Crewe Station

[ic250]

Whatever happened to the plans to refurbish Crewe station? It seems to have missed out on the current round of station funding. I was there the other day and the roof is leaky and in need of re-glazing, the paintwork is peeling everywhere, and the facilities are dire.

Does anyone have any info on whether any work is going to improve the place?

 

[Kettledrum]

Whatever happened to the plans to refurbish Crewe station? It seems to have missed out on the current round of station funding. I was there the other day and the roof is leaky and in need of re-glazing, the paintwork is peeling everywhere, and the facilities are dire.

Does anyone have any info on whether any work is going to improve the place?

If the station needs to be rebuilt to accommodate HS2, it would be a shame to splash out money on a full refurbishment now. Perhaps they'll decide to wait and do it in one go.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Whatever happened to the plans to refurbish Crewe station? It seems to have missed out on the current round of station funding. I was there the other day and the roof is leaky and in need of re-glazing, the paintwork is peeling everywhere, and the facilities are dire.
Does anyone have any info on whether any work is going to improve the place?

I don't disagree with you, but they have recently completed reglazing the roof (south end of P1-11), extending the central area which was done in the last couple of years.
There are still missing panes in the canopies at the outer end of these platforms though.
Platform 12 is nice and dry under its reconstructed canopy (but hardly any trains use it!).

 

[All Line Rover]

They did get funding. It was spent on a new car park on the site of the former Royal Mail sorting office, and the creation of a new entrance/exit by restoring the subway to public use.

 

[yorksrob]

The station looks a lot tidier than it did fifteen years ago, although bits of the canopy could do with a repaint. As for facilities, it didn't seem to lack any thing for a station of its size when I visited last year.

 

[The Planner]

As has been mentioned, no one will touch Crewe until a proper decision is made over HS2.

 

[pablo]

Whatever happened to the plans to refurbish Crewe station? It seems to have missed out on the current round of station funding. I was there the other day and the roof is leaky and in need of re-glazing, the paintwork is peeling everywhere, and the facilities are dire.

Does anyone have any info on whether any work is going to improve the place?

You must use a different Crewe Station to the one I use.

HS2 and all that.

 

[Ships]

Whatever happened to the plans to refurbish Crewe station? It seems to have missed out on the current round of station funding. I was there the other day and the roof is leaky and in need of re-glazing, the paintwork is peeling everywhere, and the facilities are dire.

Does anyone have any info on whether any work is going to improve the place?

I was at Crewe yesterday and I looks like the roof has been completely refurbished, with the exception of the bit over the South facing bay platforms.

 

[herschell]

I've used Crewe a few times and not noticed but granted I just use it for a change onto the Welsh Marches from the WCML I've not really had time to see it

 

[thenorthern]

They did Platform 12 about 8 years ago which looks much better but as you say very few trains use it.

There were plans to move Crewe station to the goods yard south of the station which have now been dropped. The uncertainty over the move I would think didn't help the refurbishment situation.

 

[The Planner]

No they havent, still on the cards as part of HS2.

 

[Joseph_Locke]

No they havent, still on the cards as part of HS2.

Now potentially as part of phase 1 of HS2; but from where I'm standing HS2's plans assume that Crewe station stays where it is. However others are known to have tremendously exciting plans ...

 

[tadhatter]

It has to be said that Crewe is an ideal location for a rail hub for HS2 because of it being a great interchange junction and loads of railway land all around it.

Therefore hardly surprising that no decision on a refrub will be made until HS2 plans are finalised!

Makes perfect sense to me although, as has already been mentioned platform 12 already looks like it's had a fair amount of work spent on it in recent years

 

[Penmorfa]

It has to be said that Crewe is an ideal location for a rail hub for HS2 because of it being a great interchange junction and loads of railway land all around it.

Agreed but it's only a great interchange because it's between the north and south junctions. Move the station south of south junction and most interchange will be lost. Two obvious examples: Manchester - South Wales and Derby - Crewe services.

 

[edwin_m]

Agreed but it's only a great interchange because it's between the north and south junctions. Move the station south of south junction and most interchange will be lost. Two obvious examples: Manchester - South Wales and Derby - Crewe services.

There is a curve from the Shrewsbury line southwards into Basford Hall which could allow trains on that route to serve a station further south, although those trains continuing to/from Manchester would need to reverse there.

The Kidsgrove line is more difficult. There was a southward curve before re-signalling in the 80s, and the 1:25000 OS map suggests this went under the WCML into the area of the proposed station. However the LNWR site appears to have been extended over the formation after closure. I seem to recall there is a plan for a new curve of larger radius which would reach the WCML south of the sheds.

The junctions at both ends of the existing station give it an excellent choice of routes, but the short distance between them makes the station layout very awkward. Moving the station to Basford Hall would allow higher-speed junctions to be put in on the existing station site. There is still the question through of finding an alternative for the Basford Hall yards that would be taken over by the new station.

I assume

 

[The Planner]

New infrastructure would be built to get the lines into the new station on the plans I have seen.

 

[6Gman]

New infrastructure would be built to get the lines into the new station on the plans I have seen.

Indeed. Including a new chord from the Derby line, running through an area which is currently being built on (a mere 25+ years after first being allocated for development!).
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Platform 12 was in use y/day afternoon and I realised that it has no waiting room, and precisely 12 seats for waiting passengers.

There were c.200 people waiting for the late-running 1424 Holyhead.

On a very cold day.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

I hope they don't move the station. There's lots of chip shops and free street parking near by. Just a pity nearly all the pubs are keg. If they moved it south, passengers changing trains would be prisoners. And parking would cost £10 plus. Warrington BQ is an example of a direly situated station.

 

[Puffing Devil]

The new entrance is a complete waste of an opportunity. The old (and still "main") entrance on the Nantwich Road is in a bottleneck, which is worsened by the pick-ups and drop-offs. Shifting all this + taxis to the new entrance would have made things a lot easier. However, that seems not to have happened. Maybe the cost of another ticket office and/or vending machines was too much?

 

[All Line Rover]

I hope they don't move the station. There's lots of chip shops and free street parking near by. Just a pity nearly all the pubs are keg. If they moved it south, passengers changing trains would be prisoners. And parking would cost £10 plus. Warrington BQ is an example of a direly situated station.

The present station is very poorly sited. At peak times one can be stuck in traffic for 20-30 minutes just to travel the last two miles to the station when approaching west from Nantwich. I believe there is a similar problem when approaching from the east also, although this has been slightly alleviated by the opening of a second station entrance and car park. Moving the station to the A500 dual carriageway would be ideal, providing a quick and easy connection to the M6 and ample space for park and ride facilities. According to NRE Warrington Bank Quay car park costs £4/day. What makes you think that a park and ride car park at Crewe would cost more than £8/day (the current daily charge at Crewe)? If the charge was lowered to £4/day, it would be close to the £3.50/day currently charged by Cheshire East Council for use of its two car parks near Crewe station.

Although the A500 is not within walking or (perhaps) cycling distance of Crewe town centre, there is always the possibility of opening an additional small station somewhere between Crewe and Chester, such as next to the Crewe Heritage Centre / Tesco, or next to Morrisons on Dunwoody Way. Therefore there would be a two-platform 'Crewe town' station to serve the town centre and a larger 'Crewe parkway' station to serve everyone else. Somewhat like Bache station (located behind a Morrisons in a large residential area of north Chester) and Chester station, even though the latter doesn't come close to being a 'parkway' station.

 

[DarloRich]

I hope they don't move the station. There's lots of chip shops and free street parking near by. Just a pity nearly all the pubs are keg. If they moved it south, passengers changing trains would be prisoners. And parking would cost £10 plus. Warrington BQ is an example of a direly situated station.

The present station is very poorly sited. At peak times one can be stuck in traffic for 20-30 minutes just to travel the last two miles to the station when approaching west from Nantwich. I believe there is a similar problem when approaching from the east also, although this has been slightly alleviated by the opening of a second station entrance and car park. Moving the station to the A500 dual carriageway would be ideal, providing a quick and easy connection to the M6 and ample space for park and ride facilities. According to NRE Warrington Bank Quay car park costs £4/day. What makes you think that a park and ride car park at Crewe would cost more than £8/day (the current daily charge at Crewe)? If the charge was lowered to £4/day, it would be close to the £3.50/day currently charged by Cheshire East Council for use of its two car parks near Crewe station.

Although the A500 is not within walking or (perhaps) cycling distance of Crewe town centre, there is always the possibility of opening an additional small station somewhere between Crewe and Chester, such as next to the Crewe Heritage Centre / Tesco, or next to Morrisons on Vernon Way. Therefore there would be a two-platform 'Crewe town' station to serve the town centre and a larger 'Crewe parkway' station to serve everyone else. Somewhat like Bache station (located behind a Morrisons in a large residential area of north Chester) and Chester station, even though the latter doesn't come close to being a 'parkway' station.

I think you might have missed the point of the post by Old Yard Dog!

Crewe is close (ish) to the town and has pubs and shops nearby. It might surprise you to learn that not everyone wants to spend every minute of a connection period on the station paying station prices for everything

 

[jamesbwxm]

I hope they don't move the station. There's lots of chip shops and free street parking near by. Just a pity nearly all the pubs are keg. If they moved it south, passengers changing trains would be prisoners. And parking would cost £10 plus. Warrington BQ is an example of a direly situated station.

The Royal Hotel/Corner Bar do reasonable pints of Salopian.

 

[yorksrob]

I hope they don't move/demolish Crewe station. It reminds me of my University days.

At least the current station is (just about) walkable from the town centre and it's visitor attraction.

 

[DarloRich]

I hope they don't move/demolish Crewe station. It reminds me of my University days.

At least the current station is (just about) walkable from the town centre and it's visitor attraction.

You are right - it is very close to the Alexandra Stadium

 

[yorksrob]

You are right - it is very close to the Alexandra Stadium

You mean there's another one

 

[DarloRich]

You mean there's another one

seeing as we always lost there i didn't know there were ANY! At least it was a short walk back to the station!