Which stations used to have "cab roads"? Do any still have them?

[Bevan Price]

There were two, one to drop passengers at the ticket office on the Broad Street side and one to pick up passengers that ran the length of the station by, I think, platform 10. The latter was replaced by one accessed only from the "country" end of the station.

Cabbies always ignored people trying to hail them on BR property away from the ranks, even if driving out empty and for hire. I don't know if this was a BR rule or just cab driver etiquette.

At least at some stations, BR charged cabbies a fee if they wanted to park / pick up on BR property. Perhaps if the fee was too high, cabbies refused to pay, and could only pick up passengers outside BR proprty.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

At least at some stations, BR charged cabbies a fee if they wanted to park / pick up on BR property. Perhaps if the fee was too high, cabbies refused to pay, and could only pick up passengers outside BR proprty.

I think that this is generally the case.

At Newport, there's a dedicated taxi rank outside the station, but only registered taxis can use it. It used to be run by a firm and only their taxis could use it, but that changed a while ago.

I experienced the regulations when I got stuck at Totnes in August after the bridge strike. There was a shortage of taxis anyway, but when one did arrive that was technically available, because they didn't have permission to collect people from the rank, I had to book them whilst standing next to the car!

 

[Springs Branch]

In the late 19th & early 20th Centuries I believe Manchester Victoria had a roadway which left Gt Ducie Street (the A56) between two of the railway overbridges and rose via a relatively lengthy ramp up to the wide island platforms 12 & 13.

The roadway seems to have been used by cabs in the early days, with a booking office & ticket barrier at the top. Later in its life the roadway probably was exclusively for railway-owned road vehicles & late-night newspaper delivery vans, with public access no longer allowed (at least officially).

The roadway and ramp were discussed, and photos posted about seven years ago in this thread.

Of course, all traces of the former cab road disappeared completely during the redevelopment of Man Vic and the Arena.

 

[edwin_m]

In the late 19th & early 20th Centuries I believe Manchester Victoria had a roadway which left Gt Ducie Street (the A56) between two of the railway overbridges and rose via a relatively lengthy ramp up to the wide island platforms 12 & 13.

The roadway seems to have been used by cabs in the early days, with a booking office & ticket barrier at the top. Later in its life the roadway probably was exclusively for railway-owned road vehicles & late-night newspaper delivery vans, with public access no longer allowed (at least officially).

The roadway and ramp were discussed, and photos posted about seven years ago in this thread.

Of course, all traces of the former cab road disappeared completely during the redevelopment of Man Vic and the Arena.

There was also an underpass beneath the tracks and ramp up between them in the nearby Exchange station, which was still there when I visited but that must be well over a decade ago now. Was that also a cab road?

 

[HSP 2]

At Edinburgh Waverley did they use the two ramps one down to the station platforms and one off the platforms? Then use the bit between the ramps as the station rank. Looking at the east end I could see that the G.P.O. could have direct access to the platforms.

A bit off topic but when the motorail platforms were at the east end of the station did they just drive the cars down the full length of the platform?

 

[Springs Branch]

There was also an underpass beneath the tracks and ramp up between them in the nearby Exchange station, which was still there when I visited but that must be well over a decade ago now. Was that also a cab road?

According to this article, the roadway leading from the very eastern end of Chapel Street up onto Manchester Exchange's island platforms was indeed a cab road.
https://manchestervictorianarchitects.org.uk/index.php/buildings/manchester-exchange-station

. . . . Platforms 4 and 5 were on a long and wide island platform. A footbridge linked it to the terminus platforms and platform 3, but it also had a cab road that tunnelled under the line at the eastern end of the station and reached the platform by a sloping roadway.

Page 45 of this publication shows a photo of the Cab Road in modern times, after closure of Exchange station but while the arches were still in use for car parking.
https://diggreatermanchester.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/gmpr18_exchange_station_greengate.pdf

. . . . swathes of the complex, namely the railway viaduct leading to Manchester Victoria, the mighty retaining walls at the junction of Greengate and Chapel Street and the railway bridge over Cab Road, are Grade II listed structures. Given their historic importance, a range of recording techniques were used to document the architecture in detail prior to redevelopment . . .

From the moment that Exchange Station opened to traffic in 1884, Cab Road Bridge formed a key element in its design. Effectively an extension to the 1844 George Stephenson Bridge across the Irwell, the purpose of this plate girder structure was to provide a railway connection between Exchange Station and Manchester Victoria. It was one of the few major structures that were lost in order to make way for the redevelopment however it was comprehensively recorded before demolition.

 

[edwin_m]

According to this article, the roadway leading from the very eastern end of Chapel Street up onto Manchester Exchange's island platforms was indeed a cab road.
https://manchestervictorianarchitects.org.uk/index.php/buildings/manchester-exchange-station


Page 45 of this publication shows a photo of the Cab Road in modern times, after closure of Exchange station but while the arches were still in use for car parking.
https://diggreatermanchester.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/gmpr18_exchange_station_greengate.pdf

Thanks. Disused Stations website also mentions a cab road.

 

[Kingston Dan]

At Edinburgh Waverley did they use the two ramps one down to the station platforms and one off the platforms? Then use the bit between the ramps as the station rank. Looking at the east end I could see that the G.P.O. could have direct access to the platforms.

A bit off topic but when the motorail platforms were at the east end of the station did they just drive the cars down the full length of the platform?

Yes there was a one way system with the northern ramp in and southern ramp out. Taxis would queue on the down ramp and the rank was between the travel centre and main concourse. It was also a public road with short term parking along the south side of the travel centre where the new platforms are. You also accessed the motorail platform this way - but there was a loading ramp some way down the platform and a long stay car park (so not the whole length). Unsurprisingly in air quality monitoring tests Waverley had the highest levels of air pollution in Scotland until they got rid of vehicles from the station (and presumably the extra electrification helped too).

 

[73128]

I think there used to be a cab road at Edinburgh Waverley.

until quite recently

 

[theageofthetra]

Deptford. Must be the oldest surviving one surely, as it was built for the original London & Greenwich railway.

 

[172007]

Birmingham New St had upto the 60's redevelopment a Central road from Navigation St enter it, not sure it was used y cabs but I guess so. Birmingham New St does have still have a dedicated cab road at the side so almost meets the criteria. The outline picl up drip off point which is either jnsode Grand Central or the station or both is used by cabs as I use it a number of times a week to be shuttled as a member of train crew.

 

[westv]

A couple of years ago I was dropped off by a cab right next to the platform at Hull Paragon.

 

[alf]

I wa about to leave Cambridge station when I noticed two non BTP policemen railside near a little external door by the bay platforms at the country end.
So I expected a VIP visit, or a prisoner being put or taken off a train.
I waited.

I then saw the late Lord st John Stevas nearby.
The London train arrived & Princess Margaret stepped out opposite the door alone.

A fawning St Stevas(not a Lord then) bowed, greeted her & then walked backwards in front of her, shunting himself sideways beside the wooden door being opened by the police.
He bowed & scraped again & Princess Margaret stepped into the open door of a car lined up with the secret door.
Lord Stevas then travelled in the car with her.
So...a private platform road at Cambridge & a comedy show.