Nuneaton Subway

[E_Reeves]

Hi all,

I have heard stories that there used to be a subway under Nuneaton station. Is this true? If so, does anybody have any pictures and are parts of it still visible?

Thanks

 

[D6975]

A subway is shown on this map. It looks like it went completely under the station, wasn't for getting between platforms.

http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/lms/lnwrns3342.htm

 

[bnsf734]

Thanks for the map - that is definitely the subway and it did have access from some of the platforms but the stairs are now removed and is not accessible but is still there and used I think for running cables between platforms. The staircase on platform 1 was where the mural is now. It used to have access to the outside world in Weddington Terrace where there was a disused ticket barrier. The Custom Chrome factory has now been built in front of the exit blocking it off for good. There was definitely a staircase on platform 1 but possibly no access from the other platforms.

I used to use it sometimes in the early 70's when I lived in Weddington as it was about 1/2 mile shorter than leaving the station by the main exit and walking over Leicester Road bridge. It was not an official exit then and there was a door between platform 5 and Weddington Terrace but was never locked. You had to be careful nobody spotted you as there was still a ticket barrier then!

It didn't last much longer and was probably blocked when the Custom Chrome building was built in the late 1970's/early 1980's - originally this was the Dairy Crest milk depot.

 

[nuneatonmark]

An entrance on Weddington Terrace is something the local Rail User Group has been campaigning for some time. It makes a lot of sense, shame the old tunnel cannot be put back into use.

 

[HLE]

Take a walk down platforms 3 & 4 and line up with the mural as mentioned above.

There used to be one years ago, which I think lined up with a bridge the other side of where platform 7 is now.

 

[bnsf734]

I took a closer look today and on platform 1 near the mural (if you look from platform 2) you can see a glass panel in the platform edge wall with a quantity of small panes which was there to allow daylight into the subway. Also I noticed that platform 1 is laid with concrete sleepers apart from a short section of wooden sleepers over the subway, presumably to reduce the loading on the subway roof. I could not see this on any of the other platforms I looked at, which were all concrete sleepers so presumably the roof is stronger there.

The Custon Chrome tin shed (factory) was built right up to the retainng wall on Weddington Terrace so there is no access there now and the subway was probably sealed up when this was built.