TheKnightWho
Established Member
It has to have passive provision for a lift doesn't it? Could be wrong.
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Borders Railway - Now Open
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It has to have passive provision for a lift doesn't it? Could be wrong.
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swt_passenger
Veteran Member
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No, this is the footpath crossing on the chord itself. It's basically in the middle of a field, i.e. not the massive steel one with all the ramps that resulted in complaints from an adjacent school after it had been erected.
I suspect the rules for stations are different to the rules for footpaths elsewhere, and perhaps the new one being discussed in Galshiels didn't replace an existing level access, so wouldn't need to provide a new one?
‘Reasonable provision shall be made for people to gain access to and use the
building and its facilities’
Neither the existing foot bridge at Low Buckholmside nor the path that leads to the new one had disabled access before. There is a steep uneven cobbled surface that leads to the new bridge which is quite close to the Ladhope Tunnel (bridge). Its a similar story for the ones at Netherdale. The Pumbtree Brae road was very steep had no pavement, the new bridge there is 4-5 feet higher, I think a ramp would have been impracticable here.
Disabled provision might have been deemed unreasonable given the cost and benefits. This might not have been the case if they were required to access stations and platforms all of which have ramps where required.
building and its facilities’
Neither the existing foot bridge at Low Buckholmside nor the path that leads to the new one had disabled access before. There is a steep uneven cobbled surface that leads to the new bridge which is quite close to the Ladhope Tunnel (bridge). Its a similar story for the ones at Netherdale. The Pumbtree Brae road was very steep had no pavement, the new bridge there is 4-5 feet higher, I think a ramp would have been impracticable here.
Disabled provision might have been deemed unreasonable given the cost and benefits. This might not have been the case if they were required to access stations and platforms all of which have ramps where required.
edwin_m
Veteran Member
Footbridges for footpaths don't have to have ramps unless the path itself is actually a bridleway or is suitable for use by wheelchairs. However I thought all new stations would need step-free access to all platforms. Is there an alternative route to the platforms here?
NotATrainspott
Established Member
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This footbridge isn't near the station. Just east of it the railway passes under the A7 through the concrete box that was built a while ago. The single platform at Galashiels is then on the side of the track near the road, so anyone from the footbridge area would be able to access the platform just by walking down the road.
Step-free access to new stations is mandatory across the whole of Europe, I believe. When you're building something from scratch it is never really that difficult to implement. Any works at underground stations (e.g. the Crossrail works at existing tube stations) will likely involve the construction of a shaft to get materials and equipment down to the work level, so step-free access there just makes use of what must be built anyway.
Step-free access to new stations is mandatory across the whole of Europe, I believe. When you're building something from scratch it is never really that difficult to implement. Any works at underground stations (e.g. the Crossrail works at existing tube stations) will likely involve the construction of a shaft to get materials and equipment down to the work level, so step-free access there just makes use of what must be built anyway.
The track laying train making its way through Gala on Tuesday as the rails are laid before it. Track laying reached Glenfield road that day. They will be crossing the Tweed today.
http://youtu.be/dXedfLdIygI
http://youtu.be/dXedfLdIygI
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L&Y Robert
Member
Ramps are a requirement of part K of the Building Regulations which apply only in England and Wales. They apply to buildings, not roads and footpaths. There is (was, maybe? My copy is 1998!) a "Limitation on Requirements" such that they: "Do not require anything to be done except for the purpose of securing reasonable standards of health and safety for persons in or about the building"
edwin_m
Veteran Member
I think the governing legislation in this case is the Accessibility Act.
In other news, The rails have reached the first platform of Tweedbank Station today, and will probably have the second in place this afternoon. So rails have finally reached the Tweedbank and the end of the line for now.
L&Y Robert
Member
What? All the way to the buffers?
Yep. I'll link some pictures when I'm back on my computer later, but rails are now down to the end of the platform at Tweedbank, with the job completed a day early.
PaxVobiscum
Established Member
Another video from the "Borders Railway from Start to Finish" people:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbhcLCqCc6I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbhcLCqCc6I
DaveNewcastle
Established Member
A big smile appeared on my face watching that video of a railway locomotive moving though Galashiels town centre, along the stone retaining wall on Ladhope, almost exactly where trains passed 50 years ago.
PaxVobiscum
Established Member
It certainly goes a long way to offset all those dismal images of track being lifted in the early 1970s.
DaveNewcastle
Established Member
I wasn't looking!
(But I despaired during Gala's, er, redevelopments of the 1990's.)
Altnabreac
Established Member
Onwards to Hawick!
It'll happen in the next 10 years.
Penicuik first though once they see how well Eskbank performs.
I am afraid not. No buffers yet. I was there all day and watched as the most westerly platform face was completed about 15-30 by sliding the rails about 6 inches beyond the last sleeper. This was taken as the completion of the tracklaying to Tweedbank and resulted in raised arms from the tracklaying team and cheers and clapping from spectators and local residents. The team assembled for an official group photograph standing on the end of the track. The camera teams there also took this as completion of tracklaying by asking views of the public now rails have reached the end of the line.
After cutting off the excess rail, the train retreated to north of the switch and the team laid the last two pairs of rails into the eastern most platform face. Unfortunately the last pair were about 60 yards short of the end. An orange suit told me the team will have to return tomorrow to finish the job so they have not completed a day early.
The official completion ceremony and champagne buffet for VIPs is next Thursday morning but the machine and operatives will be back in Holland by then.
SignalSighting
Member
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I can't wait to get a run up the Borders once the driver training starts. You might be interested to learn that the initial signal sighting work was done using videos made by sending out a lad on a quad bike with a video camera cable tied to the front to drive up and down the old solum!
I've split the discussion on further reopenings in the borders out into a new thread: http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=111765
Zoidberg
Established Member
Good idea, thanks.
PaxVobiscum
Established Member
I'll add my thanks as OP.
I hope more attractive fencing will be erected to replace what is hopefully the temporary one between the railway and the bridleway, especially over the river bridge.
That'll be the permanent fencing.
A quick video to show how things looked at the Stow Station site on February 8th 2015.
http://youtu.be/68zgSh48iTo
http://youtu.be/68zgSh48iTo
PaxVobiscum
Established Member
Short video of today's ceremony and interviews from the "Borders Railway from Start to Finish" people:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLArRM8RhHg&feature=youtu.be
I usually slag off their minimalist music unders but this time it's actually quite clever stuff and might even have taken longer to sequence than it does to play.
EDIT: Also a News update from Borders Railway - photos and article but no video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLArRM8RhHg&feature=youtu.be
I usually slag off their minimalist music unders but this time it's actually quite clever stuff and might even have taken longer to sequence than it does to play.
EDIT: Also a News update from Borders Railway - photos and article but no video.
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Ploughman
Established Member
Also featured on BBC Scotland.
Pretty much the same film clips.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-31442261
Pretty much the same film clips.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-31442261
Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
In my inbox earlier today, I found a special Borders Railway special update, in the same style as the newsletter from Network Rail..."Rail Installation Completed"
Altnabreac
Established Member
Short video of today's ceremony and interviews from the "Borders Railway from Start to Finish" people:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLArRM8RhHg&feature=youtu.be
I usually slag off their minimalist music unders but this time it's actually quite clever stuff and might even have taken longer to sequence than it does to play.
EDIT: Also a News update from Borders Railway - photos and article but no video.
Good to see Christine Grahame MSP there. She takes a lot of the credit for championing the scheme within the SNP and ensuring it didn't follow EARL and GARL into cancellation after 2007.
She also deserves a lot of the credit for championing Stow station as well.
Railsigns
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One of life's certainties is that the SNP will claim the credit for this project when it opens, just as they did with the Airdrie-Bathgate reopening, despite both projects having completed their passage through Holyrood under the former Labour-Libdem coalition.
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