Home
  • Home
  • Blogs
  • Events
  • Gallery
  • Who's Who
  • Get Space
  • Manifesto
  • Contact

BLOGS

Home › Custard Factory Blog › Pete Ashton's blog

Custard Blog

Further train thoughts

Pete Ashton | Posted May 07, 2008 |
  • Uncategorized

Dave Harte expands on his Custard Factory train station idea in the Birmingham Post:

However, it does make some sense and there is precedent here as the Jewellery Quarter station has only been there since 1995 and was built not on the site of a previous disused station but was created specifically to serve that creative quarter. The same could happen at Custard Factory. Imagine a direct connection from CF to JQ - a truly well connected, joined up Brum. It might even open up the Custard Factory to more visitors and before long we'd have more than two cafés and the newspaper shop would open before 9am and have some ice-creams in its freezer.

Bookmark/Search this post with:
  • Delicious Delicious
  • Digg Digg
  • StumbleUpon StumbleUpon
  • Reddit Reddit
  • Newsvine Newsvine
  • Technorati Technorati

Trackback URL for this post:

http://www.custardfactory.co.uk/trackback/325
  • Pete Ashton's blog

The Bordesley train is a

Submitted by Jack Kirby (not verified) on Tue, 05/13/2008 - 22:02.

The Bordesley train is a 'Parliamentary' to use the jargon, ie. required to comply with an Act of Parliament. There are also however a few trains that call there on Saturdays when Birmingham City play at home - though I'm given to understand that next to nobody uses them.

The proposal in the Network Rail Strategic Business Plan (summarised here by Simon Felton) to start passenger services on the Camp Hill line (between Kings Norton and Moor Street) and the inner part of Tamworth line (which passes Fort Dunlop) would require the closure and/or relocation of Bordesley. This is to accomodate two short new curves (known as chords) from the Camp Hill Line onto the main line into the disused terminal platforms at Moor Street

However, don't get your hopes up. Firstly, this project is at least a decade away from happening. Secondly, the diagram in the business plan shows the possible relocation of Bordesley in between the two chords, which would site it south of the existing station, possibly with the street exit onto Bordesley Middleway.

So there is the official position as it stands. Note that this relocated Bordesley station would still be served by the existing Shirley/Stratford services, not by the new lines.

Now, you could argue that a Custard Factory station could take the place of Bordesley. However, this would just clog up the existing line into Moor Street, which doesn't have the capacity for a service like this, handling as it does fast Chiltern trains plus the London Midland services to Shirley/Stratford. Similar problems would almost certainly occur if you tried to fit a new station into the proposed Camp Hill or Tamworth services, not least because various junctions between Bordesley and Moor Street would be required for operational flexibility on the use of the platforms.

Moreover, the real problem here is that the Custard Factory is simply too close to Moor Street to justify an additional rail station. The Jewellery Quarter station is twice as far from Snow Hill, and Five Ways is about the same distance from New Street. The comparable case in terms of distance is not actually Jewellery Quarter but St Pauls - but that's on the Metro line. Metro services are much more suited (for both technical and timetabling reasons) to short distances between stops.

Sorry to pour cold water on the idea, but I think it's a non-starter - getting BCC to make the walking route from the Bull Ring more appealing would be a much more feasible way ahead.

  • reply

Yes Paul, Bordesley

Submitted by Dave Harte (not verified) on Wed, 05/07/2008 - 20:25.

Yes Paul, Bordesley (actually only 600 yards from the Custard Factory) is still in operation and here's its timetable in full:

Saturdays only: 1338 to Stourbridge.

That's the only scheduled train - one a week. More stop where there's a Blues home game on to transport fans but in terms of the timetable there's one a week. It's probably kept open as closing a rail station is quite involved and it can be easier just to keep a minimum service going. This note on a station near Watford is quite interesting. Actually, hang on, it's not interesting at all, it's very nerdy and I don't want it getting round that I have some kind of strange interest in trains....

Dave

  • reply

Is Bordesley Station still

Submitted by Paul Ashton (not verified) on Wed, 05/07/2008 - 17:47.

Is Bordesley Station still operational? There could be a case for closing it down and opening a CF station in its place. There should be room on the viaduct as it used to be four tracks and also housed a cattle station near Adderley Street.

  • reply

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <img> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <object> <param> <embed> <dl> <dt> <dd>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

More information about formatting options

SEARCH BLOGS:

Latest Blog Posts

  • Office Christmas Party Ideas | Corporate Christmas Parties | Shared Christmas parties | Birmingham, UK.jpg
    A Grand Winter Tale
    The Victorian Yuletide evening returns to the Old Library this December.
    07/08/08
    READ MORE
  • flickr.jpg
    Flickr meet in Digbeth this Sunday
    Photographers from the Birmingham Flickr group will be touring Digbeth this Sunday and all are welcome.
    07/08/08
    READ MORE
  • 2715435534_e62fbb176a.jpg
    Bunny's Wonderleague Stall
    Photos of one of the rather impressive stalls at the Sunday Flea
    06/08/08
    READ MORE
  • Craftspace.jpg
    Craftspace awarded £70,000
    Custard Factory based charity gets award to help work with refugee women in Birmingham.
    06/08/08
    READ MORE
  • punch_logo_copy_size_0.jpg
    BASS Festival highlights
    Video overview of Punch Records' festival of British Art and Street Sounds which tool place across the Midlands in June.
    06/08/08
    READ MORE


READ ALL BLOGS

UPCOMING EVENTS:

  • magnetik_888f20for20web.jpg
    Magnetic 8-8-8 Free Party
    READ MORE
    08/08/08
  • djoust.jpg
    Djoust DJ Competition
    READ MORE
    09/08/08
  • SaturdayAugust9thBack.jpg
    Ultra + Ft. Dan Ghenacia
    READ MORE
    09/08/08
  • Breakthru3-1.jpg
    Break Thru
    READ MORE
    15/08/08
  • Breakthru1-1.jpg
    Valve Soundsystem
    READ MORE
    22/08/08


Add to calendar

VIEW ALL EVENTS

video blogs

  • Watch this video!
    test
    30/07/08
    READ MORE
  • Watch this video!
    The Framers
    24/07/08
    READ MORE
  • Watch this video!
    TAK
    24/07/08
    READ MORE
  • Watch this video!
    Jennie Moore an...
    24/07/08
    READ MORE
  • Watch this video!
    John Mostyn
    24/07/08
    READ MORE


VIEW ALL VIDEOS


User login

  • Create new account
  • Request new password
© Custard Factory | Website design by: Spring Digital