Southampton Central and Wimbledon station upgrade

[SWRtrainfan]

According to the South Western Railway plan timeline, in February 2019 there will be upgrades to Southampton Central and Wimbledon station. What is being done to improve these stations?

 

[lewisf]

More staircases off the platforms at Wimbledon wouldn't go amiss. Hopefully the upgrade at Wimbledon is similar in scope to Putney or Twickenham

 

[Kite159]

More staircases off the platforms at Wimbledon wouldn't go amiss. Hopefully the upgrade at Wimbledon is similar in scope to Putney or Twickenham

An interchange footbridge at the London end of Wimbledon would make perfect sense to spread the load of folk interchanging

 

[Tio Terry]

Would be interested to see what's proposed at Wimbledon. Worked on proposals several years ago but it was all stopped pending station remodelling for Crossrail 2. There were proposals for a raft over the station with shopping/office and residential accommodation but I doubt that will go ahead at this stage. But there certainly needs to be some changes to make access to and egress from the platforms much easier.

No mention of Surbiton? There are big problems there as well.

 

[lewisf]

Surbiton could do with another footbridge but the stairwells there are much wider than Wimbledon

 

[Tio Terry]

Surbiton could do with another footbridge but the stairwells there are much wider than Wimbledon

Problem at Surbiton revolves more around linespeed and 12 car trains. On the Down, if a train is in the down loop and unloading it's passengers they tend to fill the platform either side of the footbridge support. A through train passing at linespeed finds it's self dangerously close to passengers trying to access the staircase. There was a plan to add a second staircase accessed from the London end of the platform which would mean passengers would not need to pass the footbridge support in the first place, but this seems to be abandoned.

 

[sharpinf]

For the Wimbledon upgrade I actually asked SWR about the plan on their Forum last year.

Expecting as others have said something like another footbridge to help split the interchange passengers from those entering / exiting, disappointingly the response was that:
"The upgrade refers to the construction of retail outlets in the forecourt with the addition of a canopy."

The works were apparently planned to start late last year but seen no evidence of this.

Relevant SWR Forum link below:
https://forum.southwesternrailway.c...ledon-station-february-2019-upgrade/1217#1217

 

[TEW]

Problem at Surbiton revolves more around linespeed and 12 car trains. On the Down, if a train is in the down loop and unloading it's passengers they tend to fill the platform either side of the footbridge support. A through train passing at linespeed finds it's self dangerously close to passengers trying to access the staircase. There was a plan to add a second staircase accessed from the London end of the platform which would mean passengers would not need to pass the footbridge support in the first place, but this seems to be abandoned.

There's not really an issue with trains passing by at linespeed, most trains on the down slow are stopping, especially at peak times. The problem is just the level of overcrowding generally, especially if trains are stopped on platform 3 and 4 at the same time. It takes a fair while for the crowds to clear.

 

[DPWH]

Wimbledon could use an underground tunnel to the common and more rubbish bins - the littering from the everyday folks is terrible, although to be fair it's often picked up very efficiently. I wonder who does it...

 

[Tio Terry]

There's not really an issue with trains passing by at linespeed, most trains on the down slow are stopping, especially at peak times. The problem is just the level of overcrowding generally, especially if trains are stopped on platform 3 and 4 at the same time. It takes a fair while for the crowds to clear.

Please remember that under CSM-RA requirements, all risk assessments have to consider perturbed working, which may well include trains passing at linespeed. "Most" trains is not all, and if the fast is unavailable for any reason then the slow could well have fast trains passing. An alternative would be to impose a speed restriction on trains not stopping at Surbiton in that situation.

 

[TEW]

Please remember that under CSM-RA requirements, all risk assessments have to consider perturbed working, which may well include trains passing at linespeed. "Most" trains is not all, and if the fast is unavailable for any reason then the slow could well have fast trains passing. An alternative would be to impose a speed restriction on trains not stopping at Surbiton in that situation.

Perhaps, but the fastest a train is going to be going immediately after a train has arrived in Platform 4 is 30mph, having crossed from the down fast to the down slow outside the station. The line speed is 80mph through Platform 3, but a train is not going to pass through at that kind of speed for at least a few minutes after a train has arrived in Platform 4. There are issues with Surbiton, but in reality trains passing through at high speed whilst lots of people are standing close to the platform edge is not one of them.

 

[adrock1976]

Wimbledon could use an underground tunnel to the common and more rubbish bins - the littering from the everyday folks is terrible, although to be fair it's often picked up very efficiently. I wonder who does it...

Would it be the Wombles (both the childs version and the anarchist group) by any chance, seeing as you have made a reference to the Common?

 

[59CosG95]

Would it be the Wombles (both the childs version and the anarchist group) by any chance, seeing as you have made a reference to the Common?

It could easily be them, or two lost gentlemen from Hammersmith with a penchant for violent slapstick (one of whom has some chocolate HobNobs...)

No prizes for guessing the reference

 

[nlogax]

There are issues with Surbiton, but in reality trains passing through at high speed whilst lots of people are standing close to the platform edge is not one of them.

It can occasionally be a problem on platforms 1 and 2 in the mornings if there are delays or cancellations on Waterloo-bound services from P1.

 

[Dougal2345]

According to the South Western Railway plan timeline, in February 2019 there will be upgrades to Southampton Central and Wimbledon station. What is being done to improve these stations?

I don't know, but my wishlist for Southampton Central would be to reduce the clutter on Platform 1 - it's very narrow at certain points and can get very crowded too and difficult to walk along. Get rid of the WH Smiths that protrudes onto it, and the coffee shop/waiting room too. Of course that would need a new waiting room - not quite sure where that would go, but it should follow the pattern of the one on P4, which is probably my favourite waiting room anywhere.

If I could get my crayons out, they should demolish Overline House and rebuild the clock tower too

 

[swt_passenger]

I don't know, but my wishlist for Southampton Central would be to reduce the clutter on Platform 1 - it's very narrow at certain points and can get very crowded too and difficult to walk along. Get rid of the WH Smiths that protrudes onto it, and the coffee shop/waiting room too. Of course that would need a new waiting room - not quite sure where that would go, but it should follow the pattern of the one on P4, which is probably my favourite waiting room anywhere.

If I could get my crayons out, they should demolish Overline House and rebuild the clock tower too

I see they’ve just added another retail outlet on P4. Network Rail have a proposal to provide additional through platforms behind P1 and P4, turning them into islands, (Wessex route study 2015, page 89), so I’d expect any modifications to be transitional. All the improvements made in the last few years would be ripped out as part of a 6 platform refit...

 

[wastedlife]

It can occasionally be a problem on platforms 1 and 2 in the mornings if there are delays or cancellations on Waterloo-bound services from P1.

Which *should* be a relatively uncommon occurrence, and in any case passengers will arrive in a steady flow, rather than disgorging onto the platform. Whereas the situation TEW sets out happens regularly on the down. If there are delays to either fast or slow services, it is a daily occurrence that trains arrive at the same time on P3 and P4. Like yesterday, for example, the 17:39 to Basingstoke arrived on P3 just as the late running 17:27 to Guildford arrived on P4. I wouldn't like to be dispatching trains in such circumstances My preferred solution would be a completely new exit only bridge at the country end of the platform - encourage people to spread out more at Waterloo along the length of the train.

 

[nlogax]

Which *should* be a relatively uncommon occurrence, and in any case passengers will arrive in a steady flow, rather than disgorging onto the platform.

In my experience if things really do get too bad on P1 in the morning rush then the station will temporarily close its doors to stem the flow. Drastic but there's little alternative.

My preferred solution would be a completely new exit only bridge at the country end of the platform - encourage people to spread out more at Waterloo along the length of the train.

Agree, that evening crush onto P3 & P4 is the worst. A new exit into the far corner of the car park with a pedestrian path to Glenbuck Rd and beyond would make some sense to relieve some of the pressure although that road's pavements really aren't up to the job either.

 

[EvoIV]

From the franchise agreement:

106. Investment in major Station schemes
106.1 Southampton Central Station
(a) By no later than 28 February 2019 the Franchisee shall incur
capital expenditure of not less than [REDACTED] in procuring
(as a Specimen Scheme) the completion of a programme of
improvement works and/or initiatives at Southampton Central
Station, which shall include as a minimum extensions to existing
retail units, construction of new retail units within an extended
frontage on the north side of the Station and a permanent waiting
facility on the south side of the Station.
(b) The provisions of paragraph 8 of part 2 to this Schedule 6.2
(Committed Obligations) shall apply in respect of paragraph
106.1(a).
106.2 Wimbledon Station
By no later than 28 February 2019 the Franchisee shall incur capital
expenditure of not less than [REDACTED] in procuring (as a Specimen
Scheme) the completion of a programme of improvement works and/or
initiatives at Wimbledon Station, which shall include as a minimum an
extension to an existing retail unit and construction of new retail units under
a canopy over the Station forecourt area, reconfiguration of TVMs and
improvements to the walkway bridge.

 

[JarrodJ21]

Any updates on SOU? All that seems to have changed is the addition of a retail unit on Platform 4 over the last couple of weeks.

 

[Dougal2345]

Any updates on SOU? All that seems to have changed is the addition of a retail unit on Platform 4 over the last couple of weeks.

I might be getting confused, but the post immediately above yours quotes this:

(a) By no later than 28 February 2019 the Franchisee shall incur capital expenditure of not less than [REDACTED] in procuring (as a Specimen Scheme) the completion of a programme of improvement works and/or initiatives at Southampton Central Station, which shall include as a minimum extensions to existing retail units, construction of new retail units within an extended frontage on the north side of the Station and a permanent waiting facility on the south side of the Station.

So if that's what the first post in the thread was referring to, then I guess all the updates are done. "Extensions to existing retail units" = that new carbuncle on P4. "new retail... extended frontage... north side.." - I haven't noticed anything but I rarely exit from P1, how long ago was that shop added on the platform, could it be that? "Permanent waiting facility" = the nice P4 waiting room that's been there a long time, I suppose.

So the phrase "improvement works" doesn't actually mean what the passenger would imagine it would - providing a safer and more pleasant station - but rather cluttering up the platforms with more shops...