Broad Green Station, Liverpool Refurbishment

[childwallblues]

Work has started at Broad Green Station on the Liverpool to Manchester/Wigan line. It appears that they are installing lifts. As a result the subway is closed and passengers arriving from Liverpool have to leave by the entrance on Platform 2 and walk down to Thomas Lane, using the footpath under the railway and back towards the main entrance to access the car park. The Booking Office also is closed and being re-furbished.

 

[jamesst]

Good to see some money being spent on it at last.

 

[childwallblues]

Totally agree. I use the station a lot and the lift will really benefit me a lot.

 

[childwallblues]

Well I visited the station yesterday and since my last post over four months ago there have been no improvements whatsoever. Tempoary entrances have been installed to both platforms from off the station and the subway is still closed. No sign of any preparation for Merseytravels much vaunted lifts. What is going on or more to the point what is not going on?

 

[frodshamfella]

Why do things take so long

 

[childwallblues]

That is what I want to know as well. Broad Green is/was a very busy station. The lack of a subway between the two platforms is a major problem. The car park is adjacent to the Liverpool bound platform whilst off the Manchester/Wigan bound platform it is residents parking only due to the presence of Broad Green Hospital.

 

[Tayway]

Will the platforms be extended at the same time? I know there was talk of extensions to allow 6 car 323s and 331s to stop, with work already starting further down the line at Lea Green.

 

[scrapy]

Will the platforms be extended at the same time? I know there was talk of extensions to allow 6 car 323s and 331s to stop, with work already starting further down the line at Lea Green.

No plans for 6 car 323s on the route, 6 car 331s can already stop using SDO/ASDO. These only run on Sundays and will be replaced with 4 car 331s from December. Lea Green (and Newton le Willows) extensions part of transpennine upgrade. No funded plans for lengthening at Broad Green.

 

[childwallblues]

They cannot even do the upgtades never mind extendig platforms.

 

[8A Rail]

No plans for 6 car 323s on the route, 6 car 331s can already stop using SDO/ASDO. These only run on Sundays and will be replaced with 4 car 331s from December. Lea Green (and Newton le Willows) extensions part of transpennine upgrade. No funded plans for lengthening at Broad Green.

Reduction in capacity with four car Class 331/1's (were previously it was six car Class 331/0's) being used and still on an hourly service too! Strangely the best service has always been on 'strike' days, always six car Class 331/0's as you got a good chance on getting on board - may be more strike days required!

As for platform lengthening, it is just not Broadgreen, also would need Wavertree Tech Park, Roby, Huyton, Whiston, with possible Rainhill, St Helens Junction and Earlestown. The latter three I think it is close fit for a six car unit? Another member may be able to add clarity on those three?

I must admit until 'Childwall Blues' mentioned it, I have travelled pass Broadgreen Station over the last few months and it looks always the same, certainly nothing appearing above the fence boards on both platforms. So is there anything getting done?

 

[Pacef8]

I had the displeasure of using the station yesterday . No information boards of where the hospital is no shelters it looks abandoned .

 

[8A Rail]

I had the displeasure of using the station yesterday . No information boards of where the hospital is no shelters it looks abandoned .

Considering the station is being redeveloped, although taking their time, it has only very basic facilities which are the two platforms and not much else. Even room on the platforms is limited. I accept a simple direction sign for hospital would be appreciated though given its the nearest station.

 

[childwallblues]

I took a quick look today and they appear to have started the lift shaft on the Liverpool bound platform.

 

[childwallblues]

In my last post I stated that they had started the lift shaft. Well no progress has been made whatsoever. In fact things have got worse with more areas cordoned off on Platform 1 so that there is no undercover waiting area. The subway has been closed for nine months now with the prospect of another 9-12 months closed. There was 24 hour access to the subway and I was told that it was a public right of way. If so someone is breaking the law.

 

[Pacef8]

I’m sure steve rotherham will be all over this on Monday .

 

[childwallblues]

I’m sure steve rotherham will be all over this on Monday .

Very unlikely. There is currently no good news in this story. I wrote an e-mail to Customer Service at Northern on my return home this morning and have both been "holding replies".
However I get the feeling thatthey will try to fob me off with their future plans. This is not what I want. What I want to know is what has been happening in the past nine months but will they tell the truth?

 

[8A Rail]

Who are the actual contractors, there should be signs on the station?

 

[Geeves]

Access for All Station Improvements to Broad Gr... | Stotles

Improved access provisions at 3nr train stations including new lifts and associated works at Broad Green, Chorley and Todmorden

www.stotles.com

According to that notice the construction company is Input group. Lots of stations around the Northern network are currently suffering from their awful work. We had heard the company has gone into liquidation which would explain why no work has been happening.

 

[childwallblues]

I have received an interim reply from Merseytravel but await a reply from Northern Rail. I have also written to the local councillors.

 

[Pacef8]

Perhaps post the reply on the platform and let people who use it regularly know .

 

[childwallblues]

Travelled throgh the station to Lime Street. The electrics for the lift are now complete and barriers have been removed from the roadway.

 

[HUY2ROB]

I am surprised they would do the electrics before it was weatherproof. Lots of men in orange around on Wednesday including one brushing pumped-out water across the footpath into the road.

 

[childwallblues]

Having not been near Broad Green Station since April last week I had cause to go there to get the 0728 service to Liverpool Lime Street. I was hoping that in the intervening three months since my last visit there may have been some building work completed but no such luck.
I arrived at 0710 to fid that approx 20% of the car park including all the disabled spaces is still fenced off and full of contractors materials. A portakabin is provided for staff but there was no staff presence. In the absence of the booking office the ticket machine is the only way to buy a ticket but this was out of order. The Train Manager did not come through the train and at Lime Street there was nobody selling tickets. Passengers without tickets were being directed to the booking office which of course is in the opposite direction to the way most go. So Northern loses the revenue.
Back to Broad Green only half of Platform 1 (towards Liverpool) is available, a permanent gate has been put across the other half. A waiting shelter has at last been provided together with a large amount of seating. A friend of mine who works in Lime Street made some enquiries and tells me that the contractor has been kicked off site for breach of Health & Safety, no replacement contractor has been appointed and the completion date has now been put back three months to Spring 2025. As this project commenced in May 2023 it is a sorry state of affairs.

 

[coxxy]

It's madness that broad green is still.in the state it's in. Can't believe Newton Le Willows platform extension still isn't done either.

 

[HUY2ROB]

Lime Street escalators still out of use. Sometimes the down one is working which seems wrong. Will they ever fix the clocks at Wavertree?

 

[childwallblues]

I will be passing through Broad Green Station again next Thursday so I will update on the lack of progress.

 

[Pacef8]

I had to visit this station today and nothing has changed. It is a mess has anyone got a complaints address please.

 

[BG2024]

Northern are reporting every day - via JourneyCheck - that the station is staffed from 0630 to 1830 to assist passengers. That simply is not true. It's my local station and there have been no staff there on any occasion in the literally hundreds of times I've passed through. It's more than just a minor annoyance: I've seen passengers turn up without knowing the subway was closed, realise they are going to miss their train in the time it'll take to walk around the block to the other platform, and so try to cross the tracks instead; disaster was only averted by other waiting passengers.

I decided to double check Northern's own website for more details on the staffing, and was surprised to see an announcement in bold text saying "PLEASE NOTE _ This station is closed and unstaffed until Winter 2024 for major refurbishment"?! That'll come as a surprise to all the passengers still using it and the drivers still stopping there!

I know it's becoming a cliché to attack Northern, but has there ever been a TOC so incompetent that they literally don't know if one of their own stations is open or closed, or if they are employing people to work there?

 

[Llandudno]

Northern are reporting every day - via JourneyCheck - that the station is staffed from 0630 to 1830 to assist passengers. That simply is not true. It's my local station and there have been no staff there on any occasion in the literally hundreds of times I've passed through. It's more than just a minor annoyance: I've seen passengers turn up without knowing the subway was closed, realise they are going to miss their train in the time it'll take to walk around the block to the other platform, and so try to cross the tracks instead; disaster was only averted by other waiting passengers.

I decided to double check Northern's own website for more details on the staffing, and was surprised to see an announcement in bold text saying "PLEASE NOTE _ This station is closed and unstaffed until Winter 2024 for major refurbishment"?! That'll come as a surprise to all the passengers still using it and the drivers still stopping there!

I know it's becoming a cliché to attack Northern, but has there ever been a TOC so incompetent that they literally don't know if one of their own stations is open or closed, or if they are employing people to work there?

Perhaps it ought to be Nationalised….oh wait!!

 

[childwallblues]

Perhaps it ought to be Nationalised….oh wait!!

I started this thread months ago as I was shocked at the state of the station and the loss of all the blue badge parking.
I sent e-mails to -
Northern from whom I got an acknowledgement but no further.
Merseytravel no reply
Paula Barker MP - referred me to Northern
Local Councillor - Tried to get an on site meetind but got nowhere.
I last passed through the station on 20th Augeust ans saw a contractor in a hard hat access the closed off platform. He told me that his company were the new contractors ane the work would be completed by Spring 2025.
I live in hope!