Fourth platform for Chesterfield?

[NotATrainspott]

We're going around in circles here, firstly, there's no need for a spur, second,

I'm not saying there is a need for captive infrastructure all the way to Midland. What I am saying is that it isn't just a matter of building the least amount of track possible to connect the two and then just leaving it as it is. If you want a fast and reliable NPR service while still allowing more classic services on the same line, you'll need to spend more than if you just wanted to allow more classic services alone.

Victoria isn't going to happen,

Given that the only unconfirmed part of the entire Phase 2 route is South Yorkshire it's pretty clear that the DfT and HS2 Ltd aren't so certain about that.

third, I'm out of this because you are just quoting different reports to suit whatever arguements you have.

Roll on Autumn and the preferred route then we can start talking HS2 with some degree of foundation.

You're stead fast in your belief that Victoria won't happen, regardless of whatever else I'm going to say. I'm presenting the entirely reasonable case that the most effective way to satisfy both the HS2 and NPR requirements is to combine them into one service running through Victoria.

 

[deltic08]

It's clear to many that a HS2 station in Sheffield City Centre cannot happen, most due to the sheer inconvenience of delay to Leeds and beyond created by the convoluted route change. However, it's inconceivable to think that a key city like Sheffield would not get direct to city centre services, plus, recent TfN and High Speed North documents make explicit mention of Leeds to Sheffield Midland Classic Compatable HS2 services using new chords. It's not a large leap to consider if a northern link to HS2 is being promoted, a southern link to HS2 via the Darnall/Woodhouse line could also be accommodated at Sheffield and consequently extended to Chesterfield thus spreading the benefit of HS2 further around Sheffield City Region.

Just a minute. The draft HS2 timetable quotes trains every 15 minutes from Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham to London Euston. With trains from Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh/Newcastle dovetailing in, that means a train every two minutes south of Birmingham. Where are the paths for additional services from Chesterfield and is there time between trains for them to slow down and stop at Euston without a knock on effect as far away as Leeds?

 

[Haydn1971]

Just a minute. The draft HS2 timetable quotes trains every 15 minutes from Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham to London Euston. With trains from Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh/Newcastle dovetailing in, that means a train every two minutes south of Birmingham. Where are the paths for additional services from Chesterfield and is there time between trains for them to slow down and stop at Euston without a knock on effect as far away as Leeds?

Putting aside the debate above re Victoria, there is a proposed divide of a CC train at Meadowhall already, with half a train going to Leeds, the other half to York. It's currently proposed to run three trains per hour to Newcastle, it would be just as easy to split one of these at Toton for Sheffield Midland and Newcastle... Thus the current 8 paths south of Meadowhall and 9 north, become 8 south of Toton, 9 between Toton and S Yorks, 9 from S Yorks to W Yorks - leaving plenty of paths also for Sheffield Midland to Leeds.

 

[duffield]

Ah thanks. According to Wiki it opened in 2010? Really odd because I used the station every Friday night for about 3 months in the Autumn of 2012 and if questioned would swear it only had two platforms

In my defence I was rushing to see my girlfriend for the weekend, so counting platforms probably wasn't the top thing on my mind.

The reason you missed it was probably because it's behind the blue fence shown on the right in this picture:
http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/33680013.jpg

It does look like a two platform station.

 

[Comstock]

The reason you missed it was probably because it's behind the blue fence shown on the right in this picture:
http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/33680013.jpg

Thanks. Yeah that'd explain it. Plus I simply wouldn't have been looking. I'd just have assumed it was still the same two platform station I've always known it to be.

 

[Hairy Bear]

Check out the length.....we call it the pier !.

 

[LDECRexile]

It's mainly used during engineering access so passenger trains can call on the eastern pair of tracks which are mostly used by freight. Crossovers north and south of the station allow trains in either direction to use it.

The Liverpool-Nottingham that leaves Manchester at 1743 and Sheffield about an hour later seems to be scheduled to use platform 3 at Chesterfield, extending the journey even more after the wait of about 12min at Dore. This is the only time I've been on a train using it except when service is obviously disrupted.

I used Chesterfield station today and saw the 19:03 (might have been 19:07, not sure) use platform 3 southbound, it didn't elicit a "change of platform" announcement, suggesting it went there in the normal course of events. An EMT ran through southbound shortly afterwards, it looked like empty stock.

Whereas Chesterfield only ever had 2 through platforms until 2010, it used to have Up and Down bays, both of which can be identified on the ground, the Down (northbound) ones have mature trees growing in them and the Up bays seem to be effectively a ballast store. I guesstimate the Up bays went out of use in the 1950s and Down bays in the 1960s.

Chesterfield had three passenger stations at one time: Ch Market Place closed Dec 1951 and Ch Central in 1963. I reckon the service nowadays is amazing, with trains to London, Penzance, Liverpool, Norwich, Glasgow, Aberdeen and points between. With one change you can add Dover, Brighton, Milford Haven, Aberystwyth, Holyhead, Barrow, Windermere, Carlisle, Scarborough, Hull, Cleethorpes and even Skeggy.

 

[talltim]

The up bay site had some sort of 60s/70s prefab plate layers office on it until they built the third platform. The ballast was only put there when the platform was built.
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Victoria not Meadowhall is what is needed. More connectivity to classic services not less!

You do realise that Victoria offers less connectivity to classic services than Meadowhall?