This has to be one of the most inexplicably inconvenient stations I've ever seen. From the footbridge the Up line looks seriously curved to get around the island platform - since most of the trains through here don't stop, is there much of a speed restriction?
An old video on Youtube shows that the footbridge used to link both sides of the level crossing to the island platform, but now the southern side path is gone, along with half of the footbridge. I presume it became unsafe, but instead of replacing that half they have built a new footbridge to the west of the level crossing, giving a ludicrously circuitous route between the platforms and the south side when the crossing is shut.
Given how much quieter it is than every other station in the area, despite there being a large number of houses that have it as nearest station, I can't help thinking that poor access is throttling usage. I'm pretty sure the benefit-cost equation of straightening the tracks and adding outside platforms nearer to the level crossing will not stack up, but is there a reason why it could not be done - why was the station an island in the first place? There is no architecture worth preserving on the station, and the access is menacing after dark.
An old video on Youtube shows that the footbridge used to link both sides of the level crossing to the island platform, but now the southern side path is gone, along with half of the footbridge. I presume it became unsafe, but instead of replacing that half they have built a new footbridge to the west of the level crossing, giving a ludicrously circuitous route between the platforms and the south side when the crossing is shut.
Given how much quieter it is than every other station in the area, despite there being a large number of houses that have it as nearest station, I can't help thinking that poor access is throttling usage. I'm pretty sure the benefit-cost equation of straightening the tracks and adding outside platforms nearer to the level crossing will not stack up, but is there a reason why it could not be done - why was the station an island in the first place? There is no architecture worth preserving on the station, and the access is menacing after dark.
