Swanage will be re-connected to the national rail network, restoring a link broken almost 40 years ago.
The Swanage Railway Trust had to raise £3m so Network Rail can connect the Swanage line to the main network for the first time since 1972.Purbeck District Council announced its support on Thursday a week after Dorset County Council gave its backing.
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43 comments:
What about if Network rail dont go ahead with the work say they shelf those signal box upgrades, what then?
Support is worthless. Where's the money?
There is not money - just a voice of support. Big deal.
Empty unless they have cash. They don't.
Why is there so much negativity in the responses to this and other posts ? It's almost as if no-one likes any hint of good news ? I appreciate things may not always turn out to be as good as they seem, but is cynicism the answer ? If you believe nothing will ever happen for the better it never will. A bit of positivity sometimes goes a long way ? More power to the elbows of all those people who've put time money and effort into making the Swanage railway such a jewel in the crown ! Thank you for all your hard work !
And here's hoping that my (and others) optimism will be right !
Optimism is great, but it doesn't pay the bills. Network Rail needs a guarantee of 3 million by today to agree to do the signaling work at Worgret. Is this money forthcoming, and if so, from where? If not, is that the end for eventual linkage?
No one is critising Swanage Railway by questioning where the money will come from.
Well done and congratulations to Swanage Railway , looks like all the hard work put into it over the years will finally pay off.
PDC is paying the 3 mil. (That means, you and me.)
http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/districts/purbeck/8302005.Swanage_railway_reconnection_scheme_set_to_go_ahead/
The first 3 and the last post are typical of many posts in the blogging and forum world and they make me assume that the posters (postees?) are bored and/or stupid, or think that they are cleverer - is that a word? - than anyone else.
On another thread I predicted that DCC would defer - I was wrong, what's wrong with that?
DCC - not PDC - have committed £3 million of our money, PDC have committed £100K of our money, STC have, er, um, said that it's a good idea.
Everything that gets done involves our money, and just about always has - why be shocked?
There's a load of Co&&lers at the moment about why do we give aid to countries that spend money on nuclear weapons etc - 1 answer. that's capitalism! Another answer - legalised bribes, another answer - it might just help the poor and ignored.
Before you rant, we've just had a kid known to Social Services die thru' abuse and starvation. Get used to it - real world.
This is good news, now keep your (our) fingers crossed, be positive.
Sorry. RANT over.
My comment "This is good news, now keep your (our) fingers crossed, be positive."
Refers to the Train connection, not the poor kiddie.
Well, the original post said ' The Swanage Railway Trust had to raise £3m...' Have they? We need the answer. It can be done - look what has happened at the Bluebell.
Yeah, but you're looking at the headline and not the facts.
£3 million had to be found. Swanage Railway didn't raise it. DCC committed it.
Obviously, it's good news for SR - but it was never in their hands - but their incredibly hard work has been recognised - if you want a moral judgement.
Excellent news - this could put Swanage well and truly on the map as a place to live and visit.
I dont care how much of our money is spent on this , the money the railway brings to Swanage is excellent. We should all be proud of what it brings to Swanage and the work done by the volenteers.
The first 3 and the last post are typical of many posts in the blogging and forum world and they make me assume that the posters (postees?) are bored and/or stupid, or think that they are cleverer - is that a word? - than anyone else.
Im neither bored or stupid, or think im clverer? than you or anyone else. But the negative comments are justified yes the money has been promised, but it does not mean that the work will go ahead does it!
PS or is it because I have spoken at length to a few people in the know over the last few months.
DOH! I am so stupid.
I am very puzzled about one aspect of this. The Echo report of this says "Cllr Beryl Ezzard said: “The proposal helps to underpin one of the targets set out under the council’s priority of ‘Helping all people access services locally’."
How does being able to go somewhere else help me access services locally. It looks more like the precise opposite. It makes it easier to access services somewhere else. Perhaps some wize poster could enlighten me. Given the recent history od service provision in Swanage this does seem to be a priority given a remarkably low priority as it were.
If you think that Swanage has all the necessary services then you're right!
Exactly. My point was that its just a little odd firstly for DCC to claim local access to services is a priority when we all know the recent history demonstrates the opposite and secondly that providing another way of going elsewhere achieves this objective.
Dear 12.24 an I assume 10.32
I'm 11.18 and I wasn't agreeing with you. 'Accessing services locally' is one of those phrases - in this case it means getting to the nearest.
Now, you may feel that Swanage should have a major Hospital, that specialises in Cancer, Alzheimers and God knows what else, but sadly we don't; our local services are Poole, B'mouth and Dorch. If there are roads, buses AND trains then it will be easier for us to access them.
It might also be easier for our unemployed to access their local service, in Poole.
And please could you enlighten me as to how "... the recent history demonstrates the opposite .."
TIA
That is an argument we heard a few decades ago when the hospital was threatened with closure. I have long thought it remarkable that in the official mind a mile from Swanage is a lot less than a mile to Swanage. Try suggesting to Wareham residents that they should come over here for some of their services.
Where does the money come from? From the bedroom tax charged on new developments. Not sure how much has been collected so far. Whatever it is, the rate of increase in the available pot will surely have slowed with the downturn in house building and extensions. That money was, as I understand it, earmarked for improvements to the transport infrastructure, in the main to ease the pain of a road that is inadequate at times for the traffic it takes through Sandford. A bypass, if it ever gets built, at Wool, and improvements to the road there from Bere Regis would for instance take traffic away from that bottleneck. Quite how the railway being linked to the main line will make any significant difference to the traffic problems of Purbeck is frankly beyond me. The Swanage line is a low-speed fun railway, wonderful for volunteers to get involved with and enthuse about, and fine as a tourist attraction, but not, surely, something that has the potential to deal with the manifest transport problems of the district.There is a serious question over whether further money on any large scale poured in to the railway project from the public purse will be of sufficiently wide benefit to the local population who will of course be footing the bill.
The Railway has the potential to rejuvenate the town if marketed well and if the service is good with connections from and to the main line. Why shouldnt the railway be beneficial to traffic levels? Surely we can take people away from the congested roads in summer if the train service is good enough?
Add to that the explained concept of 'local' services being in Bournemouth, Poole or Dorchester, and we really do need the railway for non drivers and those who dont wish to drive and pollute.
Yes, the railway really is the way forward.
Take=up for services going out of Swanage is going to depend to a great extent on journey times. If there is a change at Wareham with a wait for the connection the novelty will wear off rather quickly. Bus usage is less than it could be because of the time it takes to get to Poole.
It will be interesting to see if Swanage railway can make the jump from being a giant novelty ride to being a proper public transport undertaking. This would entail quite a change of culture on their part. Getting the line laid and the signalling installed is the easy part.
How about electrification as a target. Its quiet and does not stink unlike what we have at the moment. Now that would be different.
Electrification is probably going to be too expensive and then there is the cost of new rolling stock and whether the frequent use of steam trains will cause problems with the third rail.Diesal units for the non fun-runs are probably the answer and would allow cheaper fare deals. Good connection times will be vital to the success of the project. It was poor connections that killed the railway in the 60s and 70s.
It was like time travel in the 60s. You got on a modernish electric train at Waterloo, had it changed to diesel at Bournemouth and ultimately arrived at a gas lit station in Swanage looking scarcely changed from when it opened nearly a century previously.
Heard that it was a close ish vote at PDC to support the railway. Why was this, thought it was something they would have wanted.
Heard that it was a close ish vote at PDC to support the railway. Why was this, thought it was something they would have wanted.
why do you think that, its blatanly obvious both STC and PDC dont want the town to survive as as tourist area, they do not encourage any tourism or any infrastructure that allows this to happen. Both councils just want lots of flats (more council tax) full of old pre death people, as these people dont need so much policing schools etc. I dont know one single councillor who stands up for the tourist industry, they cowtow to any one who complains about the town being vibrant, one persons complaints can kill years of hard work. Spineless gutless people run this town, amply encouraged by legions of miserable old gits!
Sorry but we get the councillors we deserve. OK it might be easy to cowtow to the influential retired set who just want a quiet town, but there is nothing to stop enterprising business people becoming councillors and setting out to turn the place around.
The rail link brings a small ray of hope for Swanage but it will need enthusiasm and hard work to exploit it for the benefit of the area. The real danger is that it doesnt generate enough income for the Railway companies and will be closed again before too long.
Reading the above it strikes me that it it funny how the retired can be portrayed as a minority and a majority in a single posting. Over 50s are a majority here so it is perfectly reasonable to run the place in their interest, thats democracy. Running it in the interest of businesses is another think entirely.
By the way it is kowtow not cowtow. Nothing to do with towing cows.
Over 50s are a majority here so it is perfectly reasonable to run the place in their interest, thats democracy. Running it in the interest of businesses is another think entirely.
its about a vibrant town and its a minority of the over 50's who want their will, I have heard them say to local councillors " I am a retired doctor I want this and that" who gives a toss what they were they have moved here and now want to run it how they want. thats not democracy thats bullying the carnival and folk festivals will die if these peole are allowed to carry on. again its spineless gutless councills giving in to afew bullies. If you dont want a town full of profitable businesses say and im sure those running them will go eleswhere.
And I dont care if its about towing cows its bovine excrement!
What do you mean by vibrant? It is a cliche we often hear. Bournemouth thought it would be made vibrant by encouraging an evening boozing "culture" and is nit regretting this. Noise and drunks we can do without.
you should see Newquay
Nobody said anything about booze and that sort of culture. But you do need live music outdoor events a cafe style culture, but ohhh no a few want to ruin it because they want swanage to be a sleepy little town where they come to die ohh sorry retire. they know nothing about local bussiness and little about what style of town swanage is. they harrass and hurang the local councilors, often using the threat of their "solicitor" to strong arm their views. Unthruths are putting in writting to their MP- thank goodness the last moron has gone- who then gets involved without knowing all the facts.
If you read STC web page you will see that the music has been curtailed and, please correct me if I am wrong, next years festivals will be even more strict.
Allegedly one person complained about the noise, again correct me but he lives at pervil point, thats right one retiring person. So when all the resturants takeaways and shops close you can blame these people, but being ignorant they dont realise this.
PS I am over 50, and swanage needs to survive.
It is unfortunate that at some previous outdoor musical events volume has substituted for quality. "Never mind the quality feel the loudness" has failed.
It is unfortunate that at some previous outdoor musical events volume has substituted for quality. "Never mind the quality feel the loudness" has failed
I totally agree, but to ban all or any type of music is a bit like using a sledge hammer to crack a nut.
And it still does not put right the fact that STC KOWTOWS to these old gits.
I am an old git over 60 and want:
- a vibrant town with festivals , live bands, entertainment etc
- a successful tourist industry
-employment for local people
- a successful railway linked to the rest of the country
-affordable housing for those who really deserve it (even on green fields)
Lets not imagine that all retired people want a deathly hush from morning to night. Ignore the vocal minority who dont want any sort of progress and lets ensure we elect the councillors who will do this.
"Lets not imagine that all retired people want a deathly hush from morning to night."
I'd settle for the hush from night to morning.
More festivals and arts events would be excellent. I am all for live music but I do prefer it without amplification. Unfortunately most people only ever hear music delivered through PA systems of variable quality.
I do think that we have moved on a bit from the idea of the deserving poor since dear old Queen Victoria popped her clogs. Affordable housing for all please.
'Affordable housing for all please.'
Agreed!! Shall I subsidise it, or shall you? How about all of us, with hugely overpriced properties blown up out of proportion by Mssrs Miles, Corben, Wilcox, and Cooke, agree to rolling back the price to 1996 levels, when Swanage was affordable? A flat went for 35k back then.
Stop expecting someone to 'fix' it for you.
Problem is, people want 'someone' to make it happen without upsetting their own little 'nest egg'.
You can't have it all. It may be eons before any government will 'make it happen' so you don't have to worry about it.
Wonderful! All the ups and downs of the world financial system reduced to the machinations of a few Swanage estate agents. Do you ever try to think these things through, even just a little? Why not try the old adage of investigators "follow the money" and look at where the money to drive up prices comes from. House prices go up when money is cheap and easily available. Think about it, please.
This wont get sorted out until there is a property price crash. Cant happen soon enough for most of us......
Do you think house prices can crash in isolation from the rest of the economy? How interesting. Can you explain how this is possible without being part of a general depression.
But there WILL be a national house price crash! The nation's financial house of cards is about to crash............
So thats doom and damnation for all of us then, not just house prices. Maybe it will happen, maybe it won't. Lower prices are a waste of time if people don't have jobs or cannot get mortgages which is why I asked how you thought house prices could move in isolation.
By the way whose economic modelling is this prediction based on? I imagine you saw some compelling evidence that made you believe it. Or was it just a piece of lurid journalism?
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