Ashton gate halt and the Portishead rail line (Merged)

[BTRFTG]

15 hours ago, reddoh said:

where's mine?????????????????????????????? 

Visit the Gov.Wales site and you can see where it's spent.

[pillred]

6 hours ago, TomF said:

It wouldn't be significantly cheaper building at Portbury, there is some land compulsory purchasing but that accounts for about £8m.  The major costs are things bringing the tunnels from Pill to Ashton up to passenger standard amongst other stuff.  

Grant Shapps is hugely responsible for the increased costs due to stupid delays, but it was all about it being unfeesable as a get out. 

I was thinking of the saving of building 3 or 4 miles of brand new track plus I would expect land to be a lot more expensive in Portishead to build the station due to all the residential constructions going on, but yes the original cost was supposed to be £37 million they should have just got on with it but we all know how building projects fare in this part of the world I give you the music arena and Ashton vale stadium as just two examples.

[Samarkand999]

On 31/05/2022 at 22:39, Barrs Court Red said:

Bristol gets the leadership it deserves, as that’s what it votes for. 

Im surprised that for what is a city full of talented, intelligent and politically people, no one’s has thought to start up an independent party locally to try and take control of the council. 

In a way that's what happened with red trousers as our first Mayor. Not perfect but seemed to get more done than when Marvin and his crew of nodding dogs took over.

[Dr Balls]

On 31/05/2022 at 19:02, TomF said:

Very good article about it this weeks Rail magazine (958) - sums up the increasing unlikelihood of it going ahead with costs now estimated to top £160m

You mean roughly 0.8% of the cost of the new Crossrail Elizabeth Line in London? In those terms, it’s next to nothing! Perhaps we should rename the missing Portishead rail link as the “Right Old Charlies Line” because it’s what we have been taken for down here yet again.

And much though I would like to blame Marvin on this one, the blame for the rising costs and lack of action sits with national institutions and politicians rather than local ones, and they get away with it once more because our locals are so docile. It doesn’t help that the mainstream local journalism in and around Bristol is so pathetic. That really is a scandal as no one is aware of what is or isn’t happening and who to hold responsible, and why local democracy and politics is so lacking. How can people care or form an opinion on a subject in their area if they know nothing about it in the first place?

[Never to the dark side]

CAZ for Bristol: Consultation taking place at Aldi in North Street on Monday 6th June 2022 starts 11:00am till 3pm

[bcfcredandwhite]

On 31/05/2022 at 19:50, Lanterne Rouge said:

When the tsunami destroyed about 20km of coastal motorway in Japan a few years back they had it rebuilt and open within two months.

We`d still be appointing a contractor.

I visited China in 2017. When I was in Shanghai, our guide showed us the view of the city from the top floor of the Shanghai tower and proudly told us ‘You British value your democracy where everyone has a say. Modern Shanghai was built in the 1980s - we just did it. In your country, your politicians would still be squabbling over whether or not to grant planning permission.’

Although I don’t want a Chinese-style regime here in the UK he has a point. 

[Never to the dark side]

Liam Fox MP will raise the issue of portishead line in  the house of commons today (Tuesday 14 June) not sure of the time though.

[Monkeh]

27 minutes ago, Never to the dark side said:

Liam Fox MP will raise the issue of portishead line in  the house of commons today (Tuesday 14 June) not sure of the time though.

3 or 4 normally 

[Roger Red Hat]

Just now, Monkeh said:

3 or 4 normally 

MP’s in attendance.

[RoystonFoote'snephew]

8 hours ago, Never to the dark side said:

Liam Fox MP will raise the issue of portishead line in  the house of commons today (Tuesday 14 June) not sure of the time though.

It'll be the first time he's on track with anything. 

[phantom]

Due on next after the Ch4 debate

https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/79df4646-9e11-48a6-af6d-15932ea92534?agenda=True

 

[Monkeh]

Since we are talking about rail,

Don't travel by train on 21, 23 and 25th June,

There will be a limited service across the country due to coordinated strike action

[Monkeh]

30 minutes ago, TomF said:

Absolute carnage for Glastonbury

And Concerts in cardiff

[phantom]

1 hour ago, Monkeh said:

Since we are talking about rail,

Don't travel by train on 21, 23 and 25th June,

There will be a limited service across the country due to coordinated strike action

and the dates in between as the trains will not be in the correct starting locations

[Monkeh]

37 minutes ago, phantom said:

and the dates in between as the trains will not be in the correct starting locations

Indeed, it coincides with strikes on the underground as well,

We may well have a long summer of it as well

[Dr Balls]

Rather glad my walking of the Wales Coast Path and using the rail line between Aberystwyth and Pwllheli is this week. Also helps that the weather is beautiful!

On that note, many millions have already been spent on repairing the Barmouth Viaduct and more will be spent this autumn to complete the job. Of course, transport is a devolved issue, so the Welsh can decide where they want money spent, so they maintain vital lines even if only small populations. And they have reopened lines and stations relatively quickly while at the same time the arguments about the Portishead line have been going round and round but getting nowhere thanks to Network Rail and the Department of Transport. Just proves having a Tory MP in a “safe seat” gets the electorate nothing from Johnson and co.

[Monkeh]

Just now, Dr Balls said:

Rather glad my walking of the Wales Coast Path and using the rail line between Aberystwyth and Pwllheli is this week. Also helps that the weather is beautiful!

On that note, many millions have already been spent on repairing the Barmouth Viaduct and more will be spent this autumn to complete the job. Of course, transport is a devolved issue, so the Welsh can decide where they want money spent, so they maintain vital lines even if only small populations. And they have reopened lines and stations relatively quickly while at the same time the arguments about the Portishead line have been going round and round but getting nowhere thanks to Network Rail and the Department of Transport. Just proves having a Tory MP in a “safe seat” gets the electorate nothing from Johnson and co.

Barmouth viaduct decision was funded by the uk government I think and decision made in cp5 before powers were devolved I think that line isn't part of the devolved lines run by tfw, and is ran by network rail and they all report to the dft anyway

[Dr Balls]

8 minutes ago, Monkeh said:

Barmouth viaduct decision was funded by the uk government I think and decision made in cp5 before powers were devolved I think that line isn't part of the devolved lines run by tfw, and is ran by network rail and they all report to the dft anyway

Runs TFW trains on it, so I assumed it was funded by them. Whatever it can’t be cheap to repair, and certainly having more spent on it than the Portishead line as it stands.

[Mr X]

What did Liam Fox have to say about the railway line?

[TV Tom]

6 hours ago, Mr X said:

What did Liam Fox have to say about the railway line?

He’s not bothered, he’ll never use it, 

[Never to the dark side]

Don't really want this to go off topic,

but I can recall the Barmouth bridge had a re-vamp approx 30 to 40 yeares ago because the bridge under the woodwork  looked like a crunchie bar after being attacked by sea molicules?

Which was featured on an open university programme

 

[GrahamC]

13 hours ago, Dr Balls said:

Runs TFW trains on it, so I assumed it was funded by them. Whatever it can’t be cheap to repair, and certainly having more spent on it than the Portishead line as it stands.

Of course it was.

Anyone who thinks funding in our part of the world is anywhere near on a par with what Wales gets from the UK taxpayer is simply dreaming.

My mother in law lives in Pembrokeshire & has a railway station in her village that seems to have about 5 passengers a week.

Like a lot in Wales it was somehow saved under Beeching whilst the South West was totally decimated.

[Bristol Oil Services]

6 hours ago, Never to the dark side said:

Don't really want this to go off topic,

but I can recall the Barmouth bridge had a re-vamp approx 30 to 40 yeares ago because the bridge under the woodwork  looked like a crunchie bar after being attacked by sea molicules?

 

Got any photos of that you can show us, Nev? 

[Never to the dark side]

The Barmouth bridge was actually featured an open University programme,many years ago.

At the time I did not know where Barmouth was.

[Lanterne Rouge]

5 hours ago, Never to the dark side said:

The Barmouth bridge was actually featured an open University programme,many years ago.

At the time I did not know where Barmouth was.

I think Rob Bell did a bit on it in one of his Walking Britain`s Lost Railways programmes

[italian dave]

20 hours ago, Mr X said:

What did Liam Fox have to say about the railway line?

@Roger Red Hat was right: there were about 4 MPs in the house. (I wonder if Rees Mogg was there leaving notes for the missing ones)

I didn’t hear the speech, but on TV subsequently he was basically saying that the funding shortfall is £15m, that he’s pushing for this to be found from existing budgets, that he’s hopeful it will be, and looks forward to the money being found shortly. 

[GrahamC]

9 minutes ago, italian dave said:

@Roger Red Hat was right: there were about 4 MPs in the house. (I wonder if Rees Mogg was there leaving notes for the missing ones)

I didn’t hear the speech, but on TV subsequently he was basically saying that the funding shortfall is £15m, that he’s pushing for this to be found from existing budgets, that he’s hopeful it will be, and looks forward to the money being found shortly. 

Good for him.

Not ever going to vote Tory, but him & my MP Karin Smyth need to work together on this (she was also there) because no other ****** will help us.

[italian dave]

2 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Good for him.

Not ever going to vote Tory, but him & my MP Karin Smyth need to work together on this (she was also there) because no other ****** will help us.

Indeed. And he made a very good point about the line being a two way benefit now. Historically it was always about Portishead residents getting to work in Bristol. But nowadays it would help residents from S Bristol to access jobs in Portishead.

Mind you, he then went on to talk about pylons and how the national grid don’t compensate farmers properly: he’s a staunch opponent, apparently, of those in positions of power who think they can ignore the law or ride roughshod over it without being held to account by an independent arbitrator. And he had the nerve to say that without a hint of irony. 

[italian dave]

C4 News reporting live from Portishead on the report today about all the homes and businesses that will be lost to climate change and rising sea levels over the next 30 years. North Somerset has the highest number of any local authority in the country, and Portishead has a high proportion of those.

So maybe it’s not going to be worth bothering with the railway line….

Edited June 15, 2022 by italian dave

[Never to the dark side]

just turned on(8pm) to channel 4 plus one,hoping its still to come on.