Draft Strategy Suggests Railway Halt at Park Barn or Merrow

Published on: 10 Jun, 2013
Updated on: 10 Jun, 2013

People are being asked to make their views known about ideas being put forward for a railway halt at Park Barn or Merrow and a park and ride site at Worplesdon station.

The railway cutting at Park Barn where a railway halt may be built.

Surrey County Council commissioned the Surrey Rail Strategy, that has now been published in draft form. It contains a raft of proposals for one of the busiest rail networks in the UK, including extra carriages on trains and more frequent services on certain lines within the county. But here in Guildford, the idea of railway halts and a new park and ride site are of most interest.

On Saturday, members of the Park Barn and Westborough Community Association were handing out leaflets and canvassing people’s thoughts on a station there, while urging them to scrutinise the draft strategy.

The leaflet produced by the Park Barn and Westborough Community Association urging people to have a look at the Surrey Rail Strategy and to make their comments known. Members of the association will be out and about in the area later this week meeting and talking to people.

Association member and county councillor for Guildford West Fiona White said the response of people she spoke to at the Parish of Westborough’s Grand Summer Fete on the green at St Clare’s Church was mostly in favour of a railway halt at Park Barn.

She said: “We also asked people to sign a petition, and we received enough signatures [32], so we can take it to a Local Guildford Committee meeting asking it to back proposals for a railway halt here.”

Fiona also said that many of the people she and fellow association members spoke to, who have lived in Park Barn for some time, recalled that this is not the first time a railway station of some kind has been proposed for the area.

She said some people reminded her that when they moved into their then new houses in the 1950s and 60s it was believed a station would soon be built.

It has long been said that the site for a station at Park Barn is on land alongside the line near the Apple Tree pub. However, in the draft strategy a site has been suggested in the cutting near the Tesco store.

The draft strategy notes that a station at Park Barn would improve rail access for staff at the Royal Surrey County Hospital and those working at the Surrey Research Park. A cost of £5 million has been estimated.

Fiona added that most people she spoke who backed the idea of a station at Park Barn believed it would help to alleviate some of the problems of people who drive to work in the area then parking their cars in residential streets in Westborough and Park Barn.

Site near the Merrow Depot that has been noted as a potential site for a railway halt.

A station at Merrow, the draft strategy notes, “would improve rail access to potential new housing and commercial developments on the edge of the urban area”. Again a cost of £5 million is estimated.

If it were to be built in Merrow, the suggested site is near the Surrey County Council Merrow Depot, off Merrow Lane.

Looks like the car park at Worplesdon station is often full. Here a park and ride site could be created.

Of the park and ride idea for Worplesdon, the report states that the station between Guildford and Woking currently has 120 spaces and this would be expanded to 200 to 500 spaces in line with similar schemes elsewhere in the UK.

The draft strategy notes: “The option would relieve pressure on roads and parking in Guildford by providing a means for in-bound workers and shoppers from the north of the town to park easily out-of-town and finish their journeys by rail.

“It also has benefits for access to Woking and for London-bound commuters living in the residential areas in the north of Guildford, as Worplesdon station (with expanded parking provision) would be more easily accessible than Guildford station, particularly when roads are congested at peak times.”

South West Trains operate many services in the Guildford area.

Costs are estimated in the region of £1 million to £3 million for the car park, and up to £7 million for a major upgrade of Worplesdon station.

The Surrey Rail Strategy can be viewed on Surrey County Council’s website, click here for introduction page to the strategy.

It can also be viewed at public libraries across Surrey and at County Hall in Kingston upon Thames.

Members of the public are being urged to have a look at the draft strategy and then submit comments by email to lee.mcquade@surreycc.gov.uk or by post to Surrey Rail Strategy, Room 420, County Hall, Kingston-upon-Thames, KT1 2DW.

But hurry, the closing date for all responses is June 28.

However, one rail suggestion that periodically arises has been rejected by the draft strategy – the reinstatement of the Guildford to Cranleigh railway line, on the grounds of the lack of a viable business case.

What do you think? Is a railway halt at Park Barn or Merrow a good idea? What about the suggestion of a park and ride site at Worplesdon station? Leave you comments in the box below. We will then email them to County Hall before the deadline.

Responses to Draft Strategy Suggests Railway Halt at Park Barn or Merrow

Bibhas Neogi Reply

June 11, 2013 at 6:01 am

Railway stations at Park Barn and Merrow are an excellent idea that had been explored before. Please see Guildford Society’s website:

http://guildfordsociety.org.uk/guildfordsociety/Guildford%20rail%20shuttle.htm

I believe that, according to Network Rails’ design standards, the gradient of the track at Park Barn is steeper than allowed for a station (1 in 100). So the tracks would require regrading and that is expensive. However, if benefits outweigh costs, it should be revisited.

A station at Merrow is also an excellent idea provided there is enough demand to justify the investment. If there is profit in it and there is space for a large (expensive) car park, I think Network Rail would certainly be interested.

Provision of Park & Ride around Guildford, in addition to those already in operation, is a very good idea but their pricing must be done to achieve reduction in congestion and not become a revenue raising venture for the councils.

More investment is required to deal with the through traffic both short term and longer term. Maybe Guildford Town and Approaches Movement Study (G-TAMS), currently being undertaken by the councils, will come up with some innovative ideas.
Bernard Parke Reply

June 11, 2013 at 11:00 am

This could happen in other outlying areas and so help relieve traffic congestion in central Guildford.

Indeed, some time back, such a scheme was presented to the Ccouncil.

It was called “Train and Ride”.

Like many other interesting schemes it fell upon stony ground.
Brian Holt Reply

June 11, 2013 at 10:15 pm

I spoke to many people at St Clare’s Fete on Saturday while collecting signatures.

A station at Park Barn would serve many more people than Merrow, because many Hospital Staff travel from
a long distance, and so do visitors to the ‘Royal Surrey’ hospital.

With only poor/expensive parking currently available, it would be better to come by train especially if it could take a visitor almost to the hospital door.

University students would find it very useful, and so would all the businesses at the Research Park and users at the sports park, where there is always a lot going on. Additionally, it would serve Park Barn and Westborough, a very large housing estate, as well as the thousands who have to come in daily to work in this area.

So for the reasons given, it seems to me that the need for a station is greater in Park Barn than it is Merrow/Burpham.
George Potter Reply

June 12, 2013 at 1:15 pm

Personally I would very much like to see a station at both Park Barn and in Merrow. I do hope the final decision won’t be an either/or one but one which lets both places benefit from improved rail access.
Ray Springer Reply

June 13, 2013 at 11:19 am

This proposal has been suggested and discussed many times before without any further advancement.

It would obviously be a great benefit to all as has been stated, but whether it will ever come to fruition is another story. I doubt if it will be in my life-time.

I can see problems arising with car parking and the actual building costs.
- George Potter Reply
  
  June 13, 2013 at 3:10 pm
  
  One of the (few) advantages of the current railway franchise system is that, if this was agreed as part of the railway strategy, the next holder of the South West Trains franchise would be obligated to pay for putting in the station as a condition of getting the franchise and so the cost wouldn’t be born by local taxpayers.
  
  Of course, having the proposal accepted as part of the railway strategy is rather more challenging.
Fiona White Reply

June 13, 2013 at 1:58 pm

This is one option in the Surrey Rail Strategy. We need the option to stay in there so that more work is done to find out what would be needed and what it would cost to get the station built.

At the moment there is too much traffic going through the area and too many cars parking on local roads. This could be one part of the solution and, if it works, it could make life a lot easier for residents.

I hope that the option will stay in and that we will get a chance to get the views of the local community once more detailed design and costings have been done.

Fiona White is the Lib Dem County Councillor for Guildford West
Brian Holt Reply

June 14, 2013 at 9:28 pm

Everyone needs to understand, the draft proposal is for a railway halt at Park Barn, and not for a station with buildings.
Sophie Clark Reply

December 1, 2013 at 6:58 pm

I think this is the best thing I’ve heard to possibly be happening to Park Barn. The amount of traffic I have to negotiate to commute to work is silly.
A railway station would make such a difference, and I know all the people who don’t drive, like me, would appreciate it.