I visited the Cornwall  Council exhibition on the proposals for the interchange held at St Erth Church Hall on Friday 19 August 2011. I found the exhibition and distributed leaflet very informative and the CC staff present very helpful.

Basically, the site surrounds the listed station at St Erth which remains as attractive as ever. Three car parks are proposed, one on the up side on the old goods yard site, more recently a scrapyard. This car park being adjacent to the main road will obviously fill up first, the second park lies on the down side of the station, this is fed by the road leading to St Erth from which a road already exists to serve the treatment plant. The third, overflow, car park is to the left of the village road utilising a field alongside the down line towards Penzance.  Bus services would call at shelters provided in the station forecourt.

In order to provide level, relatively, access to all platforms at the station either a foot bridge with ramped approach or a pedestrian tunnel to the west of the station platforms will be provided. The footbridge might provide photographers with a new vantage point but would be detrimental to the view westwards from the station.  The existing footbridge being part of the listed station will remain.

As to Lelant Saltings, there is no proposal to close this station on the branch although, one thinks, time and use will tell.

The junction with the A30 will be controlled with lights, anybody who has tried to exit the road from St Erth station and village turning right will welcome these lights. In my personal opinion one point of the proposal which although fitting in well with the concept of a Transport Interchange will not be popular with local inhabitants is the establishment of a heliport close by.

A further update following an exhibition In early September concerning the proposed St Erth Heliport is that many local residents are very concerned about the noise that will be introduced to the area should this proposal go ahead.

It was noted on Thursday 15 August 2011, a day of miserable weather for the Dawlish air display, that two improvements have occurred on the Cornish Railway scene during the past week. (1)  Trees which blocked the view of the Royal Albert Bridge from Saltash station have been removed. (2)  A refreshment booth has been established adjacent to the footbridge on Par Station - the name, appropriately enough is 'Snack Station'.

The night sleeper departed from Penzance behind 57 309 'Brains' on three occasions recently - these were Friday 5, Monday 8 and Wednesday 10 August 2011.  The reason why the FGW fleet locos were not available is not known.

On Monday 8 August 2011 the Falmouth branch service was reduced to  hourly due allegedly to a lightning strike having upset the control of the  passing loop at Penryn. 

The very next day main lines services were delayed by a 25 year old man trespassing on Trenance viaduct with a view to ending his life. Long delays were caused not only to rail traffic but also to road traffic as the roads beneath the viaduct were closed for the duration of the event which is understood to have lasted for about three hours. Truro station also had to be closed due to overcrowding and a shuttle service was introduced between Truro and Penzance. FGW have to be congratulated in attempting to provide alternative road transport around the incident. Whilst one feels sorry for the young man being driven to such lengths one must also think of the hundreds of passengers and road users affected by his actions. There must have been thousands of wasted hours.