Rotherwas Rail Proposal

[Adrian symonds]

So it looks like this has been scrapped then according to this article in this week's HT...

Common sense at long last. Makes a change for our council.

[Clarkester]

Far from common sense in my opinion.

This idea was one of the most sensible transport plans I have heard touted around in recent years.

If done with some foresight and timetable planning it had the potential to remove hundreds of car journeys from the routes through the heart of the city.

Furthermore, if a freight terminal was installed, then the amount of lorries clogging up the cities roads could have been reduced.

But, yeah, as you say: "Common sense at long last"  I personally disagree with that statement.

[Aylestone Voice]

I am very much in favour of rail but having read the reports conclusions it does not seem to be value for money needing a subsidy of around £100,000 per year. Sadly there is not that money about

[Cloudberry]

I agree with Clarkester that a rail link could really help traffic congestion. Now we have the Enterprise Zone, why not make sure it prospers by providing potential for moving freight by rail? Just think about the road journey options any lorry has to make to connect with Worcester, Birmingham, etc. It's not easy and those options won't impress potential investors. It could be so much easier for many employees to travel too, - not just from central Hereford but beyond, e.g. Leominster.

 

AV has been put off the rail link idea after reading the report on viability. But did the Council's PB consultants have the imagination to consider all the potential benefits in their calculations?  I don't think so. As well as the potential for moving freight more easily, did they think about the potential for students from the colleges and proposed university using a rail link to get to work experience placements? Did they think about the potential for providing a large car park (free!) for people driving towards Hereford from  the south along the A49 (park and train ride), so those people would not need to bring their cars into central Hereford but would reach their destination faster? The cost of their rail fare could be offset by no car parking costs and using less fuel.

[Aylestone Voice]

Cloudberry - all good points and I agree that it is not clear if the park and ride option was considered. I was not so much put off by the idea but by the subsidy that was suggested. Spend money subsidising a rail link or put it into adult social care? I also noted that extending the existing services down to Rotherwas could have a knock on impact on the Hereford to Birmingham service timetable and we know how fragile that is.

As to freight I have argued for years that Cargill and Sun Valley should use the rail link that runs directly into their sites. What a difference taking the lorries from these factories off the roads would make?

I have also argued that the remaining old freight area at Barrs Court (now the Railtrack yard) should be retained for freight.

Also there is Moreton Park which has an operational rail head for businesses that need that.

[Cloudberry]

Well I don't believe they are scrapping the Rotherwas rail link idea to put funding into adult social care instead! What do readers make of this Cabinet Decision published today?

Decision:

THAT:

(a)

the council becomes a member of the West Midlands Rail Limited Company, subject to legal agreements being satisfactorily finalised;

 

(b)

authority is delegated to the director of economy, communities and corporate to complete these agreements;

 

©

Subject to recommendations A and B, the leader be appointed as a director of the company and the cabinet member transport and roads be appointed as substitute who will be authorised to make decisions in this capacity relating to the strategic direction of the WMRL;

 

(d)

 

 

Subject to recommendations A and B, funding of £13,200 in 2016/17 and £7,464 in 2017/18 be approved as the council’s contribution towards the costs of administering the partnership and developing the case for full devolution of the rail franchise.

 

see   http://councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?Id=3107

[greenknight]

This maybe off the agenda for the moment but in time it will be back and possibly funding will come from elsewhere because more freight will be taken off the main lines because it's holding up the flow of passenger traffic.

 

So let's see ....no rotherwas link, all farms to be sold off, massive further cuts in council spending perhaps as much as 50%, almost guaranteed minimum 5% increase in council tax plus possible precepts to cover ageing population,police/security ....would you want to be a local county councillor??

[megilleland]

So let's see ....no rotherwas link, all farms to be sold off, massive further cuts in council spending perhaps as much as 50%, almost guaranteed minimum 5% increase in council tax plus possible precepts to cover ageing population,police/security ....would you want to be a local county councillor??

 

Depends if you are going to gain financially out of this skulduggery.

[Denise Lloyd]

I wonder just how many councillors promised these poor HC tenant farmers that they would put it right to get their vote.  There was something about the Library as well.  Off subject sorry.  Skulduggery I hope somebody is going to ask one or two questions about all of this

[greenknight]

It's quite easy to ask the question but difficult to accept the answers!

[Adrian symonds]

Far from common sense in my opinion.

This idea was one of the most sensible transport plans I have heard touted around in recent years.

If done with some foresight and timetable planning it had the potential to remove hundreds of car journeys from the routes through the heart of the city.

Furthermore, if a freight terminal was installed, then the amount of lorries clogging up the cities roads could have been reduced.

But, yeah, as you say: "Common sense at long last"  I personally disagree with that statement.

If it paid for itself then fine, but as the report said it is not cost affective and we all know that when these things lose money it is us the tax payer that ends up paying for them.

 

So yes, in the circumstances it is common sense.

[lpusseycat]

There is more than one issue relating to this rail link as there is no rail link from Ross to Hereford and no college in Ross they all come to Hereford. only way is by road if you have a good infrastructure you would not need a sub rail station. Hereford has the distinction of being the only city in the country without a by pass.To access a motorway from Hereford is 14 miles to the M50 or 28 miles to the M5 ,you do not have to be intelligent to work out why we do not have a thriving economy in this city.I worked for a large multi national company that left this city because of the infrastructure it is far to expensive to run a business with the transport costs that Hereford has to offer. Remember this is classed as an Agriculture area and salaries are cheaper if this council had one ounce of intelligence among them then we would be exploiting that advantage not be wasting money on consultants who have no interest in this city apart from financial gain in there pockets.We need to attract large companies here we have to invest for the future long term, not patch this up it will be okay for a couple of years we will not be here when money needs to be spent .That is how i sum up Hereford council past and present for a city with a population in excess of 53,000 it is a joke.          is this phil edwards  did he not give away land to developers for nothing

[Maggie May]

I thought that with the Council due to create more than 4,000-6,000 new jobs at Rotherwas the rail link was a good idea, especially as I have family in Leominster, where jobs and rates of pay are much less than in Hereford.  I didnt think the Council subsidises train services between railway stations in Herefordshire does it?

I thought that railway services were the responsibility of the train operators - could someone explain why the Council has to subsidise rail travel? 

 

I dont understand the West Midlands Rail Co- surely they are not going to start operating train services - the Council have made a right mess of bus services over the years in Hereford.

[Glenda Powell]

Maggie May see my post 30 on this thread it answers your question , GLENDA

[Maggie May]

Thank you Glenda - so the council report from Parsons Brinkerhoff is lying when it says that the route will require a Council subsidy. If this is the case can the local taxpayers get a refund on the cost of the consultants report? It seems Parsons Brinkerhoff have got an awful lot wrong what with the Southern Link Road, and upsetting Historic England; not realising the route goes through ancient woodland; etc. Why then is my money being used to pay this company hundreds of thousands of my money for reports that are incorrect or just rubbish? I would much rather all this money had been spent on No1 Ledbury Rd families, libraries or a few extra buses. Can we also get rid of the officer earning a fat salary who no doubt  thinks that PB should be employed to write more and more reports for the Council?

[Cloudberry]

So why is the Council so reluctant to improve transport connections to the Rotherwas Enterprise Zone with a rail link,when we learn from Glenda that it wouldn't require a Council subsidy? Why was an Enterprise Zone ever placed there in Rotherwas, with no rail connection and no easy road connections to the motorway network? It's hardly attractive for global investors, is it?

 

And why the Cabinet decision last week  for the Council to suddenly become a member of the West Midland Rail Limited Company? What are the benefits of doing this and paying £13,200 in 2016/17 and £7,464 in 2017/18? The railway is nothing to do with Council services, is it?

 

Something doesn't sound right here.

[Aylestone Voice]

Farms have nothing to do with Council services but there is still a fuss about selling them and using the money raised for services that they have to provide!

If you read the report (although the automatic assumption by many is that it is flawed) you will see that it is not economic. Whether or not there would be a Council subsidy why would the train company go ahead with something that would have a predicted revenue shortfall of £100K per year and with an estimated passenger demand less than half of what would normally be required? Who would pay the shortfall - we would have to.

Rotherwas exists -  it was designated an EZ to use the benefits that come into force with such a designation. Why moan about accessibility when most moaned about the new access road - it's relatively straightforward from there to the M50

[ragwert]

I asked two brothers who both work at Rotherwas what they thought of the now defunct proposed railway connection.
Neither knew about it and both said they would have no use for it.

 

[Clarkester]

Okay Ragwert, so 2 people out of the thousands that work in Rotherwas didn't know about the proposals...  So?

This was a chance to do something positive regarding the shocking state of Hereford traffic. Both commuters and freight services had the possibility to be catered for, and whatever the dodgy report said, if it was done properly, it would have become popular and reduced through and cross-city traffic, which, in turn, would have improved the journey times of inner city traffic, reduced traffic numbers at peak times and improved air quality across the main through-routes.

All in all, a good decision has been made - I don't think.

[Denise Lloyd]

There are many sectors  I firmly believe would use a train to get to and from the Rotherwas area and visa versa - students/school children/visitors to the Archives/visitors from outside the county/freight users/workers and so on. When I worked at Rotherwas and I did for 25 years and lived near to the station would I have used the train - deffo. Cycling is an option but would you really cycle the roads at peak times?  Once again missed opportunity.  Birmingham have introduced trams back into the city they are trying different things to take traffic off the roads. Why can't Hereford?

[jbfc]

On the thread about HC farms, comment is made about the Council's selection of consultants.

 

Is there any significance that the consultants engaged to prepare the report on Rotherwas Rail, Parsons Brinckerhoff, are the same ones who prepared the report in favour of the so-called southern relief road?

[Denise Lloyd]

Good point jbfc.  Are these nice very lucrative contracts put out to tender?  

[ragwert]

There are many sectors  I firmly believe would use a train to get to and from the Rotherwas area and visa versa - students/school children/visitors to the Archives/visitors from outside the county/freight users/workers and so on. When I worked at Rotherwas and I did for 25 years and lived near to the station would I have used the train - deffo. Cycling is an option but would you really cycle the roads at peak times?  Once again missed opportunity.  Birmingham have introduced trams back into the city they are trying different things to take traffic off the roads. Why can't Hereford?

 Valid point,people who lived near the station would use it.What if you lived in Whitecross,Bobblestock,Newton Farm etc etc.Would you travel to

the train station and park your car or catch a bus to train station then catch a train to Rotherwas?

 

[Roger]

 Valid point,people who lived near the station would use it.What if you lived in Whitecross,Bobblestock,Newton Farm etc etc.Would you travel to

the train station and park your car or catch a bus to train station then catch a train to Rotherwas?

 

 

People in Tupsley can get to Rotherwas in 5 -10 minutes by bicycle via that new cycle bridge. No good if you are unable to ride a bike of course. Brilliant bridge I suppose ~ if you use it. I never have .... 

[Denise Lloyd]

It floods

[Denise Lloyd]

http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/14173002.Train_passenger_numbers_up_at_three_Herefordshire_railway_stations/

 

Train passenger numbers are up at three Herefordshire railway stations 

[Denise Lloyd]

http://bit.ly/1mQPUkO End of line for Rotherwas Station don't think this is a duplication if it is I apologise!

 

Herefordshire Live 29th December 2015 courtesy of Bill Tanner

[Colin James]

Things may be about to change;

 

Rail lines which were closed during the notorious Beeching cuts in the 1960s could be reopened, the Transport Secretary has announced.

 

Chris Grayling said he wants to open up routes which would encourage housebuilding, ease overcrowding and boost the economy.

 

But Labour has dismissed the plans as "unambitious" - with transport campaigners warning it is "desperately difficult to reopen a rail line".

 

Thousands of stations and hundreds of local rail lines were closed down between 1964 and 1970 on the recommendation of the then British Railways chairman Dr Richard Beeching.

 

The Government's rail strategy, which includes restoring lost capacity, is being published on Wednesday.

 

Full news article here

[Denise Lloyd]

I immediately think of Tram Inn and Pontrilas - the train passes through both.  Just think how much traffic those 2  would take off Belmont Road!!

[ragwert]

Map of rail routes planned to be reopened,nothing near Hereford