Lifts at Unstaffed Stations

[Starmill]

How many lifts are there at stations that operate outside of the hours of staffing of the station?

This question has been brought on by two recent points of intrigue: firstly the increase in size of Alvechurch station recently meant that step-free access was needed to the new platform. But despite there apparently being room for ramps, there is actually a pair of lifts. The station seems unstaffed, so this seems an odd choice (do the lifts work at night?) and further if one is broken someone who can't use stairs is a little stuffed (well, not so bad they could just go down to Redditch and back, much better than at some half-inaccessible stations e.g. Northwich). I have also heard tell that, when LM did their ticket office cull, some lifts had to be modified.

Also, Tilehurst has a fairly newish looking footbridge - and no lifts! How has this been 'gotten away with' as it were? There still doesn't appear to be level access but the the (almost never used, surely??) Down Fast platform.

There are many examples of small and medium sized stations with lifts that only operate during their staffed hours, e.g. Cheadle Hulme or Dewsbury.

So what are the rules regarding local staff and lifts? I'd imagine you simply have to wait for a lift engineer regardless if you get stuck!

 

[route:oxford]

So what are the rules regarding local staff and lifts? I'd imagine you simply have to wait for a lift engineer regardless if you get stuck!

It's very unlikely that station staff would be qualifed to interfere with the mechanical operations of a lift so whether a station is manned or not, the occupants would have to wait.

In the event of a power cut, lifts tend to be hydraulic so will gently sag down to the lowest "floor" and the doors can usually be manually slid open.

The new footbridge at Dunblane has lifts, Gleneagles had lifts installed for the golf last year.

 

[Liam]

Markinch has a lift which can be used outside the manned hours.

 

[swt_passenger]

Also, Tilehurst has a fairly newish looking footbridge - and no lifts! How has this been 'gotten away with' as it were? There still doesn't appear to be level access but the the (almost never used, surely??) Down Fast platform.

There is no rule that requires a replacement footbridge to automatically result in lifts being provided as well. Because Tilehurst's replacement was solely for electrification clearance purposes, the design allows for lifts to be added but they won't be done until separately funded.

Thatcham is getting a new footbridge for the same reason at the moment, but no lifts.

Another example is Woolston, that got a brand new steel footbridge without lifts to replace the crumbling example made from shoddy Exmouth Junction concrete sections - there are many others that need replacement.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

West Hampstead Thameslink is open 24 hours a day, is not staffed for the best part of those hours, has two lifts and around 3 million journeys through it each year.

 

[Bishopstone]

The majority of Docklands Light Railway stations have lifts, but are unstaffed.

 

[Bletchleyite]

How many lifts are there at stations that operate outside of the hours of staffing of the station?

All of Metrolink, for one?

And Bletchley lifts are in use at all times, and the station is unstaffed after about 1900. Unusually, the ticket office building is also left open at all times (but not the toilets). You do get staff about in the nearby messroom so perhaps that's why.
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In the event of a power cut, lifts tend to be hydraulic so will gently sag down to the lowest "floor" and the doors can usually be manually slid open.

And lifts tend these days not just to have bells for emergency, but rather a telephone link to a control centre for emergencies. I wonder if they automatically check that link and lock themselves OOU if it's not working - that would I imagine be feasible.

 

[40129]

It's very unlikely that station staff would be qualifed to interfere with the mechanical operations of a lift so whether a station is manned or not, the occupants would have to wait.

In the event of a power cut, lifts tend to be hydraulic so will gently sag down to the lowest "floor" and the doors can usually be manually slid open.

The new footbridge at Dunblane has lifts, Gleneagles had lifts installed for the golf last year.

Don't know if this is still the case, but up until 2002 at least, LU Station Assistants who worked at stations with elevators were trained in how to evacuate elevators and return them to service.

 

[Starmill]

New Mertrolink stations have a contingency if the lift fails - if the only level access to a platform is via a lift, there is a track-level crossing to the other one, to allow either a second shot at a working lift (e.g. Firswood) or a ramped exit (e.g. Chorlton). Pomona and Bowker Vale are the only stations I can think that are only accessible by one lift, which is why was so darn surprised at the setup at Alvechurch, which requires two lifts to be working! The phase one lifts at Heaton Park are awful things - and very often out of use. If that happens, the passenger has to double back via Prestwich. They really need replacing actually, Bowker Vale got a new one, Crumpsall's was replaced with a ramp. St Werbugh's Road is a novelty - two level exits from the platform to a cycle track that crosses the line were provided, in addition to both lift accesss and a massive ramp up to street level!

I do take the point though and meant to mention the DLR and Metrolink in my opening post. Isn't Station Street (Nottingham Express Transit) only level accessible by lift too?

 

[LowLevel]

It's very unlikely that station staff would be qualifed to interfere with the mechanical operations of a lift so whether a station is manned or not, the occupants would have to wait.

In the event of a power cut, lifts tend to be hydraulic so will gently sag down to the lowest "floor" and the doors can usually be manually slid open.

The new footbridge at Dunblane has lifts, Gleneagles had lifts installed for the golf last year.

We used to be able to isolate our lift's power and 'pump' it down by hand when I was a station bert. Good job too as it wasn't an irregular occurrence

 

[Jonfun]

My only lift mishap was luckily at a rather large station, whereby the lift randomly decided to stop at a floor unrequested, the inside doors opened but the outside ones didn't, and then it decided to give up even trying to get going again.

The alarm button made a lovely siren sound, and tried to establish a telephone link with the control room. "The number you have dialled is not recognised. Please check the number, and try again." After a couple of attempts we gave up trying and phoned someone upstairs who went to reception, and after about 15 minutes a rescue party arrived with a key.

Would have been interesting out of hours though!

 

[duffield]

Isn't Station Street (Nottingham Express Transit) only level accessible by lift too?

Currently, yes. It's lift or steps. When the new tram stop opens on the other side of the station in a few months, I believe the lift access will be left open at one end of the station overbridge plus there will be the new escalator at the other end.

 

[edwin_m]

Currently, yes. It's lift or steps. When the new tram stop opens on the other side of the station in a few months, I believe the lift access will be left open at one end of the station overbridge plus there will be the new escalator at the other end.

Also a lift within the station building from tramstop level down to concourse or street level.

 

[nickswift99]

It's very unlikely that station staff would be qualifed to interfere with the mechanical operations of a lift so whether a station is manned or not, the occupants would have to wait.

In the event of a power cut, lifts tend to be hydraulic so will gently sag down to the lowest "floor" and the doors can usually be manually slid open.

The new footbridge at Dunblane has lifts, Gleneagles had lifts installed for the golf last year.

At Goring & Streatley (GOR) there's a new footbridge being installed now, with lifts. Local press are reporting that FGW have stated the lifts will only be operational when the ticket office is open (Mornings only) which will prevent anyone disabled from alighting/joining in the down direction outside of these hours.

Worse still, there's a plan to make GOR unstaffed, which if FGW's policy is as described, will render the lifts completely useless.

So what is the position?

Nick

 

[swt_passenger]

At Goring & Streatley (GOR) there's a new footbridge being installed now, with lifts. Local press are reporting that FGW have stated the lifts will only be operational when the ticket office is open (Mornings only) which will prevent anyone disabled from alighting/joining in the down direction outside of these hours.

Worse still, there's a plan to make GOR unstaffed, which if FGW's policy is as described, will render the lifts completely useless.

So what is the position?

Nick

The position is obviously that there is no national policy. For every example of a lift that closes when the station is unmanned, someone else will quote an example of a station with lifts remotely monitored.

It may be purely down to FGW paranoia about lift (and escalator) safety - see the vast array of warning signs plastered all over the facilities at Reading for an example of this...

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Worse still, there's a plan to make GOR unstaffed,...

Interesting. Any links / a source to that?

 

[nickswift99]

Interesting. Any links / a source to that?

There was an article published last month in the "Goring Gap News", a local free monthly delivered to the area. It's not available online so I can't point you to the article.

Nick

 

[Clip]

Wembley stadium is totally unstaffed and has a lift on each platform - operated by the control via intercom. Though a homeless dude used to always force the doors and go in to sleep