Lottery-funded plans to restore and upgrade Volk’s Railway go on show on Brighton seafront tomorrow (Saturday).
The Volk’s Electric Railway Association (VERA) is putting the plans on display at the Yellowave clubhouse, in Madeira Drive, from 1pm to 5pm.
VERA said: “Plans for the rejuvenation of Volk’s Electric Railway are at an advanced stage and this will be an opportunity for members of the public to talk to the architects and consultants.
“A model of the proposed new Aquarium Station and visitor centre will be on display, as will detailed plans of the new sheds at Banjo Groyne.
“Photographs of the three cars selected for restoration will also be available.
“No need to book – just drop in anytime. We look forward to seeing you and hearing your comments and suggestions.”
The plans are going on display almost a year after Brighton and Hove City Council won a £96,000 “first round bid” from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
With public backing, the plans are expected to bring a further £1.5 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, with work scheduled to be completed in 2017.
The railway, which runs for a mile along Brighton seafront from the Palace Pier to Black Rock, opened in 1883. It is the oldest operating electric railway in the world.
The proposed visitor centre is intended to tell the story of the pioneering Magnus Volk and his narrow-gauge railway.
The project also includes plans for a conservation workshop to protect the historic carriages, enable restoration work to be viewed and provide training for volunteers to develop their skills.
Imagine what could have been achieved if the money being squandered on the i360 had been used to build a state of the art tram system along the seafront. Run that from Portslade to the Marina and you would see economic development wherever the stations were built, rather than just around the i360 base. If you are going to mortgage the city for decades then it had better be on somthing worthwhile. Not on a donut on a stick of rock. Use your vote wisely in May.
The Volks is an important piece of the City’s heritage, but I can’t see how it would be either practicable or desirable nor able to produce a viable business plan for a Marina to Portslade railway. It is not a mass people mover, so I don’t see it having the impact you expect without entirely changing its operation. Just maybe Marina to the Palace Pier would be feasible.
The funding of the i360 is irrelevant, as it is not available to be spent on anything other than the i360.
The Volks is lovely but it is a relic. We need a costal transit system that does not pollute like your beloved buses.If the money had been applied for for a tram system then thats what we would have had. Instead the greens teamed up with the tories to mortgage the city for a dognut on a stick. Unforgivable.