Public Meeting on Tuesday

Our public meeting is fast approaching and members of FOWS are busy preparing for what we hope will be an informative session for everyone concerned with the station.

The meeting is at 7.30pm Tuesday 2nd October in Walkden Royal British Legion Club on Wilfred Road, a 5 minute walk from the station.

We’re expecting representatives of Northern Rail, GMPTE, the Police, and local councillors to attend, so we can look forward to updates from the main “stakeholders” who manage the station and run the trains.

Please come along to show your support for the improvements we’re trying to make. There will also be opportunities to ask questions to the FOWS and guests, and we’ll be around after the meeting for anyone who wants to talk privately.

Hoping to see lots of you there !

Neil Stapleton (Secretary)

… and Litter Bin goes !

Unfortunately the new litter bin lasted only 2 days before being destroyed by vandals. All that’s left is the metal fixing plate on the wall.Northern Rail have been informed and we hope a replacement will be sent soon.

Without the bin, litter was piling up on the station again this morning – although at least someone had been thoughtful enough to tidy their litter up into a plastic bag !

Meanwhile the collection of rubbish on the tracks continues to grow – believe it or not a pushbike has now joined the bottles, cans and chip trays.

Litter Bin arrives …

A litter bin was installed on the platform yesterday afternoon and, judging by
the fact it had been filled by this morning, it was obviously much-needed !

Marion reported “not a scrap of litter” on the platform this morning, a very welcome improvement on the usual situation.

A second bin will soon be installed at the station entrance.

Thanks go to Chris Ingham at Northern Rail for getting this sorted.

Barbara Keeley MP support for FOWS

FOWS are pleased to have received a message of support from Worsley MP Barbara Keeley.

We’re now able to boast support from Labour and Conservative politicians at local and national level.

Committee Meeting

At our committee meeting this week FOWS members reviewed progress over the last two months. Whilst tempered with disappointment over Network Rail’s failure to lower the track level during the engineering closure, there was still some more encouraging news on various fronts, including:

• Network Rail have inspected the platform and although they have not committed to any plans, we understand they are considering the option of raising the platform level and rebuilding some of the disused section.
• Plans for planting up flower beds and installing planters on the platform have been drawn  up, and an application for funding has been submitted to Little Hulton & Walkden Community Committee.
• Northern Rail have agreed to install litter bins at the station.
• Planning for installation of some locally produced artwork is underway and a meeting with Northern Rail to discuss possible locations has been arranged.
• Network Rail and Salford Council have inspected the bridges outside the station and we hope the pavements will be cleaned shortly. Network Rail are understood to have plans for a permanent solution to the problem which will be announced shortly.

We were very pleased to welcome Councillor Les Turner, and Northern Rail’s Mark Barker to the meeting. Regular attendees at our meetings include representatives from GMPTE, Salford Council community workers, and Councillor Iain Lindley, demonstrating that FOWS enjoys support from a broad range of organisations and political parties.

FOWS meet GMPTE Chairman Roger Jones

This week FOWS members enjoyed a positive meeting with GMPTE chief Roger Jones to discuss future investment plans for Walkden station. As ever, there aren’t enough funds for all public transport needs, but Cllr Jones gave a good account of GMPTE’s work and shared some helpful insights into ways that FOWS might progress.

Under current proposals, Walkden’s much needed safety and security improvements aren’t scheduled for the next few years. While this was obviously disappointing news, the plans are currently only in draft status and FOWS will lobby for Walkden’s priority to be raised because we believe it is busier and in greater need than some stations currently ahead of it in the funding queue.

Does Walkden’s low platform cause you a problem ?

Despite requests from both Northern Rail and GMPTE, Network Rail did not address the problem of the very high step between platform and train during the recent engineering works. FOWS believe this is a serious concern for station users: not only as a major inconvenience for elderly or mobility impaired passengers, but as a safety risk to all.

FOWS and GMPTE are escalating the problem within Network Rail and we would like to hear from you at our email address (friends@walkdenstation.org.uk) if you have experienced difficulty – or even fallen – whilst boarding or disembarking at Walkden.

Engineering works complete … what’s been done ?

Last week’s engineering works finished on time. There isn’t much sign of change visible from Walkden – just some new white lines on the platform edge. Apparently some major bridge repair work was performed around Atherton.