Work at St Pancras platforms A and B

[Downthelane]

Does anyone know why there are large areas of both low level platforms with scaffold and boarding? Is this a temp situation or a deliberate narrowing of the platforms to increase the time to exit and inconvenience customers - similar to removing the up escalator at CTY.

 

[Darandio]

or a deliberate narrowing of the platforms to increase the time to exit and inconvenience customers

Yes, I believe that is exactly what it is. I also believe it was originally planned for 2019 but was brought forward due to a passenger satisfaction survey revealing that people just weren't inconvenienced enough.

 

[swt_passenger]

Does anyone know why there are large areas of both low level platforms with scaffold and boarding? Is this a temp situation or a deliberate narrowing of the platforms to increase the time to exit and inconvenience customers - similar to removing the up escalator at CTY.

Is it to do with fitting of platform humps alongside the central part of stopped Class 700s in time for the build up to full services during next year.

Couldn't be done on the operational stations until the 319s and 377s had finished, and presumably this is the first opportunity during the upcoming closure. London Bridge P4/5 have the humps already.

 

[Bantamzen]

Yes, I believe that is exactly what it is. I also believe it was originally planned for 2019 but was brought forward due to a passenger satisfaction survey revealing that people just weren't inconvenienced enough.

Humph!!! Blumming Southerners getting all the best inconveniences, we demand more in the North!! I have contacted Northern to ask them to shut all but one ticket gate at peak times in Leeds whilst closing the main entrances and replacing them with a small cardboard box that we will all have to climb through......

 

[Bald Rick]

Yes it's the humps. They are all going in over the Christmas core blockade. You might notice that the hoardings are alongside the 'disabled' coaches on the 700s.

 

[Downthelane]

Thanks all for the info.

Hoping the escalator at City is also repaired during the blockade. That said I do wonder how much capacity there is on the stairs and escalators (even when fully working) at City for 24TPH. This current escalator issue means queues build in the peak after the southbound service has departed and the next one following close behind compounds the issue. Wondering what the projected passengers numbers for City are post 2018/19. Same issue exists at Moorgate, more regular 717's decantering more people more quickly seems like an unforeseen problem.

 

[greyman42]

What are platform humps?

 

[robbeech]

Raised areas of platform to provide easier access to the trains for those who need it.

 

[Domh245]

What are platform humps?

A hump in the platform! It raises the level of the platform so that it is level with the doors. Eg:

 

[greyman42]

Are these common? I don't think I have ever noticed one.

 

[DanNCL]

Are these common? I don't think I have ever noticed one.

Most stops on the Victoria line have them, as do some on other tube lines, and some national rail stations

 

[greyman42]

I have never noticed them on Underground but the platforms tend to be congested so that's probably why. I am from the North of England. Do you see them up here?

 

[Railsigns]

I have never noticed them on Underground but the platforms tend to be congested so that's probably why. I am from the North of England. Do you see them up here?

The modular platform humps are known as 'Harrington Humps' after first being installed at Harrington station, which is in the north of England.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

I was thinking along the lines that maybe the retail sector was going to establish itself in the bowels of St.Pancras. Though the St.Pancras cellar does feel akin to steerage on the Titanic at times so a few of life's jollities are probably not to be expected there - it being a local station for local people..

 

[DanNCL]

I have never noticed them on Underground but the platforms tend to be congested so that's probably why. I am from the North of England. Do you see them up here?

Harrington on the Cumbrian coast has them, I think a few others do as well

 

[Dr Hoo]

There is probably a distinction to be made between 'Harrington Humps' to reduce excessive stepping distances at lightly-used rural stations without having to reconstruct the entire length and 'level boarding' points, as have become quite common at tube stations with lifts served by trains with wheelchair areas.

AIUI the Thameslink idea at St Pancras is more for a degree of level boarding rather than tackling an excessive stepping distance (which would be quite odd at a relatively new station).

Anecdote about Harrington Humps:
I was on a Cambrian Coast train, about to call at Aberdovey from Machynlleth, and noted a clearly infirm couple struggling to the end vestibule of the 158. Knowing that the station had a new hump I redirected them to the centre doors and shifted their luggage for them. On arrival at Aberdovey we duly stopped alongside the hump and I helped them off with their luggage. Many thanks all round. "This is a good idea, isn't it?"

The train disappeared off into the distance. "Oh, isn't this Tywyn?" Ah well, only a two-hour wait on a station with no facilities. Oops.

 

[sga962]

The hoarding is for material storage for installing the harrington humps. Unfortunately its only going in along the core so is going to cause issues.
Whereas as now wheelchair passengers have to come to us to ask for a ramp, and then we know they're on the train to call the destination station, once the humps are in people are going to get on without telling us, thinking they can get off at the other end and find they can't as their destination will have no idea they're coming causing them either to miss their stop or delay the train.

 

[DarloRich]

Humph!!! Blumming Southerners getting all the best inconveniences, we demand more in the North!! I have contacted Northern to ask them to shut all but one ticket gate at peak times in Leeds whilst closing the main entrances and replacing them with a small cardboard box that we will all have to climb through......

Cardboard box is it?

You are lucky. We have to lick our way through a rolled-up newspaper in a septic tank. I had to get up in the morning at ten o'clock at night half an hour before I went to bed, eat a lump of cold poison, work twenty-nine hours a day downt office , and pay the TOC a fortune for the privilege of travelling on one of their crappy trains to work, stood up, and when we set of home, the TOC will cancel our trains and make us walk the 67 miles 'ome while they dance about on our graves singing Hallelujah

tha calls tha sel Northern! Divent kna yez born......

 

[jon0844]

I saw the works yesterday and figured they were building fallout shelters for staff to retreat to when services go tits up in 2018.

 

[Abpj17]

Thanks all for the info.

Hoping the escalator at City is also repaired during the blockade. That said I do wonder how much capacity there is on the stairs and escalators (even when fully working) at City for 24TPH. This current escalator issue means queues build in the peak after the southbound service has departed and the next one following close behind compounds the issue. Wondering what the projected passengers numbers for City are post 2018/19. Same issue exists at Moorgate, more regular 717's decantering more people more quickly seems like an unforeseen problem.

City is never really at risk of overcrowding though either. The platforms are long and generous as it the area waiting for the escalator. It's just an annoying bottleneck that unreasonably delays leaving the station. The two entrances helps and the lack of an underground connection. And very little luggage and lots of daily commuters makes it less dangerous. Crowds at St Pancras is arguably worse - lots of luggage and people not familiar with the station etc.

The gates at city are going to get worse though. Already very busy when two trains come in on separate platforms.

 

[Mikey C]

Why wasn't the whole platform built higher in the first place? After all it is a brand new "station".

 

[59CosG95]

Why wasn't the whole platform built higher in the first place? After all it is a brand new "station".

Because, as stated above, they would have been incompatible with the 319s and 377s.

 

[DarloRich]

Is this a temp situation or a deliberate narrowing of the platforms to increase the time to exit and inconvenience customers - similar to removing the up escalator at CTY.

It is good to note that my role as Director of Inconveniencing Passengers is starting to have an effect. I have transformed the department and now feel we are exceeding our targets for causing passenger trouble on a daily basis. We have started to be more creative and think outside the box. Wide scale dewirements or alleged overrunning engineering works cause lots of trouble but passengers seem to cope well with those beyond initial mutterings and show far to much resilience and steadfastness. That simply isnt good enough for us.

Therefore after Xmas I hope to introduce a rolling programme of lift failures, barrier outages, multiple last minute platform changes, blockage of passenger flow by the erection of barriers at key locations around stations and escalator reversals at strategic interchange points.

Now, where did put my crucial junction points failure button...................

 

[NotATrainspott]

Why wasn't the whole platform built higher in the first place? After all it is a brand new "station".

It's still part of the NR network, so higher platforms would have caused compatibility issues. Other, more segregated lines like the ELL, the Elizabeth line and the Heathrow tunnels are able to have level boarding. Merseyrail will be getting level boarding in a few years, with a combination of lower floors on the new Stadler trains and a marginal increase in platform height.

 

[swt_passenger]

It's still part of the NR network, so higher platforms would have caused compatibility issues. Other, more segregated lines like the ELL, the Elizabeth line and the Heathrow tunnels are able to have level boarding. Merseyrail will be getting level boarding in a few years, with a combination of lower floors on the new Stadler trains and a marginal increase in platform height.

It was also probably built well before the aim of having level boarding in the Thameslink core (to aid dwell times) had actually been thought of...

 

[Bletchleyite]

Therefore after Xmas I hope to introduce a rolling programme of lift failures, barrier outages, multiple last minute platform changes, blockage of passenger flow by the erection of barriers at key locations around stations and escalator reversals at strategic interchange points.

Can I suggest you visit East Croydon and take advice from GTR on these matters? They appear to be experts.

Also, contact a few charities and get the chuggers in. (I retain my policy of making a formal complaint every time I see them within station boundaries; they are often aggressive, they cause an unacceptable obstruction to people in a hurry, and unlike the likes of carol singers provide no pleasure whatsoever).

 

[jon0844]

(off topic) when did Network Rail go from keeping chuggers beyond their boundaries to allowing them to harass people on concourses?

I know the simple answer is money, but why the change of heart? Did someone think that it would be good for passengers to deal with when trying to get home/work/holiday?

 

[njamescouk]

Are these common? I don't think I have ever noticed one.

very small one at seascale on southbound platform.

 

[edwin_m]

Even if it is possible to raise the whole platform at a particular station, there's a good argument just to provide a hump, so users that need the level boarding get on to the accessible part of the train and can easily alight at another station where there might be only a hump or a member of staff expecting to find them in a particular coach. However Crossrail doesn't appear to be following this logic, with the whole platforms being high on the central section.

 

[spinba11]

How is the work being done at St. Pancras give trains are terminating and heading back north there?