time to reopen what I presume was the old "western-side" Preston station?

[randyrippley]

Moderator note: split from

Severe disruption near Lancaster this evening.

I’m currently on the 17.30 from Glasgow to Euston running 145 minutes late due to a points failure north of Lancaster. There will be hundreds of stranded passengers tonight I expect. Chaotic scenes at Preston with a previous London train terminated and 100’s trying to cram on the following...

www.railforums.co.uk

Makes me wonder if it's time to reopen what I presume was the old "western-side" Preston station which is supposedly a parcels depot but I've never seen it in use for that in years (I don't mean the Royal Mail depot - I mean the pair of platforms to the west of P1).

I have seen Pendolinos dumped in them a few times recently, just need the footbridge extending and you'd have two more platforms for use in this kind of crisis.

And Preston in chaos isn't exactly unusual.........

 

[GordonT]

Makes me wonder if it's time to reopen what I presume was the old "western-side" Preston station which is supposedly a parcels depot but I've never seen it in use for that in years (I don't mean the Royal Mail depot - I mean the pair of platforms to the west of P1). I have seen Pendolinos dumped in them a few times recently, just need the footbridge extending and you'd have two more platforms for use in this kind of crisis. And Preston in chaos isn't exactly unusual.........

I suppose the f word funding will as ever be the issue. Preston-type hubs in the likes of Switzerland give the appearance of being more generously equipped in terms of capacity and more resilient in coping with odd occasions of pear-shapedness using tried and tested contingency strategies rather than every such occurrence being treated as a new experience in uncharted waters.

 

[Whistler40145]

Makes me wonder if it's time to reopen what I presume was the old "western-side" Preston station which is supposedly a parcels depot but I've never seen it in use for that in years (I don't mean the Royal Mail depot - I mean the pair of platforms to the west of P1). I have seen Pendolinos dumped in them a few times recently, just need the footbridge extending and you'd have two more platforms for use in this kind of crisis. And Preston in chaos isn't exactly unusual.........

Would it not be simpler to realign the track on the platform opposite platform 6 next to the side entrance and have it for emergencies and disruption?

 

[randyrippley]

Would it not be simpler to realign the track on the platform opposite platform 6 next to the side entrance and have it for emergencies and disruption?

I thought that was still available for use???

 

[Bletchleyite]

I thought that was still available for use???

I've never seen a passenger train in there in service, though I did see a 195 there during testing.

I believe there is a plan to reopen one or two platforms on the Res site as part of HS2 lengthening works (ha!) as these would be needed to replace the Ormskirk/Colne bays (i.e. 3C and 4C) which extending the main island to 400m would block. Presumably using "platform 7" (i.e. the disused one on the Fishergate Centre side) for those wouldn't be desirable as they would need to cross the formation to turn right at Farington Jn.

 

[Iskra]

Doesn't Preston have some poorly used platforms on the East side already, so do we really need more?

 

[Falcon1200]

I have also been on a train which used 'Platform 7' at Preston, however this was a Voyager Crew training run, not a passenger service. I had to be careful leaving the train as the platform curves away from the track, towards the long-gone East Lancashire part of the station. Rebuilding that platform to full length would seem a fairly simple job.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Preston is due to be resignalled/remodelled soon, as part of the WCML North upgrade.
That's the time to incorporate the old Res island into the main station.
I'm not sure what the status of the western span of the Ribble viaduct is, which might have some bearing on what can be done.
Whether NR's Route plans include this work is now moot after all the HS2-related work was canned.
But resignalling with ETCS is still on the cards, as the existing infrastructure is 50 years old and was hardly changed under WCRM.
It's a similar situation at Carlisle.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Doesn't Preston have some poorly used platforms on the East side already, so do we really need more?

No, 5 and 6 are well used. "7" is basically disused, but it's also not very useful as trains using it to the destinations with more movements need to be on the other side so would need to cross the formation.

It would also be useful if the 1/2 island could be widened as it's really too narrow for how busy it is.

 

[randyrippley]

Doesn't Preston have some poorly used platforms on the East side already, so do we really need more?

The incident which triggered this thread off clearly shows more platforms are needed at Preston, if only as parking space during disruption

 

[Bletchleyite]

The incident which triggered this thread off clearly shows more platforms are needed at Preston, if only as parking space during disruption

As long as you have crew to shift them (which isn't a given I know) there is plenty of siding space at Preston if you need to just park stuff up.

 

[RAPC]

The incident which triggered this thread off clearly shows more platforms are needed at Preston, if only as parking space during disruption

The platforms you are referring to are the RES platforms and it has been used for passengers in the past, both during engineering works, as well as for events such as the golf at Ansdell & Fairhaven when a special shuttle was carried out there.

I think the main issue for using them, is that it requires access via the doorway at the bottom of the subway stairs from Platform 1&2. Not sure if there are some safety issues, which mean it is normally only used when planned in advance, but certainly they have had passenger use in the past.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think the main issue for using them, is that it requires access via the doorway at the bottom of the subway stairs from Platform 1&2. Not sure if there are some safety issues, which mean it is normally only used when planned in advance, but certainly they have had passenger use in the past.

More accessibility issues - the subway is stepped past the door, there's no wheelchair-accessible route to those platforms from the main station that I know of.

Would be fixable though.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

It would also be useful if the 1/2 island could be widened as it's really too narrow for how busy it is.

Indeed. Perhaps not as bad as Picadilly 12/13 but busy and crowded. 3 and 4 are much wider and safer .

 

[Elecman]

More accessibility issues - the subway is stepped past the door, there's no wheelchair-accessible route to those platforms from the main station that I know of.

Would be fixable though.

There is a lift upto the OCD from the other subway to which all the lift access. Platform 7 is barred to passenger trains due to signalling protection issues but can be used for holing stock but would involve shunt moves

 

[Buzby]

Haven’t the Platforms at Preston been renumbered a few times already? I’m sure yonks ago the numbered from west to east (this was before the RES project) it’s amazing how priorities change!

 

[randyrippley]

As long as you have crew to shift them (which isn't a given I know) there is plenty of siding space at Preston if you need to just park stuff up.

Not if you have passengers on board

 

[Russel]

Just need the footbridge extending and you'd have two more platforms for use in this kind of crisis.

And Preston in chaos isn't exactly unusual.........

Never underestimate how much something as simple as extending a footbridge costs in the rail world, not to mention how many years of planning would have to go into it!

Though Preston being chaos I agree with, but I'd suggest it's more the WCML in general that ends up in chaos almost weekly!

 

[Bevan Price]

Haven’t the Platforms at Preston been renumbered a few times already? I’m sure yonks ago the numbered from west to east (this was before the RES project) it’s amazing how priorities change!

In the 1960s, the "mail" platforms were Nos.1 &2. The current 1-7 were then nos. 3-9. The former "East Lancashire" platforms (10 to 13 ??) have long gone.