The Anonymous Widower

The Cranleigh Line

Looking for possible privately-funded rail projects, I have come across the Cranleigh Line on Wikipedia.

This is part of what is said on Wikipedia about Possible Reopening, in a eport by Buchanan and Partners in 1994.

The report estimated that around 500 car users could transfer to rail each day. The cost of reinstating the line between Guildford and Cranleigh was projected at £24 million which would include the base, civil, electrical, engineering and signalling works. It did not include land acquisition costs, legal costs and bridge works. The reinstatement of the bridge over the River Wey was costed at £750,000.

The report concluded that, based on a preliminary analysis of the line’s potential returns, re-opening would not be feasible. The line was, according to the report, likely to recoup only 3% of the capital investment in the first year of re-opening, and this without taking into account its operating costs. British Rail usually insisted on a figure of at least 8% before investing capital into re-opening a line. Nevertheless, the County Council decided to commission a detailed economic feasibility study by British Rail into the line’s potential for re-opening, and looked into the possibility of using a light railway or tramway substitute.

What would a report say now?

Given that the line runs between the busy stations at Guildford and Horsham, the latter of which has a Thameslink frequency of two trains per hour, I think that the answers would be very different.

The route would also be one, that could be run by a third-rail tram-train!

Consider.

• The tram-trains would use battery power, where there is no third-rail electrification.
• The route between Guildford and Peasmarsh Junction is electrified and has no stations.
• The route between Horsham and Stammerham Junction is electrified and has no stations.
• Between Peasmarsh Junction and Stammerham Junction, there were stations at Bramley & Wonersh, Cranleigh, Baynards, Rudgwick and Slinford.
• Stations could be rebuilt and added to as required.
• Between Peasmarsh Junction and Stammerham Junction, the new line would be without electrification.

Could the new line share the route with walkers and cyclists?

I think there is a chance here to create a new type of light rail link!

March 26, 2018 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Cranleigh Line, Reopening Railways, Thameslink, Third-Rail Tram-Train, Trains