A old rail line is being reopened can i stop it?

Question

A old rail line is being reopened can i stop it?

Answer 1

Hold on, how serious is this really?  What's the actual threat (besides random fear)?   What will be the positive effects if any?

Get a map of regional railroads and figure out where this line fits in.  How many trains are they going to run per day?  Is this a branchline to serve an industry?  A freight mainline bypass?  Or new passenger service?  

For instance, if it's to serve an in-town industry, that would indicate that production is increasing there, so more employees will be working and looking for homes.  Up go property values!  In this case, use diplomacy with the railroad and industry in asking them to operate reasonable hours.  

If it's new passenger service, your town will now be more appealing to thousands of people who are capable of considering rail transit for their commute.  This is fabulous for property values!  Of course, every time a public transit line opens, a few in the local community fear that criminals in the city will use it to come to their suburb and prey.  Communities find that doesn't really happen, though.

Do not get sucked into fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD), opposing something you know nothing about.  Find out!  But beware people and their political agendas.  The myth about commuting criminals was often used as FUD bait by people with other political agendas.

By the law, their right to run trains is absolute.  They even have special powers of eminent doman; they can seize anyone's property for the purpose of building a railroad.  (and their power goes beyond the current debate in the USA following the New London incident; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelo_v._Cit... ).  

What I'm saying is, your chance of forcibly stopping this via the political process is virtually zero.  Diplomacy, negotiation etc. will get you a lot farther.

If this is a historic railway, then shame on you.  I know of a historic railway museum who has an across-the-street neighbor who HATES the railroad museum. His reasons usually have something to do with protecting his child.  "They blow the horn during his nap time."  Well, his child loves the railroad museum, and he wants to volunteer.  He's not allowed, because of fear the father would use any pretense for a nasty lawsuit.

Property owners have a tragic way of being intensely paranoid when it comes to their property.  That's a shame... because some accurate information is a great cure.

Answer 2

What are your reasons for objecting to the reopening of this line? Are you concerned about the noise from passing trains?

If so, and the line is being reinstated as part of the main network, take heart that a few freight trains a day means an awful lot of heavy lorries not thundering down the streets near where you live, while a regular passenger service will bring a lot less disruption than an increase in car traffic.

If the line is being reinstated as part of a heritage railway then these are subject to Light Railway Orders which restrict the number of trains, the days and times they can operate, and the speed.

I assume you live in the UK, because your Q. came up in the 'UK and Ireland' section and of the two the UK is most likely to be where new lines are being opened/old lines reopened. If you don't, please excuse me...

If you have serious and legitimate objections to this line, and it is still in the planning stage, get onto your MP and make sure your objections are voiced in Parliament. Join local pressure group and if there isn't one, start one.

Ignore the jibes about 'nimby', etc. It's a democracy and it's your right to object. There's no guarantee that you'll win, of course...

Answer 3

You probably can't.  It's most likely that the railway was in place before your house (if that's the issue) so the land is already designated for that purpose. If it's going through an environmentally sensitive area then, unfortunately, ditto the above.  A positive way to look at it is that the older properties around the railway line are probably there because of the line, from when it was used previously, therefore it's almost restoration of a lost culture too.  There's always a silver lining.

If you really want to stop it the best angle to have a go at is to look at why it closed down in the first place, but my bet is, there won't be a lot you can do.

Answer 4

Depends.

Why do you want to?  Is there some compelling reason it should be stopped?

Answer 5

do you suffer of the "nimby" syndrom ? (not in my backyard...). Shame on you and go buy your train ticket !

Answer 6

You have more chance of winning the lottery without a ticket

Answer 7

Hey you will get used to it.

Answer 8

If it has government permission or one of the government project i doubt it.

Answer 9

Why would you want to?  Better public transport is needed rather than people driving round in polluting 4X4s!

Answer 10

No. Get over it you NIMBY creep.

Answer 11

Nope.

Railroads get what they want.  They always have, dating back to the land grabs of the 19th century.  This is where the term "getting railroaded" came from.

If near your business or residence, be glad it is an old line, so your home and livelihood is not taken from you by the magic of "eminent domain" for new construction.

Answer 12

Sure you can. Protest by laying on the tracks at night.

Answer 13

get an article posted in the paper

Answer 14

You don't say what country you live in which would have been helpful. If it's the UK, then I'm betting you live in Scotland as the Scottish Parliament  are far more proactive in reopening old lines than the Government is in England. And you don't have much hope of stopping reopening as there is a lot of support for the proposals they have. If the reopening is for a heritage railway, then what are your problems. There won't be that many trains. If you could give a rough idea of your location (if in the UK) , then I might be able to give a fuller, more considered answer.

Answer 15

Why would you want to? public trasnport at the moment is disasterous and if you had more small branch lines open it may just get rid of some unnesesary traffic , trouble is it would need to be cheaper than the rail fares are at this particular moment in time

Answer 16

NO. if you live in U.S ,  the railroad owned the line when it closed and they still own it when it reopen unless the line had  a over pass which may have went over a hi way crossing then the over pass would be taking over by the state. D.O.T  after the railroad closed it.

Answer 17

That is such a rare event you should feel privileged!

What possible objection can you have to a line being reopened (i.e. not being built from scratch)?

Kindly explain.

Answer 18

why? get a life! there must be a reason its being reopened