Middlesbrough railway station masterplan

[tpjm]

It's nice of them to provide a "bus shelter" at the end of the platform so the local chavs have somewhere to hang out.

You’re welcome. Hopefully it keeps the chavs dry whilst they’re waiting for the LNER service

 

[cowboysfan]

Maybe they're getting ready to actually finish the P2 platform extension?

With this weekends signalling changes the current goods line are officially upgraded to passenger lines and now named Up/Down Slow lines so I believe there will be a 3rd platform in the near future.

 

[ainsworth74]

With this weekends signalling changes the current goods line are officially upgraded to passenger lines and now named Up/Down Slow lines so I believe there will be a 3rd platform in the near future.

Still need to finish P2 off at some point! But good to see that progress is being made on that project as well.

 

[swt_passenger]

Does anyone know how would they eventually use a platform 3? Are the northern pair of tracks bi-directional, or will it only be available to up trains?

 

[cowboysfan]

Does anyone know how would they eventually use a platform 3? Are the northern pair of tracks bi-directional, or will it only be available to up trains?

I believe the plan is to alter the current track layout move the current goods lines over add another line for platform and include crossovers for the mains.

 

[darloscott]

Full closure again Saturday to Monday, demolishion of 2 signal boxes. And again towards the end of the month full weekend closure with replacement bus services between
Saltburn and Darlington
Middlesbrough and Whitby
Nunthorpe to hartlepool/Sunderland
Redcar central to Darlington/northallenton

End of the month is only east of Stockton/Thornaby though with buses running from those stations to Saltburn & Nunthorpe/Whitby

 

[ainsworth74]

Station has now of course re-opened and there are new shiny signals!




I've not seen a design like that before actually where the shunt signal is built into the signal head.

But wait there's more! Including OFF indicators on Platform 2:



(There's also one at the other end of the platform facing in the Thornaby direction)

Train Read To Start plungers as well:




(Again for signals facing both directions on Platform 2)

A signal has also been relocated from platform 1 onto the track bed:


Signal DS6897 (with a different number as of course all the signals have been renumbered as part of the recontrol!) was originally located just in front of that canopy support o the platform, you can just make out the patch of new tarmac where it was.

Also as I suspected the JCBs have also moved in to start work on finishing the Platform 2 extension:





(That unsurfaced section didn't exist before last weekend as the original signal was in the middle of it)

Few more slightly odd things though were these holes being dug out the back of platform 2:



And also someone has knocked down some wall at the Thornaby end of platform 2:

 

[D6130]

Thanks for posting those excellent photos. The hole in the wall at the Thornaby end of platform 2 looks like the access route to the future new platform on the Up Slow.

 

[swt_passenger]

Picture 7 will likely be a foundation “pile cap” for something relatively heavy, the rebar cage in the left of the shot might be going in there?

 

[ainsworth74]

Picture 7 will likely be a foundation “pile cap” for something relatively heavy, the rebar cage in the left of the shot might be going in there?

I didn't take a picture you're very much correct it was in their this afternoon when I had a nosy!

 

[317 forever]

The platform on the 2nd picture of post 127 already looks longer than when I got off my train at Middlesbrough last September.

 

[ainsworth74]

The platform on the 2nd picture of post 127 already looks longer than when I got off my train at Middlesbrough last September.

Yes there was a platform extension which opened earlier this year to some fanfare. Despite being quite clearly unfinished it was announced as being completed by Network Rail and the local politicians. So what you see there is them going back to finish the final bit of the platform extension.

 

[swt_passenger]

Looking at overhead views, I still reckon the buildings behind P2 don’t allow any room for a platform running alongside them, unless by shifting both slow lines over to the north. With the girder bridge spans limiting the options. Has there ever been a full length P3 equivalent in the past?

So is it more likely that a new P3 will be a short platform staggered to the east?

(I’ve just checked the Middlesbrough planning application website and there’s nothing recent there about major alterations to station buildings, so presumably anything NR have planned is considered permitted development rights.)

I think a 2017 station masterplan I saw on the council site a while ago was proposing a long platform on the down slow for the then future VTEC services, but with nothing changing on the up slow - obviously the recent P2 changes already solve that train length issue.

 

[Freightmaster]

An interesting development this weekend - RTT has suddenly started showing most trains
to Nunthorpe/Battersby/Whitby (including the RHTT) as departing from "platform 3":

Realtime Trains | Departures from Middlesbrough between 0400 and 1900 on 04/12/2021

Train information at Middlesbrough between 0400 and 1900 on 04/12/2021. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Has platform 2a/2b been renumbered to 2/3?




MARK

 

[Ryry]

An interesting development this weekend - RTT has suddenly started showing most trains
to Nunthorpe/Battersby/Whitby (including the RHTT) as departing from "platform 3":

Realtime Trains | Departures from Middlesbrough between 0400 and 1900 on 04/12/2021

Train information at Middlesbrough between 0400 and 1900 on 04/12/2021. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Has platform 2a/2b been renumbered to 2/3?




MARK

Was like that again on real time today.

 

[Meole]

Modernisation of the platforms long overdue.

 

[Ryry]

However it is still unclear as to where platform 3 is.?

 

[D821]

What is the 'OFF' light for?

 

[MarkyT]

What is the 'OFF' light for?

This indicates that the platform starting signal is showing a proceed aspect to guards or platform dispatch staff where the signal is not visible due to the train being in the way. Not used by drivers, who, being at the front of the train, can usually see the signal! If at any regularly used stopping position the signal is not visible from the cab, then a banner repeater is used instead, which may also be used by guards/platform staff.

 

[D821]

Thank you. They have one at Birkenhead Hamilton Square (which has a curved platform), I'd wondered what it was for.

 

[teessider]

Middlesbrough rail station: Plans for £34m of repairs submitted

The south and east walls of the station car park both need work after falling into disrepair.

Two open-plan offices for about 30 people will also be built either side of the central thoroughfare. A new entrance to the station will be created at the centre of the ticket hall, with some stone in one of the archways needing to be removed.

The east end of the former car park will be used as public space and the station's walls in Zetland Road and Exchange Place will be refurbished, with new windows and doors fitted.

A pedestrian walkway will also be created between Zetland Road at the south of the station and the existing subway, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The current ticket hall stairs will be demolished and there will be two new staircases fitted into the historic location, which will be built off the central thoroughfare.

I had no idea any of this was in the pipeline, especially after the extensive restoration work that has already taken place, and £34m seems like a huge sum. The plans sound good though!

 

[swt_passenger]

Middlesbrough planning reference is 21/1117/LBC, if anyone wants to find it quickly on their planning portal.

I haven’t linked to the application as any URL will time out, but the description is:

”Listed building consent for the creation of new subway link, to include demolition of the existing undercroft and staircase, with replacement to include the creation of office space and 2no additional staircases. Associated works to include alterations to the external facade, replacement windows/doors, and improvements to the public realm”.

I think the local news headlining it mainly as “repairs” is somewhat misleading.

 

[Meerkat]

Seems a decent plan but bit weird to come in from Zetland St on the subway, then go up and back to get to the ticket office, particularly if you then need to go back to the subway for the Eastbound platform.
Be quite tricky to barrier if it ever became necessary.

 

[ainsworth74]

All sounds good to me to be honest! Hope they a) get planning permission and then b) just get on with it ASAP!

 

[Marton]

… £34m seems like a huge sum. The plans sound good though!

When I read that I assumed it included the cost of recent re-signalling.

 

[swt_passenger]

When I read that I assumed it included the cost of recent re-signalling.

Earlier announcements reported £6.5 million for this part of the work. The £34 million is for the entire package including P2 lengthening and the eventual P3.

Another example of the poor reporting.

 

[ainsworth74]

Another example of the poor reporting.

That's been the case throughout! See the platform extension that was opened to fanfare in June 2021 but wasn't actually finished until a few weeks ago!

 

[Oberon]

This is the current schematic drawing for the proposed new layout of the station following the completion of platform 3:

 

[TBY-Paul]

This is the current schematic drawing for the proposed new layout of the station following the completion of platform 3:View attachment 109004

That appears different from what I was expecting. I was under the impression a new platform was getting built on the north side (down Saltburn slow line).
The new platform 3, will it be long enough to take a 9/10 car LNER Asuma? Or is the plan just to use platform 2 for LNER services.
The new turnback facility doesn’t look all that long either. It will be interesting to see what article will look like.

 

[swt_passenger]

That appears different from what I was expecting. I was under the impression a new platform was getting built on the north side (down Saltburn slow line).
The new platform 3, will it be long enough to take a 9/10 car LNER Asuma? Or is the plan just to use platform 2 for LNER services.
The new turnback facility doesn’t look all that long either. It will be interesting to see what article will look like.

I still believe the only feasible location of P3 is completely east of the down side station building, ie at the back of the eastern half of P2. The sketch only shows a slight “stagger”, but I suspect it’ll be further to the right in reality…