Progress at Cambridge and Northampton

[317 forever]

Both these stations are currently being refurbished, with work supposed to be completed this summer.

Does anyone have dates for when the stations will be fully refurbished?

 

[ac6000cw]

Apart from some new toilets a few months ago, can't say I've noticed much significant happening at Cambridge....

 

[Hadders]

Northampton's a bit more than a refurbishment - it's a complete new station building!

When I was at NMP a couple of weeks ago there was much work happening on the new building but I doubt it'll be ready this summer, I'd have thought around the end of the year would be more realistic. Once the new building's in use they've then got to demolish the existing building so work's going to be on-going for some time.

 

[daccer]

With regards to Northampton I know they cleared the yard next to the station of wagons awhile back. Are there plans for this area? It seems that the car park is ever expanding and could do with some more spaces.

 

[jopsuk]

At Cambridge there's an awful lot of work outside the station still to be started. Station Cycles have now closed their station branch; that building and several others (including the BTP station) are due for demolition. Work to expand the ticket hall and relieve the congestion is not even started, though the toilets have been relocated from Platform 1 to 4.

 

[ac6000cw]

Northampton's a bit more than a refurbishment - it's a complete new station building!

We could do with that at Cambridge - a modern, stylish building showing off the best of modern architecture would be a fitting gateway for the Cambridge of the 21st century (rather than the 19th).

There are plenty of classical buildings for everyone to enjoy in the city centre, in their proper setting, not surrounded by fairly nondescript modern office and apartment blocks like the railway station (and that situation is getting worse).

Cambridge has transformed itself into a centre of modern science and technology - can we have a railway station befitting that please ?

Tony

 

[dk1]

We could do with that at Cambridge - a modern, stylish building showing off the best of modern architecture would be a fitting gateway for the Cambridge of the 21st century (rather than the 19th).

There are plenty of classical buildings for everyone to enjoy in the city centre, in their proper setting, not surrounded by fairly nondescript modern office and apartment blocks like the railway station (and that situation is getting worse).

Cambridge has transformed itself into a centre of modern science and technology - can we have a railway station befitting that please ?

Tony

New enlarged booking hall & concourse planned. Will be complemented later by shops, restaurants & most importantly bars around soon in the huge redevelopment that's happening.

 

[ac6000cw]

New enlarged booking hall & concourse planned. Will be complemented later by shops, restaurants & most importantly bars around soon in the huge redevelopment that's happening.

Yes, I know, but the existing station building (which is listed, of course) IMHO will still look and feel out-of-place in a sea of modern buildings around it - at least I hope the new buildings are not going be ersatz Victoriana in style, that would be even worse.

When the Victorians built the station, I'm sure they were looking to the future, not the past....

 

[mr_jrt]

Yes, I know, but the existing station building (which is listed, of course) IMHO will still look and feel out-of-place in a sea of modern buildings around it - at least I hope the new buildings are not going be ersatz Victoriana in style, that would be even worse.

When the Victorians built the station, I'm sure they were looking to the future, not the past....

When I used to commute through there I always though Cambridge could do with getting rid of the buildings and linking up the bays to get more platforms. The building might be listed, but would that permit it being relocated somewhere and a modern replacement built in its place?

 

[philjo]

The new island platforms 7/8 are now in use so there are now 4 through platforms at Cambridge.
also if the main builind is relocated where would it go (other than above the platforms as the road is immediately outside.
the area between the road and platfrom 3 is now being built as flats for student accommodation. Does anyone know if there would be any access through this at ground level as this is now drectly next to the relocated bus stops - it is now a long walk from platfrom 3 to the bus when it is just across the other side of the platform! it is an even longer walk from platforms 7/8.

 

[dk1]

The exterior is protected at Cambridge but something has to give. The volume of passengers is swamping the place. RPIs now man the side gate in the peaks as the Ticket Barrier cannot cope & its a 2-way flow. A colleague of mine was brought up nr Cambridge & did his time at Coldham lane in the 80s. He was amazed at the flow of punters around 09.00 the other week.

 

[CockneySparrow]

The exterior is protected at Cambridge but something has to give. The volume of passengers is swamping the place. RPIs now man the side gate in the peaks as the Ticket Barrier cannot cope & its a 2-way flow. A colleague of mine was brought up nr Cambridge & did his time at Coldham lane in the 80s. He was amazed at the flow of punters around 09.00 the other week.

I noticed a month or so back that the gates were open in the rush hour so was the side gates, there wasn't anyone around to challenge passengers for a ticket

 

[317 forever]

Thank you for your progress reports so far. I take on board (no pun intended!) that Northampton will be ongoing for the rest of the year. As regards Cambridge, I am more likely now to wait until the new station at Cambridge Science Park opens, provisionally Dec 2015, then do them both on one trip.

 

[Hadders]

There is a website on the new station at Northampton:

www.northamptonstation.co.uk

 

[ac6000cw]

The exterior is protected at Cambridge but something has to give. The volume of passengers is swamping the place.

Exactly....and NR (and the local planners, presumably) have already shown they are only interested in paying lip-service to the idea of listed buildings by building the new platforms and footbridge in a modern style.

And in 35 years of living in Cambridge I've yet to hear a tourist go 'oo-ah' about the station building - they are mostly interested in finding where the taxis and buses are, or working out where the end of the ticket office queue is

 

[Nick W]

The exterior is protected at Cambridge but something has to give. The volume of passengers is swamping the place. RPIs now man the side gate in the peaks as the Ticket Barrier cannot cope & its a 2-way flow. A colleague of mine was brought up nr Cambridge & did his time at Coldham lane in the 80s. He was amazed at the flow of punters around 09.00 the other week.

They just need a back entrance (about 50 years after first envisaged), for which the footbridge has "passive provision" and a new entrance where the bus stops have been relocated to (I believe this is the side gate which is opened, but there are two that can be opened).

Personally, I think they're muppets for not building the footbridge where the bus stops are now!

Access to the new leisure development by the station was scrapped at the last minute due to an objection by the police. What should be a two minute walk to the cinema and Travelodge is almost 10 minutes!

 

[jopsuk]

the footbridge was built at the north end as shortening platform 5 had no impact on the trains that use 5/6 (mainly 1-3 car DMUs and the odd single 4-car EMU) whilst shortening platform 2 would have been a severe impact.

At rush hour, the gates at both platform 3 and 6 are routinely opened.

 

[Nick W]

the footbridge was built at the north end as shortening platform 5 had no impact on the trains that use 5/6 (mainly 1-3 car DMUs and the odd single 4-car EMU) whilst shortening platform 2 would have been a severe impact.

That of course assumed no new entrance (bare minimum). A new footbridge on the south side would ideally have a large branch from a new entrance on the road side of platform 3 and a smaller set of stairs no wider than the existing waiting shelter on platforms 1 and 2.

 

[class303]

With regards to Northampton I know they cleared the yard next to the station of wagons awhile back. Are there plans for this area? It seems that the car park is ever expanding and could do with some more spaces.

I'm amazed the yard has lasted so long. huge space and virtually unused by the looks of it. Has ANYTHING happened there in recent years?

 

[jopsuk]

at Cambridge, one of the latest anabling works has been to turn the old bus stops into cycle parking. The idea is that some of the old racks can then be removed.

In a single day the new racks (not sure how many- 200 perhaps?) filled up. No old racks have been removed yet.

 

[WestCountry]

In a single day the new racks (not sure how many- 200 perhaps?) filled up. No old racks have been removed yet.

And I bet there are still not enough spaces, and dozens of bikes chained onto fences/trees/lampposts? :roll:

Bring on the new multi-storey thing!

 

[ac6000cw]

And I bet there are still not enough spaces, and dozens of bikes chained onto fences/trees/lampposts? :roll:

Bring on the new multi-storey thing!

The bike racks have always been full - it's just not 'policed' frequently enough, so lots of cycles get abandoned there.

If they charged for cycle parking, and had a strict 'no chaining to fences/trees/lamposts' policy around the station area that was actually regularly enforced it would be much better. I know that we should be encouraging cycling, but unthinking/inconsiderate cycle 'parking' is a real problem in Cambridge.

 

[Jonny]

The bike racks have always been full - it's just not 'policed' frequently enough, so lots of cycles get abandoned there.

If they charged for cycle parking, and had a strict 'no chaining to fences/trees/lamposts' policy around the station area that was actually regularly enforced it would be much better. I know that we should be encouraging cycling, but unthinking/inconsiderate cycle 'parking' is a real problem in Cambridge.

How would you justify restrictions on cycle parking without it seeming like an arbitrary misuse of power?

 

[ac6000cw]

How would you justify restrictions on cycle parking without it seeming like an arbitrary misuse of power?

The same reasons as there are restrictions on car parking - it makes sure that important footpaths etc. don't become hazardous to pedestrians (there are already several places in the station area where there are stern notices warning that any cycles left there may be removed without warning, for public safety reasons), and it is also a way of rationing out valuable 'parking' space.

Please note that we are not talking about a few bikes here - there are hundreds (in varying states of repair) 'parked' at the railway station. Every so often, the railway has to have a purge of the cycle racks - they put notices on cycles that look like they've been there for a while, basically saying they must be removed within a time limit or else....

It's not about personal liberty etc., it's about sharing out limited resources in a sensible way.

 

[ac6000cw]

It looks like the major work at Cambridge station is about to start - there is now a sizeable 'portakabin' village in the yard area, and the staff car parking area at the north end seems to be turning into a construction compound.

 

[dk1]

Lots of details on Cambridge improvements in the company rag that arrived through the door yesterday. Looks like Ely is also to be upgraded with room for ticket gates. No word of timescale.

 

[zn1]

drove past the Northampton station - progressing well, should be open soon...looking good regardless of what the die hards say ...

 

[CockneySparrow]

Lots of details on Cambridge improvements in the company rag that arrived through the door yesterday. Looks like Ely is also to be upgraded with room for ticket gates. No word of timescale.

That will be interesting, as the current door onto the platform isn't wide enough for gates, guess they can put them past the door onto the platform but the telephone box will need to be moved and it would be close to Golden Bean, suppose Golden Bean could be moved to where they used to sell the tickets

They do have space in the vacated buildings on the north end of platform 1 maybe they might be GA plans

 

[ac6000cw]

That will be interesting, as the current door onto the platform isn't wide enough for gates, guess they can put them past the door onto the platform but the telephone box will need to be moved and it would be close to Golden Bean, suppose Golden Bean could be moved to where they used to sell the tickets

They do have space in the vacated buildings on the north end of platform 1 maybe they might be GA plans

I suspect the easy option is to put the barriers on the platform (as it's very deep since it got extended over the former platform loop line years ago). The toilets are immediately north of the booking hall, so extending it that way would be expensive.

 

[CockneySparrow]

I suspect the easy option is to put the barriers on the platform (as it's very deep since it got extended over the former platform loop line years ago). The toilets are immediately north of the booking hall, so extending it that way would be expensive.

There is space on the platform but not sure how it would go together with driving rain in the winter and the platform being on a gradient slope which means water will run to the gates, electricity and water aren't the best of friends lol

With regards to the toilets they are in a bad way, inside the gents is dirty and sometimes floods, the gents toilet years ago pre electrification used to be further up the platform, the ladies stayed in the same place but access was through the waiting room which was cut down in size to where we are today