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Platform Height at Tamworth

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Legolash2o

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So I was at Tamworth platform 2 3 (high-level) yesterday and noticed that the height on the train was about my knee height about 1.5' high. Everyone getting off the train was making a comment about the height they had to jump.

Is there a limit in what the height can be? What causes such as height? Are trains getting higher or are platforms getting lower? Surely this has an impact on disabled customers?
 
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civ-eng-jim

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Stepping distance requirements are as follows: (From Railway Safety and Standards Board Click HERE) 450mm would be nearly double the maximum allowance!

upload_2019-8-31_17-6-7.png

With so many different rail vehicles out there, it's very hit and miss with achieving the 230mm step height whilst ensuring all vehicles (non passenger too) are clear of the platform edge. At Tamworth on P2, if I remember rightly, the track is on cant transition with the cant handing away from the platform edge and thus the footstep tilts up in the air. Was it at the Lichfield end of the platform as this is where the maximum cant is before rounding the bend into a straight towards London? Could be a number of things. Bad design (Would be difficult to get such a stepping height through any gauging engineer!) Possibly the track that has been tamped too high but, again, would have to be a major muck up to over tamp it by the amount you say.

The RSSB standard I've linked to is principally for rail vehicle designers to comply with. New vehicles should comply with the 230mm vertical step height to a standard platform height of 915mm.

There is more focus on achieving a standardised platform heights and offsets (rail to platform dimensions) rather than optimising the stepping distances for the vehicles which stop at the station in question. Going forward, it should result in a more consistent stepping distance with new rolling stock, which up until now has been a bit woolly.

Have you checked your knees haven't changed in height? :)
 

Legolash2o

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Hey, thanks for the detailed reply!

Yes, it was the Lichfield end. I'm sure my knee height hasn't changed :D. The people getting off the train where commenting and each where hesitant before carefully stepping hopping down onto the platform. It wasn't so much the angle, just the height.
 
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DarloRich

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That cant be the right train. In any event the type of train doesn't matter.

The platform is old and wouldn't be allowed today but it isnt going to change.
 

Legolash2o

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Oops I posted the wrong part of the journey. Forgot I had to change at Sheffield.
 

Legolash2o

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This is it. I made another mistake as it was actually Platform 3; the signs weren't great. Still on the upper level and Lichfield end.

1S51 1225 Plymouth to Glasgow Central
CrossCountry service departing on 30th August 2019
Schedule Information
  • WTT schedule UID P38581, identity 1S51
  • Runs SSuX between 20/05/2019 to 13/12/2019
  • Service code 22180012, headcode 1200
  • Express Passenger
Operational Information
  • Schedule from ITPS
  • Timed for 125mph max
  • High Speed Train (HST125)
Passenger Information
  • Retail Service ID XC1200
  • Seating: first & standard
  • Reservations available
  • Trolley service between Plymouth and Edinburgh
Realtime Status
  • TRUST ID 841S51MK30
  • Running as 1S51
  • Activated 30/08/2019 11:25
 

DarloRich

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It cant be on the lichfield end of the upper platform!

Ps if you think the step is bad on the xc platforms go an try the northbound wcml platform!
 

Legolash2o

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It was at the upper platform closest to Lichfield (as the crow flies). The track itself doesn't go there as that would require the lower level.

Sorry, I'm not great at explaining myself at times.

Image.png
 

civ-eng-jim

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Ah - I think I got the wrong platform too - But my explanation luckily stands for the Derby-bound platform on the upper level. Track canted away from platform near the maximum limit for platforms to allow for 125mph through-running.

To eliminate the big drop would require either track lowering (On a bridge, probably can't get much lower without making the ballast depth too shallow or hitting the bridge structure itself) or raising the platform edge which would have implications for the waiting room floor level and the steps down to the lower level platforms. Perhaps if the ropey-looking structures on the Upper platforms are replaced then the platform edge can be adjusted to suit.
 

6026KingJohn

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It cant be on the lichfield end of the upper platform!

Ps if you think the step is bad on the xc platforms go an try the northbound wcml platform!
And if you think Tamworth is bad, try Lichfield Northbound WMCL. When I first moved here the platforms were on loops with flat track and a speed limit of approximately 30mph. The line has been four tracked and as Lichfield is on a curve the platform tracks are now canted with a speed limit of 110mph (125mph for EPS). The platform is still the same height, result large step on down platform tiny step on up platform (comparatively)
 

Kettledrum

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So to clarify, it's the upper level north bound platform that serves XC trains between Birmingham and Derby that's the problem.

It is a big drop, and I've seen an elderly lady drop her handbag onto the track when struggling with the gap. Needless to say she was very distressed. I'm not sure what could realistically be done with the platforms given the nature of the station.

Maybe when/if new rolling stock is eventually procured for XC, a rolling stock solution could help?

I've seen the new Flirt Trains operated in East Anglia have a low floor, and a sliding horizontal ramp to make it easier for elderly passengers to get on and off, and I wondered whether this would help at Tamworth.
 

Mag_seven

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I alighted from a northbound HST at Tamworth High Level yesterday and did notice the large stepping distance.
 

gordonthemoron

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The worst I've come across are the Deptford UP platform, especially on the curve, and Seascale southbund platform which had some portable wooden steps the last time I was there in 2008
 
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