Help Network Rail find out about Walkden !

Network Rail are currently running an online survey to find out what people think of railway stations and how to improve them.

It asks questions such as what you think of your local station and what facilities you would like to see there. Needless to say, the more people that complete the survey for Walkden the better our chances of making it into the improvement programme that Network Rail are planning.

Please take 15 minutes to visit Action Stations and complete the survey.

PS You will also be entered into a Prize Draw for an Annual Season Ticket or cash equivalent !

Renovated roof revealed

The renovated Booking Hall roof

The scaffolding has been removed from the station now and the renovated roof can be seen in all its glory.

Thanks to the clean, new skylights and repainted lower walls the Entrance Hall, and Booking Hall, and Upper Stairway are all brighter, cleaner, more welcoming, and weather proof.

Thanks to Network Rail and their contractors for a grand job, and a special thank you from FOWS for taking care not to damage the plants in the flower beds during the course of the works.

The brighter Entrance Hall

More waiting for the tannoy …

We understand the local tannoy system installed at the station last week has some further technical issues so we must continue waiting for it to come into use.

Meanwhile Swinton station now boasts CCTV, departure boards, a departures TV screen in the booking hall, and a Help Point. Truly the railway works in mysterious ways …

“All change” at Walkden …

Freshly painted stairway walls and a new roof make very welcome improvements to Walkden station

October has arguably been the best month for Walkden station since FOWS was launched in February 2007, with numerous, sizeable improvement projects coming to fruition.

Firstly the roof renovation is nearly complete and looking infinitely smarter than the old roof. The new roof should be water-proof again, so the water damage caused by leaks onto the stairways should become a thing of the past.

After Network Rail rejected our initial request to repaint the stairway walls (arguing this was the responsibility of Northern Rail) we were delighted when the decision was reversed and the whole length of the stairway and Booking Hall walls were freshly painted. The results are a vast improvement on the grubby, stained walls we had before.

The long-awaited tannoy system is also nearing “go-live” too, and may even be working by the time you read this. Having a local tannoy will enable staff to inform passengers of delays without having to close the Booking Office to walk up to the platform.

For a more detailed review of the station’s improving condition, check out our latest station condition report.

And FOWS are doing their bit too … pending a council funding decision today we hope to have winter plants installed in the gardens very soon.

Fresh signs of intelligence … ?

Spot the difference between the platform signs as first installed in September and now …

The platform signs in September ...

... and now

Yes … unfortunately Kirkby was spelt without the second “K” at the first attempt.

Happily the mistake has has been corrected now. Oops !

Our thanks to Network Rail for station painting

Repainted walls and handrails at Walkden

Hats off to Network Rail who have repainted the stairway walls at Walkden as part of the roof repair project.

The walls of the stairs and booking hall had not been painted for many years and had become dirty and stained, while the red paint on the handrails was peeling and flaking away.

As our picture shows, the shiny new walls and handrails are a great improvement and give the station a much more inviting appearance. And from the way passengers rounded on kids suspected of recent graffiti damage to the station, the bright and clean walls are well appreciated by station users too !

As we understand the situation from previous discussions, repainting of the walls is the responsibility of the train operating company (Northern Rail). Network Rail’s decoration work is therefore even more appreciated as it was not their responsibility to tackle the job anyway.

The newly-retiled station roof at Walkden

The roof repairs, which started in August, are nearly complete and most of the scaffold will be removed this weekend, putting an end to some local kids’ dangerous use of it as a climbing frame.

Away from the public areas of the station Network Rail have installed a floor in a disused room which should provide lots of useful storage space for staff.

Pillar as good as new !

Freshly painted pillar on platform 1

Thanks to Northern and Network Rail for fixing the first pillar on the Manchester platform which has been over-flowing and corroding since the canopy was repainted last summer.

The freshly painted pillar looks great and we’re delighted the water damage to this part of the station’s fabric has been staunched.

Pillar repairs

Judging by the cones and “Men At Work” signs clustered around its base, the first pillar on the Manchester platform is being repaired by Network Rail.

The gutter that runs down the interior of this pillar has been blocked for some time, causing rainwater to overflow onto the platform and stream down the pillar’s exterior. It should have been unblocked (as the others were) when the canopy was repainted last summer, but for some reason this pillar was overlooked

FOWS have been reporting the problem in our monthly reports to Northern Rail for the last year, and Northern have been chasing the station owners Network Rail on our behalf.

We’re delighted the work is under way and would like to thank Northern and Network for taking action to preserve the fabric and appearance of the station.

The train now approaching Platform 1 …

For the first time in years Walkden station now has a sign identifying platforms 1 (“for Manchester”) and 2 (“for Wigan, Kirkby and Southport”).

The sign, which hangs from the canopy in front of the exit from the stairs, is has black lettering on a white background rather than Northern Rail’s usual white lettering on dark blue, suggesting it is perhaps “second hand” from one of the other stations along the line (like Swinton or Atherton) that has been upgraded.

Still, it’s nice to know which platform is officially which, and is sure to be a help for new or irregular passengers.

Roof repairs are underway

 Network Rail’s contractors have made a good start to the roof repairs at the station as these photographs show. Smart new tiles and flashing (made from plastic, so hopefully less vulnerable to thieving) are being laid on the main station roof, and old, rotten material is being removed from all sections.

Network Rail promised they would take care not to damage the flower beds and they have been as good as their word, for which FOWS are truly grateful.

Unfortunately the local know-nothings haven’t been so considerate and have been tearing up the foam wrapping that is supposed to make the scaffolding less dangerous to station users. British Transport Police are keeping a close eye on the problem and hopefully the culprits will soon tire of their game.