Wolverton Station - new fencing and gates

[eMeS]

Visiting Wolverton Station this morning, I was surprised to find that one of my favourite places for capturing Pendolinos travelling south at speed was beyond the newly installed fencing. This fencing now separates platform 2 from platform 3; there's 5 sliding gates between the two platforms, and a 6th. on platform 1 at the bottom of the steps.

Fencing and gate, seen looking south along platform 3

Sliding gate

Label on gate

The background to this work was in the local newspaper last October
http://www.mkweb.co.uk/News/Rail-giants-join-together-to-prevent-suicides-at-Milton-Keynes-rail-stations-20131009125931.htm

It certainly looks as though it's built to last.

 

[gordonthemoron]

there's similar in Bletchley, Leighton Buzzard & Berkhamsted

 

[Hadders]

there's similar in Bletchley, Leighton Buzzard & Berkhamsted

And at the southern stations on the ECML. Interesting to see from the photo that the gate can be locked shut. I wonder what's below the covered up bit on the sign?

 

[eMeS]

On my visit this morning, I didn't check to find whether the gate(s) were locked shut or not. Normally no trains stop on platforms 1 & 2 at Wolverton.

 

[plastictaffy]

The gates are NOT locked shut. There was merry hell when they were installed as LM and I believe NR wanted them locked, and only opened when something was booked to stop on the fast lines. However, in times of disruption, trains will call there unplanned - for example over onto the fast lines at Ledburn, and back over at Hanslope, requiring fast line platforms at LBZ, BLY, MKC and WOL. Also, in the evenings, one of the peak trains is booked to go onto the Down Slow at Ledburn, but the signaller will often hold onto it until Drayton Road. A lot of late evening trains will also call on the fast platforms when there is a possession on the slows - there is a dispatch monitor at Wolverton to aid us with the dispatch process.
The gates are there to try and prevent suicides. Apparently (so the bumf said) if there is a physical boundary between someone wanting to jump and the edge of the platform, it sometimes makes them come to their senses.

 

[swt_passenger]

The key opening looks to be blanked when I zoom in on the last picture, perhaps someone can look more closely sometime?

 

[plastictaffy]

It's possible that they are. They weren't, but after the above mentioned debacle, they may now be.

 

[eMeS]

Here you go:

100% crop from my original.

 

[davetheguard]

there's similar in Bletchley, Leighton Buzzard & Berkhamsted

And on the GW main line out of Paddington.

At first I thought it was something to do with Crossrail, and a desire to mark out their half of the suburban stations; but no, it looks like it's an attempt to reduce suicides, by putting a psychological barrier up between the platforms at which trains regularly stop on the relief (slow) line and the main (fast) lines where trains pass at high speed.

Lets hope it has a beneficial effect: not only for the individuals concerned, but also for the ten of thousands of people delayed because P.C. Plod insists on it then becoming a crime scene even though it clearly isn't.

 

[londiscape]

They've gone up fairly recently on the suburban stations on the BML between Clapham Junc and East Croydon as well.

Must be Network Rail doing it as a project given the diverse locations.

 

[gordonthemoron]

leighton Buzzard was done to prevent passengers crossing the tracks instead of using the bridge to linslade (west) when getting off trains on the down slow platform and getting hit by trains on the fast lines (dunno if this ever happened)

 

[jon0844]

The fencing looks far better when painted black (either the gates haven't been painted yet - they go in long after - or won't be to make them more visible).

In all white, as they are along the ECML, they're quite dominating.

I'd imagine most people haven't got a clue what they're for, and will no doubt moan about it being a waste of money etc.

 

[al green]

The fence and gates went in about 6 months ago. I tried the gates a couple of times and they were always unlocked. I wondered whether they could be locked and unlocked remotely from a control centre.

The gates are white, its not an undercoat. I presume it is so that they stand out in the black fence.

There are now posters on the footbridge about suicide, with Samaritans phone number.

 

[eMeS]

Thanks for the info. I too was unsure whether they might be remotely controlled, and I didn't want to be on the wrong side - when I had a car sitting in a timed parking lot...

There's notices about suicides at the ends of the platforms as well, so it would appear that all risk areas have been covered. I do hope that they reduce the number of suicides, and not simply drive people away to commit suicide somewhere else.