Three New Step-Free Crossrail Stations – 15th June 2020
I first took a train from Paddington to Langley station, where I took these pictures.
At Langley, I had eight minutes before I caught a train to Iver station, where I took these pictures.
At Iver, I had fifteen minutes before I caught a train to Taplow station, where I took these pictures.
After Taplow, I took the train to West Drayton station, where I took these pictures.
Note the extreme length of the new Platform 5. I can’t find any references to any proposed or possible services terminating at West Drayton, so is Platform 5 for emergency use, if there are problems on the Heathrow Branch and it allows the station to be used as an alternative for Heathrow.A bus would take you to the Airport!
Four Western TfL Rail Stations Now Have Step Free Access!
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Advent.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Transport for London has announced that passengers using Hanwell, Iver, Langley and Taplow can now benefit from step-free access from street to platform for the first time.
I shall be adding pictures to this post, when I find out how to add them using this terrible new Microsoft Surface computer.
Taplow Station – 3rd May 2019
I went to Reading today and on the way, I noticed that a step-free bridge was being erected at Taplow station.
So on the way back, I stopped and took some pictures.
I took this other set of pictures before Crossrail construction had started.
The old Victorian bridge has been scrapped Wikipedia says this.
The station is a popular location for railway photographers and enthusiasts owing to the secluded location, long views of track alignments and the low number of station users at off-peak times. When a special train is due, the footbridge and platforms will usually have a large number of photographers and enthusiasts along them. The original footbridge dating from 1884 was removed in totality in mid-2018, and replaced by a second temporary structure. The refurbishment of the lattice footbridge (damaged by railway contractors) appears to have been cancelled; a new footbridge with lifts at the London end of the station has started construction in autumn 2018.
I do hope that the designers of the new footbridge are providing a bridge with lots of space and good views.
I would have thought that the a double version of the winner of the Network Rail/RIBA competition could have been used.
It would appear to be more affordable for a start, but it probably wasn’t designed, when the contract was awarded.
Conclusion
I do think that there has been some bad decisions made concerning Taplow station.
Before Crossrail – Taplow
Crossrail Meets The Countryside – Rating 7/10
Taplow station is possibly the remotest Crossrail station.
This is a Google Map of the station.
Taplow Station – Downloaded 6th July 2015
As it has car parks and because it is used for events at Dorney Lake, the station must be needed by commuters and other passengers.
But it is a station with a very different profile to all of the others on Crossrail.
Will a probable frequency of four Crossrail services an hour, in addition to other stopping trains on the Great Western Main Line generate extra passengers at this station?
But as with many other questions about Crossrail, we won’t know the answers until the line is fully open.
The Anonymous Widower 