TRAIN COMPANY
DEALS A BLOW TO VILLAGER`S HOPE OF A HALT
A campaign launched two decades ago to secure a train stop for
commuters in a Suffolk village could be thwarted at the eleventh
hour after rail bosses refused to disrupt their timetable.
Councillors in Great Cornard have long been trying to get a halt
- the equivalent of a bus stop for trains - to give people in
the parish better access to the popular Sudbury to Colchester
line.
Funding for the project was finally forthcoming thanks to housing
development firm Barratt Homes, which agreed to stump up £100,000
in return for planning permission on the old Baker's Mill site.
But One Railway, which operates the trains running between the
two towns, has rejected the council's plans on the grounds it
would interfere with train drivers' schedules.
Peter Beer, parish council chairman, said the rail company was
now the only thing standing in the way of the halt, which has
been in the pipeline for the past 20 years.
'Even if only one or two trains stop a day, it would be a great
help to the commuters'
"This is something the council has been campaigning for for
a long time, although it only became possible recently as a result
of the Barratt Home housing development," he said.
"Part of the conditions of the planning application was that
the firm gave us some money towards the scheme, but One Railway
has now told us it will not be possible to have the halt because
it will disrupt its train timetable."
Mr Beer said the halt - which would be built at the rear of the
former Baker's Mill site - was a much-needed addition to Great
Cornard, and would mean more people could leave their cars at
home.
"Even if there were only one or two trains stop there a day,
it would be a great help to the commuters and would not mean much
of a disruption to the trains," he said.
"A train would only have to stop for a couple of minutes
or so, so I think One Railway is being very shortsighted.
"We have been told we have the backing of Suffolk County
Council and Babergh District Council, so now we just hope we will
be able to come to some sort of arrangement with One Railway so
we can get this sorted out."
One Railway was unavailable for comment.
Reprint courtesy of The Mercury
newspaper 25/1/07
***Editor Notes:- although the
train may only stop for 2 minutes, 4 minutes is lost due to slowing
down and acceleration away from the halt.
