Better Transport

You might wish to do some or all of the following to try to re-open a train station.

Find out what is already planned
It’s important to find out what’s already planned before you start any campaign for a station or line reopening. Your sources:

• Network Rail. Plans for year ahead are contained in its annual business plan. Its ‘initial strategic business plan’ (pdf), published in 2006, looks at plans up to 2014
• Train operator. It is possible, though unlikely, that your train operating company will have a franchise commitment to open a new station or line, or even its own plans to do so
• Local transport plan. Details of any opening or re-opening plans are in the local transport plan. These five-year plans might contain firm proposals for re-opening or merely a commitment to investigate the feasibility of a re-opening. You’ll find the plan in your local library and on your council’s website. If there is no reopening in the plan, you might wish to argue that a reopening would actually help the council to meet one of the plan’s objectives
• Regional transport strategy. Check to see if the regional transport strategy includes a re-opening proposal or at least a commitment to keep the land projected from development

Put together a feasibility study
Nobody is going to take forward or fund a scheme that hasn’t been evaluated for it potential costs and benefits, so get support for a feasibility study. The study should be managed by a steering group, which could include your local authority, your community group and relevant business and industry stakeholders. You may be able to get funding from your train operator, local authority or a local business. The feasibility study should look at social, economic and environmental issues connected with any reopening.

Gather evidence
Before stating any campaign you need to gather a lot of information in order to argue your case:

• Viability

How many people would the station serve? It has long been argued that any town with a population of more than 20,000 should have a rail service, but many smaller communities can justify a station on an existing route

If the station were opened, how many people might use it? This is not easy to evaluate but a little local market research could help. You could survey people, either on the streets or online. The local council should have some idea of the main transport movements through your area and keep figures on how many people use cars, buses and bikes, or walk. The census also includes valuable data on commuter travelling habits. Many stations have been reopened on the projection of just 100 or so passengers a day. Several hundred potential journeys could make a strong case for a local or rural station. Any new proposed housing or commercial development could be a major catalyst for a viable campaign.

How much will a new station cost? A basic two-platform station designed to accommodate a four-coach train could cost a couple million. Speak to the Railway Forum, who might be able to help you answer this question

• Location

Was there a station there before and is there any evidence of the old station now? Could it be a sensible place for a new station now? Is it near the town centre? Has any new housing been built since the lie closed? Consult the reference section at your library or look at old local maps to check the former alignment. It’s also worth visiting the site to take a look for evidence of the line/station but be careful not to trespass.

Land issues are important. Helping to protect land for future rail use could be a key objective of your campaign.