Accrington - All Change!

[Acrylic-bob]

I think this should come under the general heading of "Don't hold your breath while you wait".

Page 25 of this weeks local rag shows us a spanky new drawing of the building which is proposed to replace Accrington Railway Station.

Gone, it appears, is any idea of linking the train and bus station. What Lancashire County Council, in their usual high-handed way, have decided that we should have is another building essentially the same as the existing one, which is to be torn down. The only difference being that it will be sited on the opposite, Eagle Street, platform. Oh, and as a nod to government regulations concerning climate change, it will have solar heated water and make use of rainwater to flush the loos.

Peter Clarke, HBC's cabinet portfolio holder for environmental protection is reported as saying: " It will fit in with Hyndburn Council's green policies and hopefully encourage people back on public transport". Which goes to prove, yet again, just how far removed from reality these clowns actually are. The things that will encourage people back onto the train are:

1. Getting them to run on time.
2. Getting them to run more often.
3. Making the whole business less expensive.
4. Having trains that look comfortable and inviting instead of the present cattle trucks.
5. Not having to wait ages in the rain and cold for a train which has been cancelled and for which no announcement has been made.
6. Not having to dash like a loony over the footbridge to catch a train, because there is only one waiting room. Is it really asking too much to expect there to be a waiting room on each platform? This is the 21st century - isn't it?

99 out of 100 potential passengers could not give a sh*t where the water to flush the station loo comes from. Most of them, if they were honest, couldn't give a stuff about additional disabled parking either, especially as the existing parking spaces are to be decreased to make way for them.

Anyway the plans are, as yet, uncosted and have yet to be put before HBC's planning committee, so you can bet that there will be many a change between this article and the finished building.

[SPUGGIE J]

Best thing for this is to let the people that use the service to have a say in what it should look like. How would the council feel if Joe Public decided to pull down council buildings and rebuild them to how they think these buildings should look and operate. I cant complain up here as we have some beautiful stations with heated waiting rooms on both sides.

[Ber999T]

think you'll find the cost is £40k for the station building but with new bridge and car park a reported £2m. think there was something in Saturday ET about it.

[Mancie]

Originally Posted by Acrylic-bob

I think this should come under the general heading of "Don't hold your breath while you wait".


1. Getting them to run on time.
Most of them, if they were honest, couldn't give a stuff about additional disabled parking either, especially as the existing parking spaces are to be decreased to make way for them.

Bob.. you are a Fascist aren't you? come on admit it.. I have visions of you standing by the side of Mussolini... saluting the marching hordes.. but at least you would get the trains to run on time!.. disabled parking! what is this country coming to?....next thing you know they'll be letting cripples on public transport.. and that really would mess your day up!

[WillowTheWhisp]

I haven't actually seen this week's Observer yet but I think I'm going to end up disagreeing with you on this one A-b for a couple of reasons. The first one is the location of the building in question. As most people will know, the access to the present Ticket office/waiting cupboard form Paxton Street can be a little precarious in wet or snowy weather. That incline can come to resemble a ski-slope and Heaven forbid that it should freeze on top of rain or half thawed snow for then we are presented with something akin to the cresta run. So to have a ticket office and waiting room which can be approached on the level is surely a step back to the original location of the main station entrance in the good old days and can only be classed as a 'good thing', especially for disabled travellers and anyone else who is none too steady on their pins.

The other thing is this mention of heat and loos. How long is it since we have actually had loos on Accrington Station let alone loos with hot water? That has long been one of my grumbles that basically all we've had since they tore down the glorious old buildings is a couple of overgrown bus stops and the aforementioned cupboard with ticket office. The idea of having new loos and the possibility of a bit of solar powered hot water has got to be an improvement. Maybe we can have solar powered heating in waiting rooms too?

Yes I do agree with your last point that it wouldn't half be a good idea to have a waiting room on each platform and where my aforementioned diabled travellers are concerned it wouldn't be amiss to consider some better way of getting from one to t'other than that rusty old bridge with the slippery-when-wet steps.

So overall I give them 7 out of 10 for effort but maybe 5 out of 10 for logic and imagination. As one of my old teachers would have said "Room for improvement".

Off to track down the Observer now and see if I've missed anything obvious.

[Acrylic-bob]

No Mancie, I am not a fascist and I resent the accusation along with the unpleasant and unecessary images you called up. What I am is mightily naffed off with the unrepresentative idiots who inhabit Scaitcliffe House and County Hall who foist these "Improvements" on the good folk of this town without consultation or any serious consideration and have the temerity to pass their half arsed considerations off as though they were doing us ingrates a favour.

It is past time that something was done to improve Accrington Station and the lot of the travelling public. And I am sorry but more of the same on the opposite platform is just not good enough, whether it has solar panels on the roof or not. If Blackburn can have a brand new station to be proud of why should we have to make do with the leavings?

[WillowTheWhisp]

So are you saying that what you'd like to see is something more than what they are proposing? Like all under cover and proper waiting rooms with heating in winter? Maybe even a cafe? Now that would be nice. I've just looked at the design and it's not bad as far as it goes, it's better than what we have but it could be even better than that.

The car parking space is a bit of a problem with land having been earmarked for a Tesco in that neck of the woods.

[Acrylic-bob]

Sorry, did you say TESCO? How many more Bl**dy supermarkets do we need? I thought the point was to regenerate the shopping in Accrington not put the final nail in it's coffin!

[katex]

I had not been to Accrington station for years and years until recently and now have occasion to pick Grandaughter up from the Leeds train.

I was amazed at the lack of facilities, just this 'closed' little brick building on the Colne side and nowt but a bus shelter on the Preston side.

First time, I presumed that the main car park was the Eagle Street one, no signs to say station (well, could have missed them of course), and on pulling up there, twas dark and rainy couldn't just see how I could get onto the station, no indication of 'this way to the trains'.

Came out again and proceeded along Blackburn Road where there is a sign saying 'Station' .. Paxton Street I presume. It is at the back of the Accrington Pride pub and extremly small and not easily negotiable.(In fact, think all the taxis in town use this as a turning point) Managed to get a space however, and my goodness Willow, yes that winding slope!! Needed oxygen when I finally got to the top; course had to cross the bridge to get to the other side. Now realise, of course, that Eagle Street is the main one.

I'm pleased to see that some facililty is being organised myself, as probably will have to collect my grandaughter many times in the future from there and would be good to have somewhere warm to sit. Can't see anymore why a fully manned ticket office is necessary, as don't most people book on line, pay on the train these days ?

Whether we all approve of the design, remains to be seen.

BTW A-B the train has always been bang on time to the minute.

[garinda]

What a waste of money. Much better to use the finances this will cost to man the station, so at least there will be someone there...to explain why the train from Colne is not running, and that you are going to miss your connection at Preston.

[katex]

Originally Posted by garinda

What a waste of money. Much better to use the finances this will cost to man the station, so at least there will be someone there...to explain why the train from Colne is not running, and that you are going to miss your connection at Preston.

Sarky .. would be good to have both, or at least those matrix signs like they have on the tubes .. could have you doing inputting Garinda .. alternating shifts with Less .. that would be fun.

Think this would be separate from HBC though, wouldn't it ? More like the railway companies responsibility .. not sure.

[Ianto.W.]

, Acrylic-bob, It is past time that something was done to improve Accrington Station and the lot of the travelling public. And I am sorry but more of the same on the opposite platform is just not good enough, whether it has solar panels on the roof or not. If Blackburn can have a brand new station to be proud of why should we have to make do with the leavings?

This is what you can expect if Hyndburn is ever merged with Blackburn with Darwen, Darwen are the ones getting the dirty end of the stick at present, just imagine what it would be like playing 'third fiddle' to the high and mighty Blackburn. Yes you are quite correct Acrylic-bob, why should we have to rely on the crumbs Blackburn throws out, its time we had decent rail-bus linked station.

[Wynonie Harris]

Over the last few months, I've done a fair bit of travelling by rail, going to Stanley away matches and I've come to one conclusion - from what I've seen, for a town of its size, Accrington has the worst railway station in the country. Its lack of facilities and general air of dereliction is nothing short of scandalous. It's supposed to serve a town of 38,000 people yet I've seen small country stations with better facilities. I don't want to get political, but really, Greg Pope should be playing hell about this in Westminster.

[lancsdave]

Just thought I would drag up an old thread because it's in the LT that this is now due to be approved
Eco Train Station Set For Goahead (from Lancashire Telegraph)

[WillowTheWhisp]

What's all these references to 'current station' - do they mean that ticket office in a bit of a hut?