Market Harborough Station Upgrade

[Flying Phil]

On the Southbound platform both PIS screens are working and all the lamp posts are complete in the car park - still not open though. However there doesn't appear to be any change in the subway entrance and they have now lifted about 15m of the "Dimpled" platform slabs at the South end of the platform...
I was also surprised to see that there will be nearly 40 disabled parking bays around the platform entrance...I didn't realise there were so many poorly people in MH....

 

[swt_passenger]

I think this “proportion of disabled spaces required” question came up for Oxford Parkway, and above some minimum or other the guidelines were 4%? So 40 would only be needed if the overall total was around 1000? But I’ve now also found online sources saying 6%, and recent suggestions by a parking organisation saying 3%...

 

[Flying Phil]

I thought that was the case....but there certainly are a lot of spaces so it will be interesting to see how many are used. I was also surprised to see that there is no obvious provision for any electric car charging points. Given that rail use is generally environmentally advantageous, and many customers are aware of this, they may well arrive at the station in an electric car so charging may be needed sometimes whilst they are at work elsewhere and the car is parked - even at daytime rates.

 

[swt_passenger]

Thinking about the subway entrance, I wonder if removal of the dimpled slabs is in anticipation of a length of railings, because someone has assessed a high risk of someone coming up the stairs and turning sharp left?

 

[Flying Phil]

Nothing appears to have changed since Nov 9th.......but they expect it to all be finished "next month".

 

[cle]

It's all for good reason, but there will be a really generous amount of four track and four platform stations between Bedford and Leicester soon.

Appreciate the issues are paths south of Bedford, and Bedford station itself - but surely there are more things which can be done with all this capacity now?

 

[londonmidland]

Apologies if this is unrelated but when is the capacity enhancements around Leicester supposed to be happening?

Syston to Wigston Jn can get particularly busy, especially when things don’t go smoothly.

 

[InTheEastMids]

Apologies if this is unrelated but when is the capacity enhancements around Leicester supposed to be happening?

Syston to Wigston Jn can get particularly busy, especially when things don’t go smoothly.

There's been very little about this since the end of CP5 (it was in the CP5 updates for delivery in CP6, IIRC). I suggest it has therefore been, at best, put into hibernation, maybe for delivery in CP7

Bach on topic there's growing annoyance that the car park is essentially finished but s big chunk of it is still unopened. What is available is frequently full on a weekday

 

[Flying Phil]

Given that the car parking generates income, I'm very surprised at the lack of urgency about getting the newly created extra parking spaces into use......As for the subway entrance.....

 

[Flying Phil]

The car park has featured on the local radio news just now. NR say it will open -"Mid December" as there are still works to complete......but won't say what, and, to the casual observer, it all looks complete. Certainly most of it could open tomorrow!

 

[Flying Phil]

According to a poster on site, the new car park will be fully open on Dec 15th......I asked what else needed doing? I was told that "There are too many disabled bays marked and so they are having to remove and alter the markings".........(Ref post #541....)

 

[swt_passenger]

According to a poster on site, the new car park will be fully open on Dec 15th......I asked what else needed doing? I was told that "There are too many disabled bays marked and so they are having to remove and alter the markings".........(Ref post #541....)

Amazing. I just hope they aren’t reacting to our discussion...

 

[seconinline]

According to a poster on site, the new car park will be fully open on Dec 15th......I asked what else needed doing? I was told that "There are too many disabled bays marked and so they are having to remove and alter the markings".........(Ref post #541....)

This is not the case the 300 space markings have to altered to suit a 500 space car park. this was always planned and is in no way correcting wrong work

 

[Flying Phil]

Thanks for that seconinline.....but it is still unfortunate that, what looks like a complete car park, is still not in use for another 10 days.

 

[seconinline]

Thanks for that seconinline.....but it is still unfortunate that, what looks like a complete car park, is still not in use for another 10 days.

Ask NR why

 

[Flying Phil]

Again the car park is "Full" and the new section is unoccupied .....but will "Open on Monday", some of the disabled bay markings have been erased. The subway entrance to the platform is being worked on and the dimpled slabs on the platform have been put back in place.

 

[Hairy Bear]

Opening of southbound platform, to full length, cancelled until further notice.
Should have been this morning.

 

[CdBrux]

From the outside this appears to be a poorly managed project!

 

[InOban]

Until six months ago it was looking like a brilliant managed project. On time, if not ahead of. What went wrong?

 

[InTheEastMids]

The

Again the car park is "Full" and the new section is unoccupied .....but will "Open on Monday", some of the disabled bay markings have been erased. The subway entrance to the platform is being worked on and the dimpled slabs on the platform have been put back in place.

The new car park is now fully open

 

[Flying Phil]

The subway entrance is not finished and there is now a steel railing fence across the opening.....

 

[duffield]

The subway entrance is not finished and there is now a steel railing fence across the opening.....

Does that mean they're going to open the full length of the platform without the subway being ready (it would make sense, if there are 'issues' with the subway)?

 

[Flying Phil]

Does that mean they're going to open the full length of the platform without the subway being ready (it would make sense, if there are 'issues' with the subway)?

As "Hairy Bear" noted in post #557 platform opening has been "Cancelled until further notice"......the station staff say they don't know what is happening....It certainly is very inconvenient for passengers on the London bound 8 car HST sets, to get to the end 3 coaches, which are off the platform to the North.....when there seems to be a completed and unused length of platform to the South!

 

[edwin_m]

The fire risk assessment probably assumes the subway is open to provide an evacuation route from that part of the platform if there is a fire between it and the footbridge or car park exit. Therefore, despite the platform having had one exit for a century or more without causing mass casualties, that section probably can't open until either whatever is wrong with the subway is fixed, or someone comes up with an alternative (would another exit to the car park next to the subway entrance work?) and gets it agreed and implemented.

 

[Flying Phil]

Thanks Edwin_m, in fact there is a new path that crosses from the South end of the new platform next to the Subway, that does already go to the new car park...... and there is an exit at the North end of the new platform, plus the entrance at the middle by the new footbridge.....

 

[swt_passenger]

Thanks Edwin_m, in fact there is a new path that crosses from the South end of the new platform next to the Subway, that does already go to the new car park...... and there is an exit at the North end of the new platform, plus the entrance at the middle by the new footbridge.....

The emergency escape facilities are probably “top of the range” compared to many other simple two platform stations, and yet still don’t allow the platform end to be used without the subway? Seems incredible on the face of it...

 

[Bald Rick]

It might be me - but there’s no stop boards on the new section of platform (bagged or otherwise) which suggests it hasn’t been confirmed where they should be. Only a guess.

 

[hwl]

It might be me - but there’s no stop boards on the new section of platform (bagged or otherwise) which suggests it hasn’t been confirmed where they should be. Only a guess.

And still gaps in the platform back fence, no CCTV camera on the post yet, the area to the left still a building site and no departure screen on that steel post either yet. Plenty of small jobs...

 

[swt_passenger]

And still gaps in the platform back fence, no CCTV camera on the post yet, the area to the left still a building site and no departure screen on that steel post either yet. Plenty of small jobs...

It's an older photo presumably chosen just to show the path layout. Post #541 shows more fittings and fence panels...

 

[Flying Phil]

It's an older photo presumably chosen just to show the path layout. Post #541 shows more fittings and fence panels...

Yes, it is an old picture, taken in June.
I find it very surprising that there is no explanation or timescale for full opening.