Rayners Lane Station
These pictures show Raynes Lane station.
Note.
- The station, like many of the period, was designed by Charles Holden and is Grade II Listed.
- The Metropolitan and Piccadilly Lines divide to the East of the station.
- There is no step-free access.
- The pictures show the step-down into a Piccadilly Line train.
I don’t think it will be easy to convert this station to full step-free access for both Metropolitan and Piccadilly Line trains.
Waterloo Upgrade August 2017 – Mid-Platform Entrance/Exit On Platforms 23/24 At Waterloo Station
These pictures show the mid-platform entrance/exit on Platforms 23/24 at Waterloo station.
Note.
- This mid-platform entrance/exit must mean that Platforms 20 to 24 effectively have a double-deck gate line.
- Access is also to the Waterloo and City Line.
This article in Rail Engineer, which is entitled Waterloo and South West Route Upgrade, says this.
Improvements in access to the Bakerloo, Northern and Jubilee tube lines from platforms 1/2 and 3/4 and from the former International terminal.
These pictures were taken at 09:30 at the end of the Peak.
When finished it looks like it will be impressive.
Will the access on Platforms 1/2 and 3/4 be double-escalator like this access on the former International platforms?
As I indicated in Waterloo’s Wide Platforms, the design of the older platforms isn’t cramped, so it could be possible.
Incidentally, I couldn’t see any lifts on Platforms 23/24, but these structures behind the grey hoardings could be for lifts.
Will there be any platforms in the UK with better step-free access?
And it’s not as if the platforms are for an exotic destination like Cardiff, Huddersfield or Norwich, although I suspect services will go to the regal delights of Windsor! Will Liz be amused?
Waterloo Upgrade August 2017 – Virginia Water Station
I took these pictures at Virginia Water station.
The station was updated a few years ago, but the platforms have been lengthened to twelve-car platforms, as part of the August 2017 upgrade.
If the station has a problem, it is that the Waterloo to Reading Line and the Chertsey Branch, split on the Waterloo side of the station, so it would be impossible to have a ten-car train formed of two five-car units arrive in the station, with one departing on each line.
I suppose they could always split at Egham station, which has recently been updated with twelve-car platforms.
These two half-hourly services.
- Waterloo to Guildford via Aldershot
- Waterloo to Chertsey
Could be run by five-car trains, which ran as a ten-car train to Egham.
- Both services would move from two to four trains per hour.
- No extra train paths would be needed.
If the Class 707 trains can’t run a service like this, they’re history.
This Google Map shows Virginia Water station
Note that the scar of a chord that used to connect the Reading and Cherstey Lines can be seen South of the station.
Would it have any possibilities?
Abbey Wood Station – 30th July 2017
I took these pictures at Abbey Wood staeion.
Note my other post about Abbey Wood station called Construction Of The Platform Structures And Tracks For Crossrail At Abbey Wood Was Cimpleted By Network Rail In May 2017, which was based on a picture caption in the August 2017 Edition of Modern Railways.
Does this also include the electrification?
It now appears that West of the station, the electrification runs all the way to the tunnel entrance. But the electrification is treated differently in the two Crossrail platforms.
- In Platform 3, which traditionally would be the London-bound platform, the wires go under the station bridge and finish on a single vertical gantry. Conveniently, it’s shown in the last picture in the gallery.
- In Platform 4, which is the Northernmost platform, the wires are fixed to the station building. This is shown in the penultimate picture in the gallery.
So it would appear, that Crossrail trains can only go East of the station under electric power only using the track through Platform 3.
I couldn’t see if there was any connection between the track through Platform 4 and that through Platform 3, but there was also some supports for the old bridge in the way.
There would need to be a connection, if the track to the East of the station was to be used as a reversing siding.
What is now clear is that the station must be one of the few stations with three footbridges.
- There is the main one at the East containing the main station building, which probably has lifts.
- One in the middle of the platforms, which looks like it might have lifts.
- There is a smaller footbridge at the Western end of the station.
According to this page on the Crossrail web site the station has a total of six lifts.
I suspect the number of lifts is because the site and the track layout, mean that it has not been possible to organise cross-platform interchange bettween Crossrail and the North Kent Line.
A Class 345 Train At Shenfield Station
These pictures show a Class 345 train at Shenfield station.
There’s still only one train running.
Note how the step-free access isn’t much better than the Class 315 train on the left.
A Good Day Out In A Wheelchair
I have a friend, who is not the best on her feet. As she was in London on business and wanted to see Hockney exhibition at Tate Britain and I have a Membership at the Tate, which allows me to take a guest into any of the exhibitions at any time, I took her to see the pictures.
We arrived at Tate Britain in a taxi at the side entrance and in the entrance one of the staff indicated we could use the wheelchair in the entrance hall.
Judging by the number of similar chairs, I saw, it wasn’t the only one, but possibly the last one yesterday at that time.
So I pushed my friend around the exhibition, which because it was timed entry, although not for Members, wasn’t that busy.
I’d never pushed a good wheelchair before and it was surprisingly easy.
But what surprised me, was the helpfulness of Tate staff, who a couple of times cleared a way through the crowds, so I could push my friend through.
We were even able to use the Members Room, where I got another surprise. They now do gluten-free sandwiches and egg was on the menu! So I indulged!
At the end of the visit, we walked to the front of the Tate, where there were at least four waiting taxis, one of which took us to my friend’s hotel.
By the end of the day, the designer in me, was saying that had all been well thought out.
I wonder if other museums and galleries are so disabled-friendly.
A Design Crime – Train Platform Interface At St. Pancras Thameslink
Frank Grdner has been complaining at the problems of travelling on planes in a wheelchair.
I took these pictures of the step between platform and train at St. Pancras Thameslink station.
All of the trains including the 1980s built Class 319 trains seem to require the same step-up into the train.
As the Platforms at the station were built after the Class 319 trains became the most numerous trains on the route, this a real design crime of the highest order.
It would appear that Merseyrail will offer roll-across access with their new trains, so why isn’t Thameslink.
But then in an ideal world, St. Pancras station needs a substantial rebuild underground.
Is There A Worse Station Than This In London?
I took the last train for some time to North Sheen station, which I had been told was bad, but I couldn’t believe what I found.
This Google Map shows the station layout.
- It must have one of the longest lists of fundamental faults of any station.
- To get into and out of the station, you need to climb up and down a step footbridge.
- It has the worst step-free access I’ve ever seen.
- There were no staff.
- It has an inconvenient level crossing.
- There was no car parking or even anywhere to drop and pick up a passenger.
In some ways, what makes matters worse is that the station has ten-car platforms which at times must bring large numbers of passengers.
The only good thing about the station, was that a ticket machine was on the platform.
It is a truly dreadful station.
A Design Crime – Class 395 Train Platform Interface
I took these pictures of the step you need to ascend to get into a Class 395 Train.
All of these pictures, were taken on platforms that were specifically built for the trains and no other train type calls at these station.
Perhaps my biggest gripe with these terrible doors, is that there is no wide door, which you would need for a large wheelchair.
These trains may have a high top speed, but they’re not designed for quick safe stops.
The Class 395 trains were built in Japan around 2009 and the Class 378 trains for the Overground were built around the same time.
Compare these pictures taken on the Overground with those above.
Note that the first two pictures were taken in a platform used by other train, so the access isn’t quite as good.
Perhaps Japanese railways don’t allow people in wheelchairs to use trains.
If they do, how come we get trains as wheelchair-unfriendly as the Class 395 train, which need a ramp to get the wheelchair on and off the train.
Up And Down The Bakerloo Line
These pictures were taken of access on the Northern reaches of the Bakerloo Line.
Note.
- I suspect that the Class 172 train, was getting ready to restart the service on the Gospel Oak to Goblin Line.
- The step-down into a 1972 Stock train.
- How a ramp is used with a Class 387 train.
- Queen’s Park station has good step-across access.
Good design can surely make the access better.
The Anonymous Widower 