Oswestry Update

With regards to the reopening of the Gobowen to Park Hall halt, personally I still struggle to think that there is sufficient custom to render this viable against the current bus route.

 

Everyone loves a community rail proposal but it really doesn't add much either direction to stop there. How much further is it to Gobowen from there?

 

The flippant answer is a few million pounds! In distance it's about a mile from the halt to Gobowen.

 

Here is a quick video of Phil working the northern pont of the run round loop at Weston.


The extension will be officially opened at the end of March 2022 and public running to Weston will start at Easter. Still a lot to do to get ready. Fancy lending a hand?

 

How close is the halt to the hospital? How many people would use the train who don't at the moment as it's too much faff to get a train and then a taxi/bus/camel for the last bit?

Lovely work to see the line getting close to the extension.

 

Indeed, and you also have to take into consideration that as I sit here and write this, the Gobowen station arrivals screen is showing pretty much an hourly service each way. Trying to get to a hospital appointment (at a set time) using an hourly train service could result in some very long waits. Added to which the buses are much more convenient for people who are local to the area.
I could see Oswestry to Gobowen having a bit more going for it, but even then if you have to drive to Oswestry to catch a train, you might just as well drive to Gobowen. For a non-heritage service, having through trains to Chester or even just to Wrexham might make it more attractive - but commercially viable? I wouldn't think so.

Steve B

 

I think you’re right on passenger forecasts for Borders but it’s not ‘always’. Cumbernauld is a case of over estimating demand. In the back of my mind there’s another (EM Parkway?) but I can’t recall now which.

I’ll also comment on the wider “Borders line success” narrative which gets referenced around reopenings. The cost of the pared back project was £350m (2012). Scotrail reports trains are busy at peak, weekends and festival but off peak patronage is not strong. The Borders and North Berwick routes have similar catchments and carry similar pax numbers but even before Covid the Borders subsidy was twice as much. As a consequence services will not return to pre Covid levels and will stay at 1 tph off peak.

Patrick


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Agreed. I have so far failed to be convinced that there will be a constant steam of passengers. Even the bus service is not exactly heaving with people every time I have been stuck behind it.

 

Both northern points are now connected to the ground frame.

 

The Suburban brake coach is now complete and passed into traffic, ready for the opening of the extension. Picture courtesy of CHR Facebook.

 

Going to be a good start to 2022 for CHR going off all these previews seen on here/Faceache.

 

Still so much to do before opening day. The big push is on to complete the outstanding jobs for early next year.
We look forward to welcoming you when the extension opens.

 

It’s an orthopaedic hospital; the patients are by definition a group for whom the convenience of a car will be particularly valuable at both ends of their journey.


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There is a member's special tomorrow for the AGM to share what has been achieved on the way to Weston.

 

The Montgomeryshire canal has been awarded £ 15m by Sunak to put in the 2 overbridges required on the A 483 to allow it to return to Wales, puts the A 483 level crossing problem into perspective.

 

Compensators installed and ready to be adjusted.

 

They would find a level-crossing even harder, one suspects

 

The recently out-shopped coach has had the destination boards added for the exciting new station coming in 2022.
Photo courtesy of CHR Facebook.