In his latest column for Gedling Eye, Friends of Netherfield and Carlton Stations campaigner Tony Cave looks at cancellations, congestion, the case for a better Netherfield service, and remembers how things were when he became a station adopter 20 years ago.
I recently came down to Carlton station to see the 8.29am train to Crewe.
Except I didn’t see it.
It had been cancelled because more trains than usual required repairs. Three people had turned up for it.
Not long before that, I was told by a passenger who had arrived for the 7.29am to Crewe that his train had also been cancelled. Those passengers went instead to Netherfield to catch the 7.43am. I’m told that one is a fairly reliable runner.
One passenger I spoke to had come from the car auctions and told me he didn’t even know there was a station at Netherfield, despite having caught the train from Carlton a number of times.
Perhaps that tells us something in itself.
When the roads stop, the railway suddenly looks rather useful
There was an incident at Carlton level crossing on October 17, when the emergency services were called after a person was hit by the barrier.
It caused traffic chaos, with vehicles backing up along the A612 towards Nottingham and on other roads.
The road system on this side of Nottingham simply cannot cope with the increase in traffic brought by the amount of housebuilding taking place, particularly when we also have an inadequate train service.
I had my own reminder of this about a year ago.
I was going to West Bridgford by car on a Sunday morning. Tut-tut!
We came to a standstill on the A612 and I could see cars beginning to turn around. There had been an accident at the Racecourse island and the road was blocked.
The only alternative was to go back via Colwick, Netherfield and Carlton Hill.
A bridge over the Trent at Colwick would certainly have helped.
And getting towards Radcliffe or Bingham isn’t becoming any easier, especially with work taking place at Lowdham roundabout.
This is where I think the railway could play a much bigger part.
An hourly service from Netherfield would not only benefit people living locally, it could also help residents of Bingham and Radcliffe travelling to the many businesses around Colwick and Netherfield.
They have plenty of buses into Nottingham, but no direct bus service to these employment areas.
Co-ordinated transport is what we need. But will it ever happen?
Twenty years as a station adopter
November and December 2006 fill six pages of my old A4 logbook.
Back then I was putting advertisements in Carlton and Netherfield post offices telling people about trains from Carlton and handing out plenty of timetables.
On one occasion I was standing at the level crossing when a driver stopped and asked whether I had any timetables. She wanted a couple to take back to her office.
I also had a stall on platform two between 10am and 2pm, handing out new timetables and travel information.
I gave out 92 items that day and had to order another 100 timetables from Central Trains, who were very good at supplying what I needed.
That particular Saturday was also the Lincoln Christmas Market and trains were crowded.
There was an interesting idea to help local passengers. The 11.26am Nottingham to Lincoln, calling at Carlton at 11.32am, was advertised as running only as far as Newark. Lincoln passengers therefore waited for a special service about 20 minutes later.
It confused me too. I told seven passengers they would have to change at Newark onto the special.
Then our 11.32am arrived with three coaches and plenty of spare room. The guard told us they were going straight through to Lincoln after all.
So it worked!
There was another problem in those days which might sound surprisingly familiar.
If you searched for a train from Netherfield to Lincoln, you wouldn’t necessarily find one because the Lincoln trains went from Carlton. People confused the two stations then and, believe me, they still do today.
The information was eventually improved to show the walking time between Netherfield and Carlton and then the onward train from Carlton.
Not ideal, but an improvement.
Central Trains also used to have some very attractive special offers. Nottingham to Lincoln could be had for £5 return. There were forms passengers could fill in to hear about future offers, and even a Kids’ Club with things to keep youngsters occupied on train journeys.
Just a flavour of how things were back then.
And I’ll continue the story next time.
Tony’s rail round-up
There is plenty happening elsewhere on the railway too.
East Midlands Railway said that from October 19, 96% of its Intercity services would operate, after the level had previously been reduced as the introduction of the new Aurora trains was delayed.
Refurbishment of the regional fleet also continues. By mid-September, 10 of the 26 Class 158 trains and 12 of the 44 Class 170s had been completed.
Meanwhile, the Government’s plans for Great British Railways include looking at greater standardisation of trains and level boarding to improve accessibility.
The Midlands Rail Hub could also have consequences for passengers in the East Midlands. Proposals include four additional trains an hour serving the East Midlands, with one continuing to the North East.
Finally, closer to home, I haven’t heard of any December timetable changes affecting Carlton and Netherfield stations.
As always, though, particularly when there is engineering work at weekends, check before you travel.
Tony Cave is a long-standing station adopter and produces the Friends of Netherfield and Carlton Stations newsletter. The views expressed in this column are his own.
