergoing a £600 million transformation. Even these sums pale into insignificance compared with the proposed new national high speed rail link HSR2, estimated to cost in the region of £15.8 - £17.4 billion. A new station at Gloucester costing say, £30 million, would be less than 0.2% of the proposed HSR2 link, and certainly much less than the error margins for the HSR2 proposal. These figures are given to indicate what levels of expenditures are being made elsewhere, and we do not suggest that funds are solely from Network Rail’s budget.
As part of the city centre regeneration, the railway triangle could not only accommodate a new railway station, but also a new bus station, hotel, tourist office, café, car and coach parks, a new fire station, and last but not least, a small park with flower beds and trees to welcome visitors to Gloucester. A frequent shuttle service from the triangle to the city centre could be easily incorporated. In our view a ‘railway parkway’ solution is not a realistic option for the city’s needs.
If we as a city are to encourage tourism, business and commerce, we must first have the infrastructure in place such as transport, parking, public toilets, hotels and welcoming open areas with seating places, otherwise visitors will come once, never to return. As a yardstick, Gloucester Cathedral usually has about 300,000 visitors annually, but last year this number rose to 426,000 due to the 2010 Three Choirs Festival and the critically acclaimed Crucible (sculpture) exhibition, the latter attracting around 57,000 visitors during its 9½ week duration. It has been estimated that in 2009 Gloucester attracted about 2 million visitors bringing around £108 million into the local economy. It is therefore imperative that we have the infrastructure in place to transport and make visitors welcome.
We believe the best location of a new railway station would be within and adjacent to the north-east apex of the triangle. A triangular shaped station with four platforms could be dovetailed between existing railway tracks. Objections have been given by Network Rail that they would have to purchase land on the east side of the main north-south line in order to facilitate passengers. We disagree with this argument, and would suggest that only a width of land not much wider than a passenger platform is required on the east side of this track.
Another objection raised by Network Rail against additional trains stopping at Gloucester is the impact they would have upon the existing timetable. In one sense this argument is valid - any new station no matter where it is in the country will have an impact, but on the other hand when one recalls that most trains waiting at large stations such as Bristol Temple Meads and Birmingham New Street are standing stationary typically for ten or more minutes, a small reduction in these standing times at these stations could be re-allocated to permit trains to stop at Gloucester with little effect upon the national timetable. Some trains are timetabled to stand in Bristol and Birmingham for 30 minutes. A moment’s thought will also make one realise that any train which is late has an impact upon the timetable, no matter where the train is!
Now let us turn to what advantages from the rail commuter’s view a mainline station in Gloucester would have. The table below shows the number of trains from Gloucester and Cheltenham respectively with direct links to the stations listed. (Monday 25 July 2011 was chosen as a typical weekday). Note that Cheltenham station is on the main north-south line, unlike Gloucester’s current station.
Number of direct trains from (on Monday 25/07/2011) | ||
To | Cheltenham | Gloucester |
Birmingham New Street | 47 | 18 |
Bristol Temple Meads | 41 | 19 |
Cardiff Central | 29 | 28 |
Derby | 27 | 13 |
Exeter St David’s | 19 | 0 |
Edinburgh | 11 | 0 |
Glasgow Central | 5 | 0 |
Leeds | 14 | 0 |
Liverpool Lime Street | 0 | 0 |
London Paddington | 9 | 9 |
Manchester Piccadilly | 13 | 0 |
Newcastle | 11 | 0 |
Sheffield | 14 | 0 |
Worcester Shrub Hill | 10 | 10 |
Source: National Rail Enquiries | ||
It is seen that Gloucester has far fewer direct trains than Cheltenham to Manchester, Leeds, Derby and Exeter. This represents a huge inconvenience for travellers from Gloucester: it also means that there will be far fewer tourist and commercial business travellers than there could be coming into our county. The loss of this potential business will grow as UK rail traffic, economic growth and populations rise.
In conclusion, we urge that our elected representatives take the request to build a new railway station within the railway triangle back to Network Rail and simultaneously ask the Department of Transport if they would consider contributing to the funding of this project which we believe would be of great benefit to all south west England.
Yours sincerely,
Ray Armishaw
Horton Cameron Ex Railway Worker
Brian Cowell, C.Eng.; M.I.Mech.E.; M.A.Cost E.
Gordon Doyle
Nick Edwards MSc, PhD, M Inst. P.
Marion Pingriff
Ken Pingriff Ex Railway Worker
Copies to:-
Councillor Paul James, Leader, Gloucester City Council, Herbert Warehouse, The Docks, Gloucester GL1 2EQ
Councillor Mark Damian Hawthorne, Leader, Gloucestershire County Council, Shire Hall, Westgate Street, Gloucester GL1 2TG
Mr Chris Oldershaw, Chief Executive, Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company Ltd., 15 Ladybellegate Street, Gloucester GL1 2HN
The Right Reverend Michael Perham, Bishop of Gloucester, The Chapter Office,
2 College Green, Gloucester GL1 2LR
2 College Green, Gloucester GL1 2LR
The Very Reverend Stephen Lake, Dean of Gloucester, Gloucester Cathedral, The Chapter Office,
2 College Green, Gloucester GL1 2LR
2 College Green, Gloucester GL1 2LR
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP (Cotswolds), House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Mr Richard Graham, MP (Gloucester), House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Mr Martin Horwood, MP (Cheltenham), House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Mr Mark Harper, MP, (Forest of Dean), House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Mr Laurence Robertson, MP, (Tewkesbury), House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Mr Neil Carmichael, MP (Stroud), House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP, Minister of State (Rail and Aviation), House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP, Secretary of State for Transport, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
The Managing Director, LXB Retail Properties Plc, 2nd Floor, Grafton House, 2-3 Golden Square, London W1F 9HR
Mr Mark Hopwood, Managing Director, First Great Western, Milford House, 1 Milford Street, Swindon SN1 1HL
Mr Andy Cooper, Managing Director, CrossCountry, Cannon House, 18 The Priory, Queensway, Birmingham B4 6BS
Mr Tim Bell, Managing Director, Arriva Trains Wales, St Mary's House, 47 Penarth Road, Cardiff CF10 5DJ
Mr Mike Hodson, Managing Director, London Midland, 102 New Street, Birmingham B2 4JB
The Association of Train Operating Companies Ltd., 3rd Floor, 40 Bernard Street, London WC1N 1BY
Passenger Focus, FREEPOST (RRRE-ETTC-LEET), PO BOX 4257, Manchester, M60 3AR
The Office of Rail Regulation, One Kemble Street, London WC2B 4AN
BBC Radio Gloucestershire, London Road, Gloucester GL1 1SW
Yours sincerely
Ray Armishaw
Horton Cameron Ex Railway Worker
Brian Cowell, C.Eng.; M.I.Mech.E.; M.A.Cost E.
Gordon Doyle
Nick Edwards MSc, PhD, M inst. P.
Marion Pingriff
Ken Pingriff Ex Railway Worker
Copies to:-
Councillor Paul James, Leader, Gloucester City Council, Herbert Warehouse, The Docks, Gloucester GL1 2EQ
Councillor Mark Damian Hawthorne, Leader, Gloucestershire County Council, Shire Hall, Westgate Street, Gloucester GL1 2TG
Mr Chris Oldershaw, Chief Executive, Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company Ltd., 15 Ladybellegate Street, Gloucester GL1 2HN
The Right Reverend Michael Perham, Bishop of Gloucester, The Chapter Office,
2 College Green, Gloucester GL1 2LR
2 College Green, Gloucester GL1 2LR
The Very Reverend Stephen Lake, Dean of Gloucester, Gloucester Cathedral, The Chapter Office,
2 College Green, Gloucester GL1 2LR
2 College Green, Gloucester GL1 2LR
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP (Cotswolds), House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Mr Richard Graham, MP (Gloucester), House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Mr Martin Horwood, MP (Cheltenham), House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Mr Mark Harper, MP, (Forest of Dean), House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Mr Laurence Robertson, MP, (Tewkesbury), House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Mr Neil Carmichael, MP (Stroud), House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP, Minister of State (Rail and Aviation), House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP, Secretary of State for Transport, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
The Managing Director, LXB Retail Properties Plc, 2nd Floor, Grafton House, 2-3 Golden Square, London W1F 9HR
Mr Mark Hopwood, Managing Director, First Great Western, Milford House, 1 Milford Street, Swindon SN1 1HL
Mr Andy Cooper, Managing Director, CrossCountry, Cannon House, 18 The Priory, Queensway, Birmingham B4 6BS
Mr Tim Bell, Managing Director, Arriva Trains Wales, St Mary's House, 47 Penarth Road, Cardiff CF10 5DJ
Mr Mike Hodson, Managing Director, London Midland, 102 New Street, Birmingham B2 4JB
The Association of Train Operating Companies Ltd., 3rd Floor, 40 Bernard Street, London WC1N 1BY
Passenger Focus, FREEPOST (RRRE-ETTC-LEET), PO BOX 4257, Manchester, M60 3AR
The Office of Rail Regulation, One Kemble Street, London WC2B 4AN
BBC Radio Gloucestershire, London Road, Gloucester GL1 1SW
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