Blackpool North platforms

[onlinespotting]

Been on a jolly to Blackpool this weekend, noticed that only platforms 3-6 are in use, the rest are cordoned off piles of rubble. Anyone know what's going on? I never thought it actually needed 8 platforms to be honest. Are they likely to be rebuilt/remembered with fewer platforms?

 

[snowball]

Been on a jolly to Blackpool this weekend, noticed that only platforms 3-6 are in use, the rest are cordoned off piles of rubble. Anyone know what's going on? I never thought it actually needed 8 platforms to be honest. Are they likely to be rebuilt/remembered with fewer platforms?

As part of the electrification and resignalling works and I think platforms 7 and 8 have been permanently closed, and 1 and 2 are temporarily closed for lengthening.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Been on a jolly to Blackpool this weekend, noticed that only platforms 3-6 are in use, the rest are cordoned off piles of rubble. Anyone know what's going on? I never thought it actually needed 8 platforms to be honest. Are they likely to be rebuilt/remembered with fewer platforms?

There is a total blockade November 2017 - March 2018 to enable the rebuild, signaling replaced and electrification .

Here is the main thread where it is discussed at length
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=66879&page=253

 

[onlinespotting]

Thanks for the link. On a separate note it was almost a riot getting on the train just now and amey has been replaced by the Anne-droid dystopian announcer!

 

[47802]

One of the Platforms is going to be turned into a viewing area for enthusiasts given how much the staff at Blackpool North like Enthusiasts

 

[onlinespotting]

One of the Platforms is going to be turned into a viewing area for enthusiasts given how much the staff at Blackpool North like Enthusiasts

After today's experience it seems they don't like the passengers either!

 

[Elecman]

They don't, it's a well known fact

 

[AndrewE]

It fits in perfectly with the standard plan: You can only have some improvements (or an upgrade) if you abandon half your existing capacity!

Of course anything "new" can always do twice as much with half the capacity can't it? Someone please tell the bean-counters that passengers (and trains) are not like electrons in a computer!

Remember the upgrade of Liverpool - Newcastles? 6-coach loco hauled once an hour replaced by 3 2-car dmu's? and almost exactly the same again by Virgin Cross country at New St? - except that both of these were supposedly maintaining capacity but massively improving the service, which resulted in the suppressed demand revealing itself, and the collapse of the services!
.. and you still can't get on westbound TPE services at Leeds in the evening peak!

I know I'm always harping on about this, but I live in the faint hope that either someone here will get a job where they can say "wait a minute, how did it go in Brum?" or even that civil servant or blue-skies franchise service planner might do a google search and learn something!

 

[woody505]

cant remember what the plan looked like but they where looking at adding a tram interchange to the station might make use of the unused platforms

 

[Codville]

The tram stop is going on the other side of the road where Wilkinson's currently is.

 

[Chrism20]

It fits in perfectly with the standard plan: You can only have some improvements (or an upgrade) if you abandon half your existing capacity!

Of course anything "new" can always do twice as much with half the capacity can't it? Someone please tell the bean-counters that passengers (and trains) are not like electrons in a computer!

They aren't taking away half the capacity though. 7&8 are coming out and 1&2 are being extended to accommodate 11 car pendolinos whilst the remodelled platforms will be straightened out.

With four trains an hour and six platforms, two of which will be very long capacity will not be an issue at Blackpool North anytime soon particularly considering the other platforms can take several units.

The fact that they have started the work in the height of the season and are running with four platforms at what is the peak time of year demonstrates that capacity isn't an issue.

The scenes the OP saw with boarding would have happened if there were eight platforms still in use as the staff at BPN seem to like kennelling passengers in the main hall resulting in a scrum once the doors are opened. It's was always like that all the time I lived there and it's still the same now when I go to visit my parents. Even in the dead of winter when it's quiet it's like that.

Someone who knows all the platform lengths might be able to give an accurate answer but lengthening 1&2 probably means that capacity wise only the length of one of 7/8 is being lost.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Platform 8 has been out of use for a good long while I believe, so in effect North has only lost one platform once it is finalised. Criticise the cut in operational platforms all you wish, but if Blackpool North ever needs more than six platforms I would be utterly astounded.

 

[BMIFlyer]

.. and you still can't get on westbound TPE services at Leeds in the evening peak!

Simply because it seems that ALL commuters heading on TPE westbound out of Leeds want to board the same train. Maybe if some people spaced their travel out a little...

Likewise it's an earache for the staff at Huddersfield when people leave a TPE service that has arrived 2 minutes before the Penistone line service departs and complain that they have missed it because the TPE service was 2 minutes late.

It's not a valid connection but alas commutes think they know better! :roll:

 

[billio]

Simply because it seems that ALL commuters heading on TPE westbound out of Leeds want to board the same train. Maybe if some people spaced their travel out a little...

Likewise it's an earache for the staff at Huddersfield when people leave a TPE service that has arrived 2 minutes before the Penistone line service departs and complain that they have missed it because the TPE service was 2 minutes late.

It's not a valid connection but alas commutes think they know better! :roll:

They seemed to manage 2 minute connections in Holland when I worked there. However, couldn't the Penistone train wait a while as it is hardly likely to be holding any other train up ?.

 

[Andyh82]

They seemed to manage 2 minute connections in Holland when I worked there. However, couldn't the Penistone train wait a while as it is hardly likely to be holding any other train up ?.

With the single track it would be holding up the one coming the other way