Churnet Valley Railway General Discussion

If you listened to the brown nosing local MP Mr Gullis in parliament last week, wonderful Rishi has financed everything and services between Stoke and Leek are starting soon... Anyone would think there is an election coming soon..

 

This was announced in October last year.

https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/leek-stoke-train-line-reopen-8804679

 

Along with a host of other schemes, some of which had already been completed, some of which have been promised for years and some which will never see the light of day.
Oh and some pot holes will be repaired in London to benefit the north..
The reality is that nothing has been done beyond reannouncing intentions, & nothing will be done this side of an election by which time Mr Gullis and many other Red Wall tories will be applying for new positions with GB News and others. It will look good on a few mailshots in the run up to autumn though.
Let us not forget, the HS2 money did not exist in the first place to be repurposed, that's not the way capital funding works. Money is borrowed over many years to be invested, with the hope that the benefits exceed the borrowing costs. That is what will still need to happen on each of these projects and it will therefore still be subject to the whims of whoever is in power at the time and the often terminal cost / benefit analysis - which is always way too negative on rail reopenings.

BTW you would never use expensive borrowed money to repair roads and mend pot holes, this money comes from revenue via the exchequer - how this blatant mistruth hasn't been picked up by the mainstream media I will never know... But we digress..

 

Easy - the mainstream media is either Tory supporting or right wing and trying to drag them further to the right. There are just a few exceptions to this sad rule of thumb.

 

To quote:

https://onsind.bandcamp.com/track/kim-kelly-is-my-cognitive-behavioural-therapist

 

Has this any connection with the thread "Churnet Valley Railway General Discussion?"

 

When has that ever stopped comment before?

 

The comments were in relation to plans to reopen Stoke to Leek and the likelihood of this actually happening, so yes, the comments are relevant.

 

And what about the posts slagging off politicians in general?

 

Always justified!

 

I don't have an issue with politicians in general, far from it. I do have an issue with politicians who try sleight of hand, false promises and mistruths in the run up to an election and I won't apologise for calling it out. Acts like this cause further distrust in all politicians, of all colours, which is even more damaging for our democracy - something I strongly believe in.
There is no new money coming from the cancelling of HS2, because the money hadn't yet been borrowed - simple. Anything being promoted otherwise is propaganda. Politicians can change priorities and make announcements, yes, but individual line reopenings are no more likely to happen as a result of the cancelling of HS2.

This is highly relavent in the case of the Churnet Valley and in response to a poster directly asking for an update on the Stoke to Leek branch. If anyone would like to point to progress in this section of line reopening as a result of the announcement last autumn I would be glad to hear it. It has been talked about for over a decade, reannounced again last year, but nothing I have seen will prevent it from being talked about for another decade or kicked into the grass again.
If anyone wishes to try and defend this current government's approach to rail policy, please be my guest - I would love to hear it.

 

There’s been a post this week on the CVR vols FB page about heavy plant having been spotted down at the Stoke end, clearing trees.

I can’t verify this, being 2 hours away.


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I couldn’t see anything in the drone video shared above. That was pretty recent. I was hoping to see some in Leek finishing the platforms!

 

As I said, reported THIS week.


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We understand that it is just a plant company doing some training.

The Stoke Leek line will never stack up as a passenger line, it is a freight line.

 

A very astute and correct post.

 

This is true but it has nothing to do with any proposed reopening of the line.

 

Over halfway, with 12 / 20 £100 donations made. Please help us where you can, even smaller amounts soon build up.

Also this weekend 75014 is back, but not as you know it:
Revival Of 75033 For 1 Weekend Only - Churnet Valley Railway

 

Both trains on Saturday 16th March - 75014 disguised as 75033 on the Cambrian Coast Express.

 

Saturday's first train at Bradnop