Tag: COVID-19

Key Bridge Repair Should Get ‘Big Trains’ Back Soon!

Graham Wright

It’s now over four years since full-sized trains carried passengers on our once popular heritage railway line south of Ruddington. The tough restrictions at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 brought a halt to all activities at Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre on Mere Way, including the weekend steam and diesel services operated by the volunteers at Great Central Railway (Nottingham) (GCRN). Other setbacks since have meant these trains still haven’t restarted. One of these setbacks is a small bridge on the Nottinghamshire section of the railway which…

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Ruddington Bus Service Goes ‘On Demand’ Only

Graham Wright

Following the announcement last November that Ruddington’s only timetabled bus service to Keyworth (via Wysall, Willoughy and Widmerpool) was under threat, Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) has confirmed it’s being axed even sooner than envisaged – at the end of this week! After Saturday 20th July our current, six-day-a-week 863 NottsBus Connect scheduled service is being scrapped by NCC, along with the 850, 852 and 853 routes, in favour of  ‘DRT’ – Demand Responsive Transport. From Monday 22nd July, prospective passengers from Ruddington and elsewhere will need to pre-book each journey they wish…

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Railway Reunification Planning Application Submitted

Graham Wright

An ambitious railway reconnection project to allow trains from Ruddington to once again run all the way to Leicester is now another step closer to achieving its goal. The Great Central Railway (GCR) has just submitted a planning application to Charnwood Borough Council to continue with the next stages of its ‘Reunification Scheme’ for which permission is required. As regular RUDDINGTON.info readers will know, GCR has already raised millions of pounds and already finished three parts of the scheme. Once completed, the project will reconnect the two separate heritage railways currently operated…

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Permanent Coral Closure Confirmed

Graham Wright

The owners of Ruddington’s only betting shop say it has shut for good. Villagers noticed late last month that Coral Bookmakers at Unit 2 High Street was dark and empty – after previously being open for business throughout the year, seven days a week, other than on Christmas Day.  The only exception was during a couple of months in the summer of 2019 when a fire at the premises forced the branch to close for a major refurbishment. When it reopened – six months before ‘lockdown’ – the future was looking…

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Twixmas Roundup from our Railway

Graham Wright

With Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre now closed until 2024 (3rd January) here’s a quick progress report as we reach the end of another busy year at Ruddington’s popular railway. Firstly, Great Central Railway (Nottingham) (GCRN) reports that all the main building work on its new carriage shed here in Ruddington is now complete. Not only will this substantial new structure protect four, 1950s-built carriages from the elements and damage, but also the planned flat floor means it will be suitable for indoor events, and there is also a small workshop.…

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Further Ruddington Bus Cuts Revealed

Graham Wright

With Ruddington’s population continuing to grow substantially, largely as a result of significant recent housebuilding on our former Green Belt, you might think there’d actually be the demand for more bus services to and from our busy village? Yet the cutbacks to NCT’s Navy 3 timetable, and the axing of CT4N’s number 22 and 23 services, tell a different story – one where increasing numbers of residents and village workers are choosing to hop into their cars and drive instead – or even to book a taxi – rather than take…

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Milestone Moment for Ruddington’s Railway

Graham Wright

Despite the less than ideal autumn weather, it’s being reported that construction of a brand new building at Ruddington’s heritage railway is proceeding well – with new roof beams recently lifted into place {top photo by Tom Ingall} and the halfway point of the fundraising target now reached. As we reported in the summer, £40,000 was awarded to the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) Ltd (GCRN) ‘Carriage Shed Project’ from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF). This money, combined with match funding from East Midlands Railway Trust and LNER…

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Carriage Shed Takes Shape

Graham Wright

Volunteers at Ruddington’s heritage railway report that work has got underway on schedule to finish building the long-planned covered storage area for its vintage carriages. This will complement the existing locomotive shed and engineering works at Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre on Mere Way. Great Central Railway (Nottingham) Ltd (GCRN) reveals that contractors have been onsite at building number 4, their new ‘Carriage Shed, for about two weeks now. Work completed to date includes the installation of new rear security door, marking out the position of the new steelwork and necessary work…

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Cash Boost for Ruddington’s Railway

Graham Wright
The carriage shed interior as it looks now

Volunteers at Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre on Mere Way have revealed one of their projects has been awarded significant grant funding by Rushcliffe Borough Council to help them complete it. The £40,000 being given to the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) Ltd (GCRN) ‘Carriage Shed Project’ comes from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) – part of the UK Government’s ‘Levelling Up’ agenda providing funding for local investment. The money, combined with match funding from East Midlands Railway Trust and LNER (GC) Heritage Trust will allow the already…

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What’s Happening with the Old Youth Centre?

Graham Wright

If you’ve walked, cycled or driven past The Green in the last couple of days, you’ll almost certainly have noticed the metal security fencing and scaffolding just erected at Ruddington’s former Youth & Community (‘Young People’s) Centre. Originally owned and maintained by Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) it has lain empty and disused since December 2016, with the main building having to be boarded up in 2018 following repeated acts of vandalism. In December 2019 Ruddington Parish Council (RPC) announced it had purchased the facility from NCC to refurbish it and put it back into use…

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