Preston Railway Station Branded As Outdated And Inadequate

[philthetube]

I find the best attitude towards spell chequers** is to turn them off. They are often useless when dealing with place names.

(** Yes - I know that should read "checkers", but a spell checker would not correct it, because "chequers" is spelt correctly.)

True, but had you typed chequers you would end up with chequers, spell chequer or not.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

True, but had you typed chequers you would end up with chequers, spell chequer or not.

*SIGH* Time to Czech out, I think...

 

[Mag_seven]

I had the delight of staying at the Holiday Inn in Preston adjacent to the grade two listed monstrosity at the start of December and the full area feels unsafe.

I've stayed there as well and sampled the bus station - it's like going back into a 1970's timewarp. The only other location I can think of that's like that is Blackpool North.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The big shame about that bus station is that it's poorly located - it would be great to see it refurbished to a modern railway station/airport standard with respect to its listing were it not (a) miles from town and (b) miles from the station. As it is it should probably be turned into something else.

Bedford, FWIW, was a similar timewarp (the cafe particularly) until it was recently done up.

The real idiocy from LCC was making Fishergate one-way, losing the de-facto street bus station that was there and was well-used. Should have kept it two-way but bus only.

 

[furnessvale]

The big shame about that bus station is that it's poorly located - it would be great to see it refurbished to a modern railway station/airport standard with respect to its listing were it not (a) miles from town and (b) miles from the station. As it is it should probably be turned into something else.

Bedford, FWIW, was a similar timewarp (the cafe particularly) until it was recently done up.

The real idiocy from LCC was making Fishergate one-way, losing the de-facto street bus station that was there and was well-used. Should have kept it two-way but bus only.

Preston bus station was built where it is in an attempt to regenerate that area of the town.

The fact that much of the land in that area was owned by councillors is entirely co-incidental.

 

[AlterEgo]

Why do they always have a go at Preston ?

It's always been one of the nicer ones on the WCML.

It’s more aesthetically pleasing than some of the WCML monstrosities like Stafford, but it’s in dire need of investment. About five years ago I recall there were about six claims settled against Virgin from customers who fell using the footbridge. One was an enormous claim of six figures from an elderly lady who suffered life-changing injuries in a dreadful fall there. I wonder if they’re rectified the steps on that footbridge since.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It’s more aesthetically pleasing than some of the WCML monstrosities like Stafford, but it’s in dire need of investment. About five years ago I recall there were about six claims settled against Virgin from customers who fell using the footbridge. One was an enormous claim of six figures from an elderly lady who suffered life-changing injuries in a dreadful fall there. I wonder if they’re rectified the steps on that footbridge since.

I'd agree with that. It's a reasonably nice building and not a bad place to hang around, but access and facilities are poor. In my view it'd stand some modern glass-and-steel additions to the interior to make access a bit better, e.g. as I mentioned a mezzanine (probably over part of platforms 5/6 and the ramp) which would allow more retail (it's a bit lacking), ticket barriers and a widening of the de-facto main Fishergate entrance that everyone wants to use.

And take off the ugly monstrosity that was pointlessly installed by the car park. It's not in a convenient location for most users and the mind boggles as to why it was built.

 

[chorleyjeff]

The big shame about that bus station is that it's poorly located - it would be great to see it refurbished to a modern railway station/airport standard with respect to its listing were it not (a) miles from town and (b) miles from the station. As it is it should probably be turned into something else.

Bedford, FWIW, was a similar timewarp (the cafe particularly) until it was recently done up.

The real idiocy from LCC was making Fishergate one-way, losing the de-facto street bus station that was there and was well-used. Should have kept it two-way but bus only.

I remember a town planner talking to us at school about the soon to be built bus station and development of the then town. The bus station is not miles from the town centre - in fact a short walk.
At that time the railway station was at the far end of town but since those days the centre of gravity has moved in that direction, especially since the EL side of the station and goods yard was developed for shopping, and St George's shopping centre off Fishergate replaced a warren of side streets. It was quite a hike from the town centre to the railway station and many people used the bus to get to it from the town centre. The de facto bus station was in fact a pretty random placement of stops around the Harris library and Arndale plus the wholly overcrowded Ribble bus station close to where current bus station is now, plus the Scout and BBMS bus stations in Starchhouse Square. Confusing except for Prestonians who used the town centre.
Do you remember Fishergate as a two way street ? I do and it was chaotic which would be many times worse now with increased car useage.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Do you remember Fishergate as a two way street ? I do and it was chaotic which would be many times worse now with increased car useage.

Yes, I grew up in Ormskirk and went to Preston a lot. It would have been better to ban cars from it than make it one way.

 

[chorleyjeff]

Which has effectively been done in that only buses and taxis can drive the full length.
I agree transport in Preston is a mess. I always park in Frenchwood when going to the town centre and walk the ten minutes or so - a bit longer than walking from the railway station platform, but only a bit. Driving round the town centre and getting in a car park is a time consuming chore.
As an aside Fishergate must have been one way as long ago as 1960 when at about 8.00 on a very quiet Saturday night that year I was pushing my bike with cricket bat and boots attached the wrong way up the street a nice police officer made me carry my bike and cricket gear along the pavement rather than pushing it. Oh what fun for him !

 

[Bletchleyite]

Which has effectively been done in that only buses and taxis can drive the full length.

Still one way, though, meaning confusion in that the return bus can't go from the stop opposite the incoming one.

I agree transport in Preston is a mess. I always park in Frenchwood when going to the town centre and walk the ten minutes or so - a bit longer than walking from the railway station platform, but only a bit. Driving round the town centre and getting in a car park is a time consuming chore.
As an aside Fishergate must have been one way as long ago as 1960 when at about 8.00 on a very quiet Saturday night that year I was pushing my bike with cricket bat and boots attached the wrong way up the street a nice police officer made me carry my bike and cricket gear along the pavement rather than pushing it. Oh what fun for him !

The section near the station which carries most buses was made one way in the 2010s, possibly as recent as a couple of years ago.

http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/counci...hemes/fishergate-central-gateway-project.aspx

 

[Elecman]

The council have finall6 made a complete mess of traffic management in Preston as Fishergate is now not accessible by car between 11.00 and 18.00 and now no right turn onto Fishergate to turn onto Corporation Street from the station

 

[mwmbwls]

Are we tackling this question from the wrong end - do we not have to also consider how to segregate trains to reduce conflicting movements?

Integral in rebuilding Preston station for readiness for HS2 trains will be rebuilding the junction/junctions on the approaches to Preston. Euxton Junction has been improved from being a single lead junction and Lancashire County Council have long term aspirations for a non conflicting junction. This obviously did not make the cut when the current electrification plans were put in place but was it the case that HS2 was then scheduled to by-pass the existing station?

By sorting this junction out we would end up with Preston station being spilt into three-ish segments - (a) North West Local Group - Manchester,Blackburn,Liverpool,Ormskirk to Blackpool (b) HS2/WCML to Scotland, Barrow (c) freight through lines - do these need a dedicated
route(s)? - If so, do freight trains have to be stabled before passing through the station? Should extra goods loops be built north and south of the station and if so where?

Major route switching would then take place at Maudlands Junction, where all trains have to slow as they enter/leave the station approaches. Another design consideration is to whether "join and divide" as formerly practised by TPE will be revived. The Castlefield choke point may well prompt reconsideration of moves to save paths through Manchester.

 

[Accura]

I used Preston for the first time in a while tonight to catch a service to London. After being dropped off I was surprised to be greeted by a train standing at platform 7. Turns out it was a pair of out of service 319’s, however that’s the first time I can recall seeing a passenger train using P7 for any reason.

With the ongoing Blackpool blockade I was expecting the station to be much quieter than usual, however it was still pretty busy. The P3/4 waiting room was absolutely full to bursting with people taking refuge from the cold. The bar was also pretty busy.

My sentiments reflect pretty much what has already been said in this thread... not as bad as the article makes out, but not great either. I do like the idea of having a mezzanine spanning the all 6 platforms in a similar style to Reading, with retail and passenger services in one place. Although it would take a crafty architect to integrate it with the (listed?) current ticket office.

 

[Lankyline]

Preston council missed a major opportunity to build the bus station next to the railway when the EL goods warehouse & EL/Southport platforms where closed. The council are not noted for their far sightedness, especially today when the leader of the council is determined not to have trams back (see Trampower thread)
As for platform 7 my understanding is that it is also used for steam loco charters as it is close to a water supply.
The station does need a revamp, a first class lounge for a start, a covered waiting area on 5&6 would be a start, possibly bring the old P1 back into use to increase capacity.
In fact the demise of the old EL line could if retained today,have been a useful avoiding line.

 

[furnessvale]

Preston council missed a major opportunity to build the bus station next to the railway when the EL goods warehouse & EL/Southport platforms where closed. The council are not noted for their far sightedness, especially today when the leader of the council is determined not to have trams back (see Trampower thread)
As for platform 7 my understanding is that it is also used for steam loco charters as it is close to a water supply.
The station does need a revamp, a first class lounge for a start, a covered waiting area on 5&6 would be a start, possibly bring the old P1 back into use to increase capacity.
In fact the demise of the old EL line could if retained today,have been a useful avoiding line.

My post #65 covers the reasoning behind the decisions made in your paragraph 1.

Your last sentence covers what used to happen when Blackpool-Glasgow summer specials used to travel EL-Lostock Hall-Farington Curve-Preston to avoid running round.

 

[Lankyline]

My post #65 covers the reasoning behind the decisions made in your paragraph 1.

Your last sentence covers what used to happen when Blackpool-Glasgow summer specials used to travel EL-Lostock Hall-Farington Curve-Preston to avoid running round.

Not fully as the decision to build the monstrosity was also based on the pretence that it offered better road access for buses, namely the ring road development and that Tithebarn st bus station was small & outdated. Your suggestion that the land was owned by councillors was a factor would be better supported by some evidence.

I know what the EL line was used for and those specials weren’t just the only traffic, the point I am making is the value it could have today if BR hadn’t decided to rip it up.

 

[furnessvale]

Not fully as the decision to build the monstrosity was also based on the pretence that it offered better road access for buses, namely the ring road development and that Tithebarn st bus station was small & outdated. Your suggestion that the land was owned by councillors was a factor would be better supported by some evidence.

I know what the EL line was used for and those specials weren’t just the only traffic, the point I am making is the value it could have today if BR hadn’t decided to rip it up.

Deleted

 

[Mollman]

I used Preston for the first time in a while tonight to catch a service to London. After being dropped off I was surprised to be greeted by a train standing at platform 7. Turns out it was a pair of out of service 319’s, however that’s the first time I can recall seeing a passenger train using P7 for any reason.

I've seen elsewhere that there was limited access to the sidings north of the station so platform 7 was being used instead. It does often get used for the pair of 156s which form the afternoon ECS working to Manchester via Wigan.

 

[Dunc108]

Preston has its good & bad points, but the exceptionally long walk down to platform 3C for an Ormskirk service doesn't do the place any favours.

 

[30907]

I know what the EL line was used for and those specials weren’t just the only traffic, the point I am making is the value it could have today if BR hadn’t decided to rip it up.

The problem with the EL as an avoiding line is that it didn't avoid very much. You could run in from Blackburn (currently 2tph) but then what? To go to Blackpool (the only relevant destination) you had to cross the entire layout, which at least the present - tedious - route avoids.

 

[Dr Hoo]

^^^^
Quite. Any further progress north or west would require use of a single low-speed ladder impeding all WCML moves.

The current 'parallel' layout neatly avoids these operating problems. The downside is that it allows broadly simultaneous moves on both WCML and Blackpool <-> Blackburn axes. I have 'missed' a huge number of hoped-for quick connections between routes whilst trying to battle over narrow footbridges/subways (often blocked by ticket-checking staff, luggage tolleys, etc.). These commonly result in a 59-minutes wait for the next train, during which time any limitations of the station facilities seem to become painfully obvious.

Perhaps unfairly I have come to hate the place. Popping into the 'town' isn't a particularly attractive alternative either, compared with (say) York or Carlisle.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Preston has its good & bad points, but the exceptionally long walk down to platform 3C for an Ormskirk service doesn't do the place any favours.

It's no worse than 13/14 at Manc Picc. In some ways it's the uncertainty as to whether the Ormskirk service will be on 3C or 1/2 which is the issue.

I guess with the new West-Lancs-Takt (if I may - it is 100% hourly clockface for the whole period of service, which I'm really pleased about!) it'll be 1/2 anyway, because of the through running to/from Blackpool South/Colne.

 

[B&I]

^^^^
Quite. Any further progress north or west would require use of a single low-speed ladder impeding all WCML moves.

The current 'parallel' layout neatly avoids these operating problems. The downside is that it allows broadly simultaneous moves on both WCML and Blackpool <-> Blackburn axes. I have 'missed' a huge number of hoped-for quick connections between routes whilst trying to battle over narrow footbridges/subways (often blocked by ticket-checking staff, luggage tolleys, etc.). These commonly result in a 59-minutes wait for the next train, during which time any limitations of the station facilities seem to become painfully obvious.

Perhaps unfairly I have come to hate the place. Popping into the 'town' isn't a particularly attractive alternative either, compared with (say) York or Carlisle.

In my work, we affectionately refer to our branch office there as 'Depresston'.

 

[Bletchleyite]

In my work, we affectionately refer to our branch office there as 'Depresston'.

You in Liverpool? Is that like "Dealdi" and "Deasda"?

I don't find Preston a bad little city to be honest, I'd happily live there. Some bits are nicer than others of course, but where is that not the case?

 

[Dunc108]

It's no worse than 13/14 at Manc Picc. In some ways it's the uncertainty as to whether the Ormskirk service will be on 3C or 1/2 which is the issue.

I guess with the new West-Lancs-Takt (if I may - it is 100% hourly clockface for the whole period of service, which I'm really pleased about!) it'll be 1/2 anyway, because of the through running to/from Blackpool South/Colne.

Yes but it doesn't have the luxury of a Travelator like at Piccadilly and it must be a similar distance. Not too bad if your physically fit but if your elderly or have mobility problems it must be a challenge.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yes but it doesn't have the luxury of a Travelator like at Piccadilly and it must be a similar distance. Not too bad if your physically fit but if your elderly or have mobility problems it must be a challenge.

If you've got mobility problems you have probably entered via the pig-ugly tin shack and used the lifts, in which case you are a lot closer to it than someone entering via the stepped Fishergate entrance.

 

[Railrover700]

It's no worse than 13/14 at Manc Picc. In some ways it's the uncertainty as to whether the Ormskirk service will be on 3C or 1/2 which is the issue.

I guess with the new West-Lancs-Takt (if I may - it is 100% hourly clockface for the whole period of service, which I'm really pleased about!) it'll be 1/2 anyway, because of the through running to/from Blackpool South/Colne.

Open train times suggests that 3C will still be used for a minority of services, including some to/from Colne as well as Ormskirk.

 

[chorleyjeff]

The problem with the EL as an avoiding line is that it didn't avoid very much. You could run in from Blackburn (currently 2tph) but then what? To go to Blackpool (the only relevant destination) you had to cross the entire layout, which at least the present - tedious - route avoids.

Good point.
Never could understand, when watching from the engineers sidings North of the station, why coal trains from Yorkshire to Fleetwood needed to crawl across all the running lines rather than cross them by the bridge at Farrington and use the goods lines. Perhaps because trains on the WCML were few and far between for most of the day and the blockage for a few minutes was of no consequence.

 

[B&I]

You in Liverpool? Is that like "Dealdi" and "Deasda"?

I don't find Preston a bad little city to be honest, I'd happily live there. Some bits are nicer than others of course, but where is that not the case?

I am, but I'm not a native. 'De ASDA' never ceases to amuse me.