Trivia: Non-accessible interchange stations

[yorkie]

Does anyone have any examples of stations that could feasibly be used for interchanges, but where step-free access isn't possible, even by deploying a ramp, meaning that someone who requires step-free access would need to change somewhere that may not be the optimal according to standard journey planners?

Thanks in advance for any examples that anyone can provide

 

[CyrusWuff]

Slightly cheating, but Bletchley can fall into that category if changing to/from the Marston Vale given Platform 6 doesn't have a lift. That can be mitigated for by replatforming the MV service from P6 to P5 though.

Hackney Downs when changing from a Southbound Chingford service to a Northbound Enfield Town or Cheshunt one. The alternative being to travel all the way into Liverpool Street and back.

Similar for changing between the Hertford Loop and Welwyn services at Alexandra Palace, where you need to change at Finsbury Park instead.

 

[yorkie]

Slightly cheating, but Bletchley can fall into that category if changing to/from the Marston Vale given Platform 6 doesn't have a lift. That can be mitigated for by replatforming the MV service from P6 to P5 though.

Hackney Downs when changing from a Southbound Chingford service to a Northbound Enfield Town or Cheshunt one. The alternative being to travel all the way into Liverpool Street and back.

Similar for changing between the Hertford Loop and Welwyn services at Alexandra Palace, where you need to change at Finsbury Park instead.

Those are great examples, and exactly the sort of thing I'm after, thanks!

If anyone has any more, that would be great!

 

[172007]

Tyseley. No step free access between platforms to enable travel from the North Warks Line to the Chiltern Mainline.

Passengers would need to change at Small Heath or Birmingham Moor St and as far as i am aware journey planners dont alway account for it.

 

[A S Leib]

Are you counting the London Underground? If so, Euston to Waterloo's a route where the plausible accessible options I can think of are a bus, with the least bad Tube option I can think of being double-backing to Northwick Park(!)* (itself needing getting from Euston to Euston Square) and then changing at Finchley Road. The other direction doesn't look much better (I think changing at Bank, and Moorgate or King's Cross St. Pancras for Euston Square due to Euston Tube station not having any step-free entrance, and Euston Square westbound only).

*The accessible Tube map has it rather than Preston Road highlighted despite both being single island platforms, which might be down to gaps between platforms and trains.

I think that's a case where the (shortest) minimum connection time of 50 minutes wouldn't be sufficient. Using the TfL journey planner suggestion and removing buses as an option (due to Maltese cross tickets not being valid), it suggests at least 49 minutes northbound (changing at Green Park, King's Cross St. Pancras and Euston Square) and 65 minutes southbound (I misread the map at first and it's 'only' necessary to go as far as Wembley Park for an accessible change).

Clapham Junction and Willesden Junction seem more accessible, so avoiding the Tube altogether could be a desirable option.

 

[Bevan Price]

Earlestown -- Platform1 or Platform 5 to any other platform - where use of at least one footbridge is needed.

 

[LittleRedTrain]

Brookwood, changing between Alton services and Basingstoke stoppers means changing platforms via the subway, only accessible by stairs.
Anyone requiring step free access would have to travel to Woking to interchange

Ash Vale, if changing between southbound Waterloo-Alton and northbound Aldershot-Ascot services or VV (it's also an interchange with Reading-Gatwick services from North Camp 10mim down the road, but the only exit from Ash Vale station is via stairs).

Raynes Park? Requires changes at Wimbledon.

Par?

St Denys?

In theory you can use Kings Sutton for interchange between Oxford-Banbury stoppers and the few Banbury-Marylebone trains that stop there, but it's almost always more sensible to change at Banbury anyway

 

[RetroCrowe]

Admittedly not a particularly well-used interchange, but Helsby could feasibly be used as an interchange with the Ellesmere Port parliamentary service, yet has no step free access to P2/3/4.

A hypothetical Frodsham to Ince & Elton passenger requiring step-free access would need to either go to Chester and double back in the morning, or take a massive detour via Ellesmere Port in the evening.

 

[SaltAndVinegar]

Tulse Hill can be an option for swapping between Southern and Thameslink, with no step-free access possible between platforms unless you happen to be deposited on the central island, and want to connect to a service also on said island… and you can find someone to deploy a ramp!

 

[30907]

Are you counting the London Underground? If so, Euston to Waterloo's a route where the plausible accessible options I can think of are a bus,

Best done via Vauxhall (which is a London Terminal) or London Br depending on onward route.

 

[A S Leib]

Best done via Vauxhall (which is a London Terminal) or London Br depending on onward route.

Thinking specifically of Euston to Waterloo, that would possibly be Harrow & Wealdstone to Vauxhall, as the former has lifts and Oxford Circus has step-free same-direction Bakerloo–Victoria interchange.

 

[Dr Hoo]

Castle Cary for (say) Taunton-Yeovil. Requires use of a staff-controlled barrow crossing that can often see the ‘connection’ depart. This despite a recent expensive refurbishment that didn’t include lifts.

 

[Instinct04]

Not sure if it’s been said, but Highbury & Islington when using either the Victoria line or GN platforms..

 

[6PAN]

St Denys has already been mentioned, I would add Hilsea which journey planners often show as the interchange for travel between Winchester/Eastleigh and Chichester/Petersfield.

 

[yorkie]

Thanks all

... I would add Hilsea which journey planners often show as the interchange for travel between Winchester/Eastleigh and Chichester/Petersfield.

Hmm, this is an interesting one as others are disputing it. Can you or anyone else check this is definitely not OK for interchange please?

Hilsea Station | National Rail

Discover Hilsea railway station. Getting to & from, buying & collecting train tickets, staffing, facilities, accessibility, & mobility access.

www.nationalrail.co.uk

Step-free accessStep-free category B2: there is some step-free access to all platforms

Step-free access is possible to both platforms via short steep ramps (up to 1:5 gradient in places, but generally 1:9).

e.g. should this itinerary be OK, e.g. for a wheelchair user (with ramp)?

ESL 09:31→HLS 10:04 SW
HLS 10:16→CCH 10:38 SN

Is the issue that it is technically accessible, but with a lengthy detour on public roads (which may not be possible within the interchange time)?

 

[6PAN]

Thanks all

Hmm, this is an interesting one as others are disputing it. Can you or anyone else check this is definitely not OK for interchange please?

Hilsea Station | National Rail

Discover Hilsea railway station. Getting to & from, buying & collecting train tickets, staffing, facilities, accessibility, & mobility access.

www.nationalrail.co.uk

e.g. should this itinerary be OK, e.g. for a wheelchair user (with ramp)?

ESL 09:31→HLS 10:04 SW
HLS 10:16→CCH 10:38 SN

Is the issue that it is technically accessible, but with a lengthy detour on public roads (which may not be possible within the interchange time)?

Yes, that is exactly the issue as the interchange time is insufficient and there are potential safety issues with parts of the route especially in hours of darkness. Fratton (lifts) and Portsmouth & Southsea (cross platform interchange in most cases) are much better options.

The National Rail website states that:
Step-free category B2 Station. Step-free access is possible to both platforms via short steep ramps (up to 1:5 gradient in places, but generally 1:9). Interchange between platforms is either via footbridge with steps, or via long step-free route using cycle lane, crossing Norway Road and secluded path.

The cycle lane is up a steep gradient heading away from the station:

Google Maps

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www.google.com

Then there is a busy road bridge with a narrow footway back over the railway:

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

...and finally cross the busy road with no proper crossing to go down the secluded path behind the yellow bin which takes you back under the main road and runs parallel with the railway to the up platform.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[yorkie]

Yes, that is exactly the issue as the interchange time is insufficient and there are potential safety issues with parts of the route especially in hours of darkness. Fratton (lifts) and Portsmouth & Southsea (cross platform interchange in most cases) are much better options.

The National Rail website states that:
Step-free category B2 Station. Step-free access is possible to both platforms via short steep ramps (up to 1:5 gradient in places, but generally 1:9). Interchange between platforms is either via footbridge with steps, or via long step-free route using cycle lane, crossing Norway Road and secluded path.

The cycle lane is up a steep gradient heading away from the station:

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

Then there is a busy road bridge with a narrow footway back over the railway:

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

...and finally cross the busy road with no proper crossing to go down the secluded path behind the yellow bin which takes you back under the main road and runs parallel with the railway to the up platform.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

Unfortunately, with the information available the way it is, I don't think that even journey planners that use the (limited) data that is available would be able to take this into consideration.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Currently, Hindley (for changes from the Atherton line to Westhoughton and Bolton) has only a bridge, you can't access either platform without stairs.
But they are building a new bridge which will have lifts.

 

[Starmill]

Pollokshaws West - nothing
Helsby - nothing
Loughborough Jn - nothing
Upminster - no trains towards Romford
Chinley - no access to or from replacement buses (disappointingly commonly done e.g. https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:S18907/2026-12-01/detailed)

 

[mmh]

One of the worst must be Norwood Junction. Since London Overground and Thameslink 2000 were introduced all stations from New Cross Gate to Norwood Junction lost their East Croydon services, so anyone wanting to go to East Croydon, Gatwick Airport or anywhere further south will be told by journey planners to change there. The only other option is to double back at London Bridge (no double back easements of course)

It's a completely inaccessible station (unless you want a north bound stopper), and it's a terrible experience for anyone who can use the underpass and stairs.

Meanwhile, New Cross Gate was rebuilt for Thameslink 2000 so that there were lifts to the fast platforms for Thameslink trains, which haven't been used since the "preview" timetable.

 

[daodao]

Craven Arms, except by leaving the station completely and taking a complex route to access the other platform via the other station entrance.
There is no lift, so passengers must use the footbridge to change from the Central Wales line to Ludlow and points further south. This now seems to apply in both directions, but when I changed there in 1994 on a journey from Newport to Llandrindod, I had a same platform connection as then trains to the Central Wales line crossed over to the northbound mainline track before reaching Craven Arms.