"Amber" Light for Hythe ( Hants ) re-opening????

[ashurstdave]

Hampshire County Council is looking into whether the Community Rail Partnership model could be used to investigate the re-opening of the Totton, Marchwood, Hythe railway for passenger trains. The recent ATOC report on rail re-openings gave the route as a good possibe re-opening but failed to "do the sums" and quoted only £3m. However, perhaps a "nought" had been missed off. Hampshire County Council are to start consultation at the end of January 2010. The scheme would require :-
1. Upgrading the present freight only line.
2. Building a new proposed station at Hounsdown ( Single platoform).
3. Re-building platform and creating access at Marchwood.
4. Building a new station with car park access at Hythe ( Hants ) - possible location being School Road by the current level crossing.
5. Converting the hand operated level crossings at Marchwood and School Road to modern lifting barriers.
6. Re-signalling the branch to accommodate an hourly train service.
7. Negotiations with a train operator and rolling stock leasing to run a service from at least Southampton and Totton.
It was not envisaged going south of Hythe, as the line tends to go away from the population and the end of the line at Fawley now enters a tightly controlled restricted area, which is now part of the Fawley Oil Refinery complex.
The line is now almost unique as having semphore signals and hand operated level crossing gates, especially at Marchwood, the current railway scene in a "60's timewarp. The line was opened on 20th July 1925 and passenger trains ceased in 1966, when it was only two a day. At once time the line could boast having a through service from Fawley to Reading!
Railtalk will keep you updated on developments.

[class47]

That will make for an interesting trip