News from the East Anglian Branch of Railfuture, Edited by Martin Thorne and Jerry Alderson.
Railfuture News Snippets 366 - 30/09/2023
- STATIONS [all issues]
- Diss and Audley end car parks to be reconfigured and made easier to use but no increase in parking spaces
- Wymondham to have a public subway under the railway tracks close to the station
- RAIL DEPOTS [all issues]
Greater Anglia will be making timetable improvements from the December 2023 timetable change. Stansted Express will resume four trains per haour all day, which has not operated since COVID-19. There will be quicker off-peak journeys between London Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport. It will also run an additional weekday morning service from Ipswich - London Liverpool Street. These have all had to be approved by the Department for Transport, which pays the costs with the revenue going to the Treasury. More information can be read here.
Network Rail will be conducting engineering works — on five consecutive weekends in October 2023 and the first weekend in November — on the routes between Norwich and Cromer, Sheringham, Great Yarmouth, and Lowestoft to replacing sleepers and improve the stability of the railway tracks by clearing wet beds reducing the incidents of passengers experincing a 'bumpy' ride. Rail replacement buses will operate on the affected routes, but cannot call at Gunton, Buckenham, Haddiscoe, and Somerleyton stations as the roads are inaccessible to uses. Info here.
On 14th September 2023, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) announced that Angie Doll has been appointed Chief Executive Officer with effect from the end of November 2023. Angie is presently GTR's Chief Operating Officerand will replace Patrick Verwer who is moving to The Go-Ahead Group as Rail CEO, with a focus on building its rail business in the UK and internationally. GTR is a joint venture between The Go-Ahead Group and France's Groupe Keolis.
The new footbridge at Royston station (mentioned in RAIL EAST issue 199) opened to the public in mid-September 2023. The out-of-use unsafe footbridge, which has been closed in 2020, is still in place but will be demolished.
Greater Anglia is launching another round of 'Hare Fares', which must be booked between 25th September and 17th October with travel until 3rd December 2023. Fares, which can only be used on its trains, are banded at £5 (Norwich to Sheringham, Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth), £10 (Cambridge to London or Norwich and Chelmsford to London), £15 (Colchester to London or Southend and Clacton-on-Sea to Chelmsford) and £20 (Norwich to London and Ipswich to Chelmsford) as a day return, with up to four children travelling for just £2 each way with any adult. There is no limit on the number of tickets that can be bought. Tickets can only be booked online at greateranglia.co.uk or via the Greater Anglia app. No booking fees apply. Greater Anglia also offers a range of advance fares and a Club 50 discount for those aged 50 and over.
STATIONS
Diss and Audley end car parks to be reconfigured and made easier to use but no increase in parking spaces
Keywords: [AudleyEndStation] [DissStation]
Major changes are planned for Diss railway station car park to improve the efficiency of using it, but no additional spaces will be created. There will be a new layout and integrated access for local bus services to serve the station, with a new exit to Nelson Road. The South Car park be extended with an additional seven disabled parking bays provided and five new electric vehicle charging points installed. Additional safe walkways and additional lighting will also be added. A total of £900k will be spent, which includes a sum from Norfolk County Council. Work should be completed in late autumn 2023. The car park will stay open for the duration of the works and can be used as normal throughout.
The car park at Audley End railway station will commence on on Monday 18th September 2023 and take about nine weeks. New lighting will be installed, three electric vehicle charging points will be added and an additional 26 new blue badge parking bays (the correct number of accessible spaces for the size of the car park) will be marked out near to the station entrance. There will continue to be plenty a total of 580 spaces.
News: https://news.railbusinessdaily.com/better-access-for-buses-as-greater-anglia-upgrades-diss-rail-station-car-park/
https://news.railbusinessdaily.com/audley-end-rail-station-car-park-upgrade-works-start-shortly/.
Wymondham to have a public subway under the railway tracks close to the station
Keywords: [WymondhamStation]
Between Wymondham station and the Station Road railway bridge, housing developers are funding the construction of a brand new subway under the railway as part of the planned growth in South Wymondham. It is claimed that the works will significantly enhance walking and cycling facilities to the railway station and the town centre. In order to construct the underpass (and for some unrelated enginerring works by Network Rail at the weekend) the railway line will be closed for six consecutive days between Saturday 21st and Thursday 26th October 2023 (with a stopping rail replacement bus service between Norwich and Thetford, and a direct rail replacement bus service between Norwich and Ely). Work on the underpass will not be fully completed until the end of 2024, subject to necessary statutory approvals. The existing footpath under Station Road bridge will be removed, helping to enhance traffic flows for motorists.
News: https://news.railbusinessdaily.com/preparatory-works-for-new-wymondham-subway/.
RAIL DEPOTS
GB Railfreight opens £5.75 million maintenance hub in Peterborough
Keywords: [GBRailfreight]
GB Railfreight (GBRf) has opened a £5.75 million Maintenance Hub, which is located alongside the East Coast Mainline. In late September 2023, Secretary of State for Transport, Mark Harper MP, attended the opening ceremony alongside John Smith, GBRf's Chief Executive Officer. The Hub, which is larger than six-Olympic swimming pools, was completed in 10 months on a derelict plot of railway land in the northern end of Peterborough yard. GBRf needs the facility to support its expansion, whereby it aims to run around 80 intermodal services a day by 2025. The building has been been designed to support electric shunt engines and forklifts to reduce carbon emissions.
News: https://news.railbusinessdaily.com/gb-railfreight-opens-5-75-million-maintenance-hub-in-peterborough/
https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2023/10/gb-railfreight-opens-sidings-for-new-peterborough-maintenance-hub.html.
Railfuture East Anglia Branch News Snippets 366 - 30/09/2023
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