Tuesday 9 Aug 2011
NORTHWICH RAIL PASSENGERS GO UP IN THE WORLD
- Region & Route:
Passengers using Northwich rail station on the Manchester to Chester line are going up in the world – if only by a few inches.
That’s all it has taken to make life a whole lot easier to get on and off trains now that Network Rail has installed a ‘Harrington Hump’ on each platform.
The Hump is a system for raising the height of platforms which in the past have been too low for all but the most able-bodied of rail travellers to use. Now, passengers who have previously been denied access to the railway network, could have untold journey opportunities opened up to them.
The humps have been fixed on the platforms to correspond with the normal stopping place of the trains’ disabled access door.
Funded by Northern Rail and Cheshire West & Chester Council, it took just five months to complete the work.
At the official opening, Councillor Mike Jones, leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: “Northwich is a key station on the Mid Cheshire line but it has long been disadvantaged by the height difference between trains and the platform.
“We are delighted that this issue is now resolved thanks to partnership working between the Council, Northern Rail and Network Rail, together with the Community Rail Partnership, for the benefit of Northwich.
“This is a fantastic result for rail passengers in the town who can now make full use of their local station.”
Mark Barker, Client and Stakeholder Manager for Northern Rail, comments: "We are delighted to work in partnership with Cheshire West and Chester Council and Network Rail to deliver what is a simple yet very effective solution to ensure more passengers can travel by train."
Jo Kaye, Network Rail route director, added: “We have found a novel solution to an age old problem that has caused concern for numerous potential rail passengers throughout the country who simply could not travel by train because of the low platform height.
“It is the ideal solution for stations such as Northwich where the comparatively high cost of completely rebuilding the platforms is not viable.”
Notes to editors
Railways first came to Britain almost 200 years ago. Different stations were built by different railway companies and there was no uniformity in their design. Consequently, the height of the platforms varied considerably.
This has left a legacy of stations for the modern-day railway that simply cannot be used by the elderly, by parents with children in buggies, by those with lots of luggage, and of course, the disabled.
Unfortunately, finding typically half a million pounds to rebuild two station platforms simply cannot be justified in most cases.
The answer is a glass reinforced polymer – more commonly known as plastic – hump that comes in sections so it can built to any length. It is also variable in height so it will suit any platform, no matter how large the difference in height between the platform surface and stepping board of the trains. And, all important, it comes with ramps, making it ideal for anyone to use.
So now it can be done for as little as a tenth of the cost, making it much more affordable. This is in turn means more people can use the trains, and the increase in passenger numbers can be the catalyst for further investment in the local railway, enhancing it even more to meet the increased demand.
Initially developed in a joint initiative between Network Rail and Cumbria County Council, the system was first installed at Harrington station in Cumbria.
The Harrington Hump is manufactured by Pipex Structural Composites of Plymouth, Devon. For further information contact Graham Carson or David Bateman on 01752 581200 or visit
www.pipexstructuralcomposites.com
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