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“Millions of pounds could be spent moving Poole’s station”

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PTR 444

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https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/18108547.millions-pounds-spent-moving-pooles-railway-station/

POOLE railway station could be moved as part of an “ambitious” project aimed at improving the town centre.

Millions of pounds are set to be allocated by BCP Council's cabinet with approval for plans to be drawn-up expected to be given at Friday’s meeting of its cabinet.

Poole People councillor Mark Howell, the portfolio holder for regeneration, described the scheme as a “once in a lifetime opportunity”.

“For Poole to continue to attract footfall and external investment we must resolve the severance issues associated with Poole level crossing," he said.

“The poor quality of Poole railway station and connections between the bus and train stations and the High Street are holding the area back, and these issues need to be addressed in the regeneration programme."

A report published ahead of the meeting proposes moving the station to the east of High Street to allow the level crossing to be closed.

It says this could be part of a “modern, high quality travel interchange” and increase the frequency of trains through the town.

Poole is in line to be allocated a share of the £1 billion Future High Streets Fund and which is set to be put towards any project.

It’s an interesting idea and i’m all for regeneration of the town, but how will relocation of the station allow the level crossing to be closed? The line will still exist and if you sever pedestrian access, you’re going to be spending a fair bit on a new bridge or tunnel.
 
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Legolash2o

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In Bridlington the station is next to a crossing. Sometimes we had to wait for a train to pass that hasn't even set off from the station yet. It could be rated to that.

It was even worse when a train came from an opposite direction and then it stayed down for a train yet to depart come through
 

PTR 444

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Perhaps (and this is just my guess as I don't know the area) moving the station frees up land to build a bridge.

I doubt it. The idea is to improve connectivity along the pedestrianised high street, which is currently cut into two whenever the crossing is closed. The station is nowhere near the high street and relocating it to the east (still some distance away) will only guarantee that there are less trains going over the crossing, since the Poole terminators will no longer need to use it.
 

dgl

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Firstly the station is only about 1/2 - 3/4 mi from the bus interchange and is even closer to the main shopping centre so not that far really, and as for closing the crossing it's classified as a road crossing so closure is a bit more difficult.
The question is where do you put the new station? I can't see where it would go without losing some of the bus depot or it actually being further away from the town centre than it is now, Poole is not exactly brimming with space around the town centre. Yes the station is not the best and the curved platforms do not help access
 

Midnight Sun

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Nothing wrong with the station where it is. It's the very smelly and intimidating bus station that needs knocking down. National Express stopped using the bus station and relocated to the carpark by Seldown Bridge due to attacks in the late evening and early morning.There is a subway by the Hunger Hill flyover, which tends to flood when there is a spring tide. Even if you built a bridge with lifts, people will not use it (Lincoin High Street). As the council (BCP) have plans to close Kingsland road as part of it's town plan. Access for cars would be poor to the new site, It is all very well saying use a bus but they don't run at times when you need them and cost a arm and a leg. Which is why bus use is in decline outside London.

Poole_LI (2).jpg
 
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PTR 444

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There is a bridge, anyway, isn't there? Just not accessible, and most people can't be bothered using it.
There is, but it is pretty narrow and could not accommodate a huge influx of people that would be forced onto it in the event of a permanent closure of the level crossing.
 

MarkyT

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As I understand it, the crossing remains nominally 'vehicular' only for emergency access to certain parts of the shopping centre that are otherwise inaccessible to road vehicles. There is no general traffic using it any longer and no store deliveries as they all have rear access via service roads, loading bays and corridors within the centre. It may be possible to construct a new emergency services access for the pedestrian zone to the north of the railway, finally allowing closure of the crossing completely with its replacement by a pedestrian 'raft' over the railway incorporating a public overpass and a station footbridge, with new dead straight platforms to the east. If space for the stations facilities is a problem, these might also be placed on the new raft over the railway, or in partnership with council perhaps a couple of units on the high street itself might be acquired to arrange a new entrance directly onto the main pedestrian thoroughfare. While the existing station is not far from the bus station, the walking route between them is neither good nor very obvious, so moving the station access to somewhere on the High St itself would be a great improvement to convenience, and could be totally segregated from traffic. The existing platforms are very tightly curved for about half their length at the London end (around 200m radius) so I imagine stepping distance is a problem. New platforms to the east of the crossing location would also require relocation of the London end facing crossover to retain the reversing facility. As to car parking, there is a existing large multi-storey facility (council owned?) to the immediate north of the new platforms over the bus depot, and an extensive open lot immediately to the south serving Sainsburys that might be decked to create extra rail customer parking.
 

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There is, but it is pretty narrow and could not accommodate huge influx of people that would be forced onto it in the event of a permanent closure of the level crossing.
And it is most definitely not accessible to PRMs:
poole.jpg
 

Bletchleyite

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There is, but it is pretty narrow and could not accommodate a huge influx of people that would be forced onto it in the event of a permanent closure of the level crossing.

True. I note where they are proposing to put it - why not put it further west, right up to the crossing, then a proper bridge with lifts or even escalators could be provided? You could even build the station concourse *on* the bridge a la Reading, and have a paid and non-paid side.

Would need buildings compulsorily purchasing and demolishing, but they don't look up to that much.
 
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