Tiki RSS feed for the wiki pages

Bideford and Barnstaple to Exeter diary

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 20:51:25 +0000

-
April - 15th anniversary of most recent Barnstaple-Bideford train, the successful James May Toy Story running a 1:76 scale train from Barnstaple station into Bideford Railway Heritage Centre's Open Day, on the 16th.

+ >
April - Torridge District Council's Community & Resources Committee, on the 20th, received a report on the Bideford Regeneration Strategy and MasterPlan, which includes "The timeline for the documents, 2026 – 2031, also precluded far larger projects such as the investigations into the feasibility of re-establishing a Bideford to Barnstaple rail line, although that concept is referenced.">
April - 15th anniversary of most recent Barnstaple-Bideford train, the successful James May Toy Story running a 1:76 scale train from Barnstaple station into Bideford Railway Heritage Centre's Open Day, on the 16th.

-
April - Torridge District Council's External Overview & Scrutiny Committee received a presentation on the Preliminary Strategic Business Case including a specialist economic assessment and initial engineering feasibility for a Bideford-Barnstaple rail link, on the 1st (business carried forward from inquorate meeting on 7th January). Watch from 2:15 to 55:15 here.

+
April - Torridge District Council's External Overview & Scrutiny Committee received a presentation on the Preliminary Strategic Business Case including a specialist economic assessment and initial engineering feasibility for a Bideford-Barnstaple rail link, on the 1st (business carried forward from inquorate meeting on 7th January). Watch from 2:15 to 55:15 here. See meeting Minutes.

Bideford and Barnstaple to Exeter

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 20:48:17 +0000

-
April - Tor~~ridge Dis~~t~~rict Council's~~ <a ~~class="wiki exter~~nal" ~~target="_bla~~n~~k" href="https://democracy.torridge.go~~v~~.uk/ieListDocum~~ent~~s.aspx?CId=137&MId=4016" rel="external">C~~o~~mmu~~n~~ity~~ ~~& Res~~o~~urces Committee, on~~ the ~~20th, t~~o r~~eceive a report on~~ the ~~Bidefo~~rd re~~generati~~on ~~Str~~a~~tegy and MasterP~~lan, ~~which includ~~es "The timel~~ine f~~o~~r the docu~~ments, ~~2026 – 2031, a~~l~~so prec~~l~~uded f~~a~~r larger proje~~c~~ts such as th~~e ~~investigati~~ons i~~nto the fe~~a~~sibilit~~y ~~of re-es~~t~~ablis~~h~~ing~~ ~~a Bid~~e~~ford to Bar~~n~~stapl~~e ~~rail~~ line, altho~~ugh~~ ~~that conc~~ept is refer~~enced~~."
+
March 2027 - fourth annual Convention of the Northern Devon Railway Development Alliance, on Friday 5th. Venue likely to be in Exeter.

Events

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 20:56:21 +0000

- 30 May 2026. Saturday. Consultation event for data-box="East West Rail">~~East West Rail~~. Venue: Cambridge Belfry Hotel and Spa, Back Lane, Cambourne, CB23 6BW. 11:00-18:00.
+ 30 May 2026. Saturday. Consultation event for >East West Rail>. Venue: Cambridge Belfry Hotel and Spa, Back Lane, Cambourne, CB23 6BW. 11:00-18:00.
- 2 June 2026. Tuesday. Consultation event ONLINE for [https://eastwestrail.co.uk/consultation/consultation2026. 10:30-12:00.
+ 2 June 2026. Tuesday. Consultation event ONLINE for " rel="external">East West Rail. 10:30-12:00.

Railfuture in the news

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 09:10:08 +0000

+
+ 19th April - LBC
+
+ Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on Matthew Wright's programme to respond to the proposal by the TSSA union to make public transport free of charge. Listen here or download here.
+
+ 8th April - Oxford Mail
+
+ Under the headline "Petition calls for progress on Oxford to Cambridge trainline", David Richardson, spokesperson for Thames Valley branch, said: "We wholeheartedly support this petition and would urge anyone wanting to see better rail services in Oxford to support it. We have suffered major disruption while the new bridge at Oxford station is put in to support an extra platform and new rail services, yet here we have a restored rail route that is open to freight trains but no passenger services are running. Any further delay would be very, very frustrating"

London and South East

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 20:39:10 +0000

- The next regional branch open meeting and members' AGM w~~ill be~~ on Saturday 18 April 2026. Our venue, as in recent years, w~~ill be~~ the Kwanglim Room at Wesley's Chapel & Leysian Mission, 49 City Road, London, EC1Y 1AU. Doors open 10.30 for 11.00 start. Members-only AGM 14.00.
+ The most recent regional branch open meeting and members' AGM was on Saturday 18 April 2026. Our venue, as in recent years, was the Kwanglim Room at Wesley's Chapel & Leysian Mission, 49 City Road, London, EC1Y 1AU. Doors open 10.30 for 11.00 start. Members-only AGM 14.00.
- The next regional branch open meeting and members' AGM w~~ill be~~ on Saturday 18 April 2026. Our venue, as in recent years, w~~ill be~~ the Kwanglim Room at Wesley's Chapel & Leysian Mission, 49 City Road, London, EC1Y 1AU. Doors open 10.30 for 11.00 start. Members-only AGM 14.00.
+ The most recent regional branch open meeting and members' AGM was on Saturday 18 April 2026. Our venue, as in recent years, was the Kwanglim Room at Wesley's Chapel & Leysian Mission, 49 City Road, London, EC1Y 1AU. Doors open 10.30 for 11.00 start. Members-only AGM 14.00.
-
2-div" class="ts-wrapperdiv"> 2">

London and South East Abbey Flyer User's Group (ABFLY)

Association of Public Transport Users (APTU) (Thameslink North)

Bedford Commuters' Association (BCA)

Bishopstone Station, Friends of

Cambridge Heath and London Fields Rail Users’ Group (CHLFRUG)

Cooksbridge Station Partnership (CSP)

East Surrey Transport Committee (ESTC) - king.charles at talktalk.net

Edenbridge & District Rail Travellers’ Association (EDRTA) - bob.howes271 at btinternet.com

Hadley Wood Rail User Group (HWRUG)

Hatfield Association of Rail Travellers (HART) - hatfield.rail at gmail.com

Marsh Link Action Group (MLAG)

Marylebone Travellers' Association (MTA) - nick.leake at btinternet.com

Ore Transport Group (OTG) - trevor.d2016 at outlook.com

Plumstead Rail Users' Group (PRUG)

Reigate, Redhill & District Rail Users Association (RRDRUA)

Sevenoaks Rail Travellers Association (SRTA)

Tonbridge Line Commuters (TLC)

Watford Rail Users’ Group (WRUG) - wrug2 at hotmail.co.uk

+
1-div" class="ts-wrapperdiv"> 1">

London and South East Abbey Flyer User's Group (ABFLY)

Association of Public Transport Users (APTU) (Thameslink North)

Bedford Commuters' Association (BCA)

Bishopstone Station, Friends of

Cambridge Heath and London Fields Rail Users’ Group (CHLFRUG)

Cooksbridge Station Partnership (CSP)

East Surrey Transport Committee (ESTC) - king.charles at talktalk.net

Edenbridge & District Rail Travellers’ Association (EDRTA) - bob.howes271 at btinternet.com

Hadley Wood Rail User Group (HWRUG)

Hatfield Association of Rail Travellers (HART) - hatfield.rail at gmail.com

Marsh Link Action Group (MLAG)

Marylebone Travellers' Association (MTA) - nick.leake at btinternet.com

Ore Transport Group (OTG) - trevor.d2016 at outlook.com

Plumstead Rail Users' Group (PRUG)

Reigate, Redhill & District Rail Users Association (RRDRUA)

Sevenoaks Rail Travellers Association (SRTA)

Tonbridge Line Commuters (TLC)

Watford Rail Users’ Group (WRUG) - wrug2 at hotmail.co.uk

East Midlands Branch

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 15:55:58 +0000

- ~~Rai~~l~~futur~~e East Midla~~nds~~ Br~~anch~~ is ~~arrang~~ing ~~a m~~e~~eting~~ on ~~Sat~~u~~rday~~ 31st ~~January 2026~~, ~~from~~ 1~~pm,~~ at the Ast~~on Cou~~r~~t Hote~~l ~~(York Su~~i~~te), near Der~~b~~y station. The speake~~r ~~is C~~a~~the~~r~~ine~~ ~~Atk~~in~~son, MP for Derby~~ Nort~~h a~~n~~d a former member of t~~h~~e House of Commons Tr~~a~~nsport Select Co~~m~~mittee.~~ Exact ~~deta~~i~~ls ar~~e sti~~ll to be co~~n~~firmed, b~~ut she wil~~l be spea~~k~~ing about the~~ f~~utu~~re o~~f UK rail and perhaps~~ the ~~work of~~ t~~he Selec~~t ~~Comm~~i~~ttee, and will n~~o ~~doubt i~~n~~clude Great British Railways~~.
+ Please save the date, our AGM will be on June 13th, 13:00 at the Central Library in Nottingham - a five minute walk from the station.
- ~~This is n~~o~~t a public meeting. Rathe~~r~~, it will b~~e ~~for members of Ra~~i~~lfuture a~~n~~d a~~f~~filiated gr~~o~~ups plus selected invitees f~~rom t~~he ra~~i~~l industry, l~~o~~cal authorities, a~~nd ot~~her relevant pe~~o~~ple.~~ ~~We are h~~o~~ping a~~l~~so to make this event avai~~l~~able~~ o~~nline~~ on Zoom.

We are ~~anticipating the oppo~~r~~tunity~~ ~~to ask questions. Wi~~th ~~that in mind, w~~e ~~shall be inviting atten~~d~~ees to send questions to us in~~ a~~dvance of~~ t~~he meeting, so that these can be collated and the best use made of the time availabl~~e.
+ More information to follow nearer the date

New stations

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:42:58 +0000

-
Grove (previously Wantage Road) to serve major housing development and Begbroke/Kidlington for north Oxford tech businesses, both part of Oxford Metro. An SOBC for Grove, on the Great Western Main Line, was commissioned in March 2025.
+
Grove (previously Wantage Road, closed December 1964) to serve major housing development and Begbroke/Kidlington for north Oxford tech businesses, both part of Oxford Metro. An SOBC for Grove, on the Great Western Main Line, was commissioned in March 2025.
-
Welborne, a new station in Hampshire to serve the new 6,000-home egardenvillage.co.uk/" rel="external">Welborne Garden Village near Fareham. On 28 November 2022 Fareham BC announced and SLC Rail confirmed that they had been appointed to produce a Strategic Outline Business Case for the new station to serve the new garden village. Not a direct Beeching reversal / re-opening from the closure in 1964 of Knowle Halt as the site will be different, but the new Welborne station might be regarded as a Beeching replacement in a fit-for-the-21st-Century location. In 2023 SLC Rail prepared a Strategic Outline Business Case.
+
Welborne, a new station in Hampshire to serve the new 6,000-home s://www.welborne.co.uk/" rel="external">Welborne Garden Village near Fareham. On 28 November 2022 Fareham BC announced and SLC Rail confirmed that they had been appointed to produce a Strategic Outline Business Case for the new station to serve the new garden village. Not a direct Beeching reversal / re-opening from the closure in 1964 of Knowle Halt as the site will be different, but the new Welborne station might be regarded as a Beeching replacement in a fit-for-the-21st-Century location. In 2023 SLC Rail prepared a Strategic Outline Business Case.

East Anglia Waterbeach

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:29:44 +0000

-
+ Waterbeach Two Stations campaign

Please sign the following petition, supported by Railfuture East Anglia, to retain the existing station in Waterbeach alonside the proposed new station
https://www.change.org/savewaterbeachstation

Rail dates

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:11:20 +0000

+
+
+ 9 June 2026. Tuesday. Final consultation by East West Rail Company before Development Consent Order (DCO) application submitted.

Herts and Beds

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:16:37 +0000

-
March 2026 edition view or download.
+ >
April 2026 edition view or download.>
March 2026 edition view or download.

London and South East	Abbey Flyer User's Group (ABFLY)
	Association of Public Transport Users (APTU) (Thameslink North)
	Bedford Commuters' Association (BCA)
	Bishopstone Station, Friends of
	Cambridge Heath and London Fields Rail Users’ Group (CHLFRUG)
	Cooksbridge Station Partnership (CSP)
	East Surrey Transport Committee (ESTC) - king.charles at talktalk.net
	Edenbridge & District Rail Travellers’ Association (EDRTA) - bob.howes271 at btinternet.com
	Hadley Wood Rail User Group (HWRUG)
	Hatfield Association of Rail Travellers (HART) - hatfield.rail at gmail.com
	Marsh Link Action Group (MLAG)
	Marylebone Travellers' Association (MTA) - nick.leake at btinternet.com
	Ore Transport Group (OTG) - trevor.d2016 at outlook.com
	Plumstead Rail Users' Group (PRUG)
	Reigate, Redhill & District Rail Users Association (RRDRUA)
	Sevenoaks Rail Travellers Association (SRTA)
	Tonbridge Line Commuters (TLC)
	Watford Rail Users’ Group (WRUG) - wrug2 at hotmail.co.uk