St. Erth Station To Go Step-Free
This document on the Government web site is entitled Access for All: 73 Stations Set To Benefit From Additional Funding.
St. Erth station is on the list.
These pictures show the station and the current bridge,
Note that the bridge is only used to access trains going West to Penzance.
This Google Map shows the station.
The three tracks from the station are as follows.
- To Penzance in a South-Westerly direction.
- To Plymouth in a North-Easterly direction.
- To St. Ives in a Northerly direction.
The bridge over the main line stands out in white in the bottom-left corner of the map.
Installing The Step-Free Access
As the station is Grade II Listed care must be taken in installing the step-free access.
- The current elderly steel bridge could be replaced with a modern one with lifts. This could be too drastic for the Heritage Lobby.
- But It does look that a modern bridge could be installed towards the Eastern End of the station.
In Winner Announced In The Network Rail Footbridge Design Ideas Competition, I wrote how the competition was won by this bridge.
So could a factory-built bridge like this be installed at St. Erth station?
This bridge has the great advantage, that it can be installed without closing the existing bridge.
Wandsworth Town Station To Go Step-Free
This document on the Government web site is entitled Access for All: 73 Stations Set To Benefit From Additional Funding.
Wandsworth Town station is on the list.
These pictures show the station.
The station would appear to need three Subway-to-Platform lifts.
I would feel that after seeing two similar lifts installed at Finsbury Park station recently, this can be done without too much disruption.
After Harry’s comments to this post, I went back to the station and took these pictures of Platform 1 and the outside of the station.
This Google Map shows Platform 1.
Installation of a lift would appear to be tricky.
- Platform 1 is not wide enough for a lift tower.
- To the left of the station entrance, there is a garden with a tree, which limits the space.
The best place is probably hard against the wall to the right of the station entrance, where the phone box is now!
- The platform entrance could be through a hole in the wall along the side of the platform
- The ground floor entrance could be inside the station entrance if this is feasible.
- If not, why not put it outside?
If the outside position were to be used on the ground floor, touch-in could be provided outside or even in the lift.
Barnes Station To Go Step-Free
This document on the Government web site is entitled Access for All: 73 Stations Set To Benefit From Additional Funding.
Barnes station is on the list.
This Google Map shows the area of the station.
The station is a junction station with four platforms and several level crossings in the vicinity
These pictures show the station.
Barnes is a complicated station with steps everywhere, as I found out on Saturday, when I was left on the wrong platform as the train was swapped to another one.
I also suspect that passengers reverse direction at the station, so need to go between platforms.
But adding full step-free access could be a tricky, unless a clever solution is applied.
Isleworth Station To Go Step-Free
This document on the Government web site is entitled Access for All: 73 Stations Set To Benefit From Additional Funding.
Isleworth station is on the list.
These pictures show the station.
It is a double track station on a viaduct with the platforms on either side.
Currently, services are four trains per hour (tph) in both directions. The trains, that I rode to and from the station were ten cars.
If the West London Orbital Railway should be created, then this would add another four tph in both directions.
With the extra services, step-free access could be important, as the West London Orbital Railway will link this station to both Crossrail and High Speed Two.
Installing The Lifts
Space is tight and Isleworth station is one without ticket barriers.
It should be possible to install Subway-to-Platform lifts, but if they can’t be fitted, then as the station doesn’t have barriers, outside lifts might be a solution.
University Buys Land For ‘Game-Changing’ High-Speed Rail Institute In Leeds
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.
I have read the article and feel it is an important development, as it will be co-located with High Speed Two’s rolling stock depot in Leeds.
Bean About Town
I liked this name when I saw it on a coffee stall outside Kentish Town station.
I also noted that the stall was selling the mandarin and chocolate chip gluten-free cake.
I’d have had some, but I had just had breakfast.
When I’m in the area I’ll check them out properly.
Thoughts On Kentish Town Station
Kentish Town station is not step-free, as these pictures show.
This Google Map shows the layout of the station.
Note the four platforms and two extra tracks on the Southern side.
But I do believe it is a station with potential.
An All-Electric Railway
In perhaps 2022 or a couple of years later, when the new bi-mode trains are delivered, between Kentish Town and St. Pancras stations will be an all-electric railway.
The Station Is In A Cutting
The station is in a cutting and given the price of land in the area and the demand for housing, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the whole station roofed over at some time in the future.
This couldn’t be done until the railway was all-electric.
Step-Free Access To National Rail Platforms
If the station was covered by development, I’m sure it would be possible to provide step-free access between the surface and the National Rail platforms.
Step-Free Access To Underground Platforms
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines at Kentish Town station.
Note how the Northern Line is at almost right angles to the Midland Main Line.
Providing step-free access might be easier from the area to the North of the current Undegrround station, which could be within any new development.
Some of the new techniques used on Crossrail might make a connection possible.
Kentish Town And West Hampstead Thameslink Stations
The next station to the North of Kentish Town is West Hampstead Thameslink.
Both stations have six tracks, but only four platforms.
It would probably be very advantageous if there were six tracks on the Midland Main Line along this very busy railway.
But this is impossible as the tunnels that lie between the two stations only have a total of four tracks.
I suspect that Network Rail’s engineers sometimes muse about what might have been, if the Victorians had built the extra tracks.
- Thameslink services could have their own separate tracks.
- Express services could be roaring through at 200 kph.
- The West London Orbital Railway could terminate at Kentish Town station.
But short of rebuilding the Midland Main Line between the two station and digging a lot of extra tunnels, these are impossible ideas.
Mill Hill Broadway Station To Go Step-Free
This document on the Government web site is entitled Access for All: 73 Stations Set To Benefit From Additional Funding.
Mill Hill Broadway station is on the list.
This Google Map shows the station.
I would suspect, that given the proximity to the M1, this station must have some of the highest pollution levels of any station in the UK.
These are some pictures I have taken of the station.
Note that there are stairs everywhere including in the subway.
Installing The Step-Free Access
I think adding step-free access to this 1960s monstrosity could be difficult and expensive.
Although, adding Subway-to-Platform lifts to the platforms should be a relatively simple process. Although, there might be a lot of heavy drilling of concrete.
Streatham Station To Go Step-Free
This document on the Government web site is entitled Access for All: 73 Stations Set To Benefit From Additional Funding.
Streatham station is on the list.
These are some pictures of Streatham station.
This station ineeds a massive makeover.
- The stairs are difficult with three sections.
- The booking office is in a structure balanced over the tracks.
- The platforms are very dark and as welcoming as a prison cell.
- There are various rooms that could be repurposed to improve the customer experience.
There is in fact very little of architectural merit, that would be missed if a rogue Class 66 locomotive and twenty large wagons full of stone demolished the station in the middle of the night.
This Google Map shows how the station is surrounded by new developments.
Note the bus station. Surely, when this development was built, the opportunity could have been taken to sort out the station.
Conclusion
As the site is surrounded by development, this must be an ideal location for a developer to build an appropriate residential block, with a new step-free station in the basement, based on the current platforms.
The Anonymous Widower 