Office of Rail Regulation say Walkden platform gap only ‘medium risk’

For the past year FOWS have been campaigning for Network Rail to address the dangerously large gap between the platform edge and train doorways at Walkden. The unusually high and wide step has seen several people slip terrifyingly between platform and train over the past few years, and presents a massive barrier to elderly, disabled, or mobility impaired passengers.

Network Rail have acknowledged that the ‘stepping distance’ at Walkden is outside current safety standards, but say they don’t have to fix it as it’s an historic problem they’ve inherited.

After Network Rail’s refusal to act FOWS turned to the government’s rail watchdog -  the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). Our first letter was met with a standard reply suggesting there are many stations around the country in a similar condition. We wrote again to stress exactly how large the gaps was at Walkden (it has been measured at 17 inches) and the fact that people have fallen onto the track on several occasions.

Our second letter prompted a site visit by the local safety inspectorate who – amazingly - classified the risk as ‘low’ on one platform and ‘medium’ on the other. On the basis of this the only action is planned is painting ‘Mind the gap’ on the platform and continuing the ‘low platform’ announcements on trains. While these measures may marginally mitigate the risk of an accident, they do nothing at all to help those passengers who struggle to – or simply cannot – board or disembark from trains because of the high step.

We urge all passengers affected by this problem to write to Customer Services at Northern Rail. As tenants of Network Rail, they are in the best position to ask for improvements from Network Rail - if enough complaints are received from passengers.

Walkden to get a makeover

You may have noticed the smart repainting currently underway at Swinton. Happily the decorators are making their way along the line and Walkden will soon benefit from a repainted canopy and pillars. The pillars – which are hollow and supposed to serve as gutter downpipes – will also be cleaned out so the water can flow through them again.

Network Rail are also going to replace the leaking roof of the booking office and entrance hall, which should also help improve the appearance of the station.

Walkden Station “In Bloom” with three large planters

Today FOWS volunteers turned out in Bank Holiday rain to install three large planters on the station platform, paid for by a Salford City Council “In Bloom” grant. For more details and pictures of the planters and the planting event, please click here.

Summer timetables announced

The summer timetable is now available for download from Network Rail’s website at:

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/eNRT/May08/timetables/Table82.pdf

A quick look suggests no major changes from the present service … there’s certainly not any Sunday services or stopping Atherton Expresses yet   

Cable and Lead Thieves Hit Walkden

Overnight theft of cables along the Walkden line caused misery for thousands of commuters last Monday as trains had to proceed under safety conditions due to the theft of signalling cable overnight.

And this weekend Walkden station has been hit by thieves who’ve stolen the lead flashing from the station roof, making the roof and joints susceptible to leaking and rain damage.

These attacks cause massive losses and inconvenience to the travelling public – if you see any suspicious activity on or around the railway line please report it immediately to British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40

In the news …

Walkden station and the FOWS are featured in a short article in yesterday’s Bolton Evening News - click here to read it.

Pedestrian Crossing campaign continues

One of FOWS concerns is the dangerous and thoroughly unpleasant road crossing that passengers face under the bridge immediately outside the station. Over the last year we’ve been in discussion with Salford Council about affordable measures to improve the situation and we were pleased when they recently agreed to send a survey team to monitor the number of people crossing the road outside the station.

The survey was conducted yesterday, and while it offers no guarantee that a crossing will be built (that will depend on the results of the survey and numerous other road planning considerations), we applaud the council for having taken this important step forward.

Spring Clean … and more

We understand that the station has been scheduled for a “deep clean” from Northern Rail’s maintenance team. Although booking office staff and FOWS volunteers do what they can to keep the place clean, some of the dirt is so ingrained or inaccessible that only a team with specialist gear can tackle it. It’s been a very long time indeed since the station had a thorough clean, so this is very welcome news.

Another impending development to improve the appearance of the station is repainting.You may have noticed painting work has already started at Swinton and we understand the team from Network Rail are working their way along the stations on the line, so we hope to see them at Walkden soon.

Barbara Keeley MP takes Walkden station issues to the top of Northern Rail

Worsley MP Barbara Keeley met with Northern Rail’s MD Heidi Mottram last week to discuss various problems faced by rail users at Walkden including over-crowding, poor connections and the lack of Sunday services. Barbara’s press release about the meeting is on her website here. Barbara is in regular contact with FOWS and takes an active interest in the problems besetting station users. FOWS are grateful for Barbara’s continued support and assistance towards improving Walkden station services.

Vandals wreck bins again

The two new litter bins installed last week lasted just 5 and 7 days respectively before being destroyed by vandals. Without a staff presence in the afternoon or evening, or CCTV camera coverage, the flimsy hoop-and-bag design has little defence against bored miscreants.

Meanwhile FOWS has started work on the small area of bare earth at the far end of the Manchester platform flower bed. Wooden boards have been fixed which we hope to paint and then plant up in the next couple of weeks.