The Anonymous Widower

New £24m Platform To Boost City Train Services

The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.

These are the first three paragraphs.

Bradford’s Forster Square station is to get a new £24m platform to boost rail services in the city.

Rail Minister Huw Merriman said the government-funded scheme would futureproof the station for generations to come.

It could lead to five more trains to London each day, the Department for Transport said.

There are positive comments from Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe and LNER.

These are my thoughts.

Where Will The New Platform Be Built?

This OpenRailway Map sows the layout of the current three platforms at Bradford Forster Square station.

The Wikipedia entry for Bradford Forster Square station, says this about platform usage.

During off-peak hours most trains use platforms 1 (for Skipton) and 2 (Leeds and Ilkley) – platform 3 is mainly used during weekday peak periods and in the evening, though a spare set is usually stabled here between 09.00 and 16.00 each weekday.

This picture was taken on the only time I visited the station in 2017.

Note.

1. The middle platform is numbered 2b.
2. As Bradford Forster Square station is a terminal station, I must have taken this picture from the Southern end of the station.
3. From Network Rail’s plan of the station, it looks like Platform 1 is on the right or East and Platform 3 is on the left or West.

This page on the EnglandRover web site confirms that Platform 3 is the Western platform.

This article on the Bradford Argus is entitled Work On New Platform To Begin In Spring After £24m Boost.

This is a paragraph.

The extra platform will be built at the side of the station closest to Forster Square Retail Park. It means the station will expand outwards by a few metres, and the platform construction will require Network Rail to purchase a strip of land from retail park owners British Land.

This Google Map shows where the platform will be placed.

Note.

1. The Forster Square Retail Park is in the North-East corner of the map.
2. The glazed roof covers Platforms 1 and 2.
3. There are trains in Platforms 1 and 3.
4. Fitting in the new platform could be a bit tight.

Will the platforms be renumbered or will the new platform be called Platform 0?

Project Management Considerations

Consider.

• Bradford will be the UK City of Culture in 2025.
• British Land will want to have minimal disruption to the operation of their retail park.

For these reasons, all parties will want an early completion.

But as the site should have good access through the retail park, I could envisage that an early completion can be delivered by good project management.

How Many Platforms Will LNER Need?

Consider on the 1st of February 2024, four LNER trains visited the station.

• All trains were Class 801 trains.
• One train was a nine-car train and the others were a pair of five-car trains.
• Two trains used each of Platforms 1 and 2.
• LNER are planning to add five more trains per day (tpd), which will be a total of fourteen movements per day.

I suspect under normal operation, LNER could manage with one platform, as LNER’s movements are less than one per hour.

Conclusion

This new platform seems to be a good plan, that adds much-needed capacity for the short term and provides capacity for more services in the future.

 

February 2, 2024 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Azuma Train, Bradford Forster Square Station, British Land, Class 801 Train, LNER, Project Management, UK City of Culture 2025