Letter: It Is the Eleventh Hour For Guildford’s Future Rail Services

Published on: 25 Mar, 2019
Updated on: 25 Mar, 2019

An artist’s impression of the  re-development at Guildford station.

From Julian Lyon

In response to: Work Starts On the Controversial Station ‘Great Wall’ Development

The Application for Solum to be allowed to buy the site from Network Rail operations has only just come up on the website of the Office of Road and Rail for consultation. The end date is 21st April.

From Guildford Society perspective, we recognise the scheme has planning permission, but we want some redesigning to accommodate platform zero on the eastern side.

A capacity study by Network Rail at a cost to Guildford ratepayers of £360,000 has identified that Platform 0 does not need to be provided on the eastern side of the station – no conflict of interest for Network Rail here then! Our view is this is not so much about capacity as resilience.

Only trains from platforms 1, 2 and 3 can run up the Clandon “New Line”. Platforms 2 and 3 are through platforms also serving the Woking line. Some trains are parked in platforms 2 and 3 because they terminate at Guildford.

When there is a problem on the Woking lines, trains can run up the Clandon line, simply missing out Woking (and Worplesdon) but keeping Services running. This cannot happen if platforms 2 and 3 are blocked by standing trains.

Given the increase in service (the first wave starts on May 19), it must be foolhardy to build over the sliver of land that could allow trains to stand in the station out of the way of through trains.

I will be writing to the Office of Road and Rail to request that they call for the site boundary to be amended to take account of platform 0. I hope many of your readers will do likewise.

It may be too late to stop the “Great Wall of Guildford”, but it is the eleventh hour to help ensure the station can continue to provide robust services between Portsmouth and Guildford.

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