stur

(Photo courtesy Jim Type, copyright C L Caddy Collection)

Sturminster Newton was one of the larger towns on the S&D, and one of the few that wasn't served also by the GWR. This whole site is now a car park but that isn't really an issue for rebuilding the site as it's no trouble digging up concrete for a facility that has a very limited shelf life! A bigger  'problem' was the very recent proposal to build houses on an infilled cutting just north of the station, possibly the most short sighted (and short lived) bit of  'development' on this essential 21st century transport link! The problem was that this was proposed at almost exactly the same time as the New S&D was formed, so we weren't in a position to put in a serious objection. If the houses are built I'd suggest that the buyers don't unpack their removal boxes ...

So the intention here will be to rebuild the station in its original form. Whilst the logical approach to Sturminster Newton will be from the south (Blandford and Shillingstone are on this route) in the longer term Sturminster Newton's link north to Templecombe may see even more use, as the connection at Templecombe will give the people of Stur direct trains to both London and the West Country. Sturminster Newton deserves nothing less!

worth it

The usual suspects are already whinging about rising rail fares, yet they are only being set at 3% above PRI over the next three years. This is a genuine rise of around 10%. Is it such a big deal?

So what will we be getting? 2300 new carriages for a start. Completion of Cross Rail. Electrification from Bristol to London. And an awful lot more. The railways are absolutely buzzing at the moment with ridership at almost an historical high. Success tends to come at a cost. Does anyone seriously believe that motoring costs will only rise 10% over the next three years? And air fares? I'd be surprised if they keep under 50%! It's all relative. Simply giving up and selling your car releases huge amounts of cash, buy a bike and generally travel less (by train of course) and you'll save thousands every year. You could even afford to go first class - we do most of the time!

Apparently a million people have given up driving over the last year, citing the 'high' cost of fuel!! The roads certainly seem quieter. The reduced number of drivers will lead to inevitabe tax and duty rises to cover the income shortfall (only slightly offset by reduced wear and tear), setting up a virtuous circle of less car and lorry use and more use of rail. And 19% less youngsters are taking driving lessons, a brilliant fact!

Forget the 1970s attitudes. Rail, like gold and the Swiss Franc, are on a high. And success costs that little bit more. It's a price well worth paying!

network travel - swiss style

We took the train up to London yesterday for a trip to the Body Worlds exhibition at the 02 Centre.

It hurts to be hauled by a loco called 'Isambard Kingdom Brunel' if you're an S&D fan as we still blame his bloody GWR for the unneccessary closure of the S&D! But all credit to First Great Western we left Bristol just 4 seconds late, arrived in London dead on time, left London dead on time and arrived back at Bristol 30 seconds early.

For all the popular press bleatings about the inefficiencies of our national network this is actually far more my experience of our privatized network with trains running on time, clean and cheap. Perhaps some of the people who never use our trains but have an awful lot of stereotyped 1970s-style things to say about them should actually USE our railways and see them as they are - a superb, quick, clean and sustainable form of transport that will survive Peak Oil.

It was all very Swiss, in fact better than our last Swiss trip in December, when we were assailed by avalanche problems and arrived an hour late in St Moritz after travelling across from Geneva.