Barry Station – 3rd August 2022
It was announced last week, that Barry station, now had a step-free bridge, so on my trip to Wales on Wednesday, I had to go and take a look.
It looks like the builders are still working on the site. However, the bridge was delivered early.
Eridge Station – 3rd May 2022
I documented the work at Eridge station in Eridge Station – 12th July 2021 and it was finished a few days ago.
Note.
- The platforms can take ten-car trains.
- The lift on the National Rail side of the station.
- The restored iron supports for the roof.
- The two waiting rooms; one by the ticket hall and the other on the platform.
- The well-appointed toilets, with quirky signs and the all important coat hook.
- There’s even an Amazon Hub.
It certainly is a quality restoration and upgrading to step-free access.
Possible Future Electrification
In Uckfield Third Rail Is NR Priority, I discussed ways that the Uckfield Branch could be electrified.
This picture shows the platforms from the Spa Heritage Railway.
Note.
- All National Rail services call in the far platform.
- The platform will take a ten-car train.
- There is plenty of space for a single extra third-rail between the tracks.
If the power were only switched on whilst trains were in the platform, surely it would be safe.
Harrow-On-The-Hill Station – 16th March 2022
Harrow-On-The-Hill station is now step-free.
Note.
- Three lifts have been added with a new walkway between them.
- It looks like the brick-work and other details are tasteful and in keeping with the original station.
It is one of the best step-free installations, constructed in the last few years.
The Completed Bridge At Feltham Station
I took these pictures of the completed bridge at Feltham station.
Note.
- The platforms at Feltham station have been lengthened.
- The level crossing at the station has been removed.
- The new bridge allows pedestrians to cross the railway.
- 4. The new bridge has already been vandalised.
In addition to the bridge, there is also a bridge with lifts in the station.
Sudbury Hill Station – 6th January 2022
Sudbury Hill station is now step-free, as these pictures show.
Adding two brick lift towers seems to work well at this Grade II Listed station, that was designed by Charles Holden.
Debden Station – 30th August 2021
Debden station is now step-free, so I popped in to have a look on my trip back from Epping.
Note.
- The station has three bridges; an old heritage one, a girder construction in the middle and the new steel one between the lift towers.
- The heritage bridge seems to be the one that most passengers use.
- The station building is typical of the 1970s.
- The station has over two hundred parking spaces. They are also bookable in advance.
The two new lifts are from Otis and they are in a self-contained installation of just two lifts and a bridge with no steps. Although, there does appear to be emergency stairs to one side.
Have Otis Developed A Modular Lift System?
This picture of Wimbledon Park station, is taken from Wimbledon Park Station – 27th August 2021.
The new lift can be seen on the left of the station behind the wall with the posters. It is encased in a dark-grey steel box, with a brick facia on the far side. The lift at Wimbledon Park station is from Otis.
This picture shows the new lifts at Ickenham station.
The lifts appear to have a lot of similarity to those at Debden.
I didn’t check the make of the lifts at Ickenham station, but if they are Otis, it looks like the company could have a modular system for lifts.
As this picture from Wimbledon Park station shows, they can even be given a tasteful facia.
The single lift at Wimbledon Park station could be the prototype for many similar installations.
Debden Station As A Step-Free Park-And-Ride Station
This Google Map shows the location of Debden station.
Note the closeness of the M11 to Debden station.
Unfortunately, the junction only connects Chigwell Lane with London and has no connection with the North and Harlow.
There is an urban myth, that Northbound slip roads weren’t built here, to stop robbers getting away to the countryside if they robbed the De La Rue factory of newly-printed bank notes.
This section in Wikipedia says this about Northbound slip-roads at Junction 5.
An official plan to add north-facing connections at junction 5 in Debden, Loughton was abandoned in 1998.
The sliproads would enable Debden station to be used as a Park-and-Ride station for London using the Central Line.
- Liverpool Street, Bank, St. Pauls and Chancery Lane stations would be served in the City of London.
- Debden and Bank are just over half-an-hour apart.
- Driving would probably take a few minutes longer.
- There would be a step-free cross-platform interchange with Crossrail at Stratford station for the West End, Paddington and Heathrow.
I suspect it would be an expensive scheme to develop a fully step-free Park-and-Ride and it would be more affordable to make Epping station fully step-free.
Southall Station – 28th August 2021
Southall station is now another station, that is ready for Elizabeth!
I took these pictures this morning.
Note.
- It appears all four current platforms will be getting step-free access with lifts.
- The leg of the bridge to Platform 1 hasn’t been completed, although the lift tower is in place.
- The station signage is bi-lingual; English and Punjabi.
- A new modern station building has been added to the North of the original station building, which opened in 1839.
- A level walkway runs between the new station building and the footbridge.
This Google Map shows the station.
Note.
- This image was taken during building of the footbridge.
- The new station building and the walkway to the footbridge don’t appear to have been erected at the time of the image.
- The Southern pair of lines are the fast lines that go through Platforms 1 and 2.
- The Northern pair of lines are the slow lines that go through Platforms 3 and 4, which will be used by Crossrail.
- There is a fifth unused platform face, that shares the island and the stairs and future lift with Platform 1.
This map from cartometro.com shows the lines through the station in detail.
Note the single line coming in from the South-East is the freight-only Brentford Branch.
A Passenger Service On The Brentford Branch
It would appear that, when the builders complete the step-free footbridge at Southall station, that there will be a step-free interchange between Crossrail and any future passenger service on the Brentford Branch.
I feel that the Brentford Branch would be ideal for one of Adrian Shooter‘s Pop-Up-Metros, that would use Vivarail‘s Class 230 trains or similar.
In its simplest form a train would just shuttle between Brentford and the unnumbered fifth platform at Southall station.
Wimbledon Park Station – 27th August 2021
Wimbledon Park station has now gone step-free so I went to have a look.
Note how the lift has been squeezed in neatly alongside the staircase.
I suspect this lift layout can be copied at a lot of stations.
Syon Lane Station – 7th December 2020
The step-free footbridge at Syon Lane station has been completed and open for some time now.
I took these pictures today.
Note.
- The footbridge only has one lift on Platform 2.
- The step-free route to Platform 1 is a level footpath, which leads to the bus stop.
- There are three sets of stairs, two to Platform 2 and one to Platform 1.
- There is also a seat designed for Covid-19.
My first post on this project was Syon Lane Station To Go Step-Free, which was posted on April 30, 2019.
These smaller rail projects must be built in a more timely manner.
Scottish Town Regains Its Station After 56 Years
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railnews.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Trains are calling at Kintore in Aberdeenshire today for the first time since December 1964.
Some points about the new Kintore station.
- It is a two platform station on the newly double-tracked Aberdeen and Inverness Line.
- The station has a footbridge with lifts.
- The station is 13.4 miles or 19 minutes from Aberdeen.
- The station is 94.8 miles or two hours and twenty-three minutes from Inverness.
- All the services I can find yesterday, seem to have been run by Class 158 trains.
- There is a 168 space car park, with 24 charging points.
The station cost £15 million.
London Overground Syndrome
I have a feeling that Aberdeen and Inverness Line could be a prime candidate for suffering from London Overground Syndrome.
I suspect though, that ScotRail will quickly eradicate it, by putting on more trains.
The Anonymous Widower 