Stations which could be joined together to make a better large station

[adamedwards]

This was prompted by discussion in another thread about the close proximity of Wigan North Western and Wigan Wallgate. Looking at Google Street view it would appear that a bridge footway of something like 300m could be installed to link the stations within the barrier lines. Havng to walk out of a station into an unfamiliar street, particularly at night, is a major disincentive to changing trains, so this (yes expensive) bridge would fix that.

Another place where a bridge to join the platforms would be very handy is at West Hampstead to join the three stations.

I'm excluing links like the Birmingham International to Birmingham HS2 transit system as that's too far and is effectively a third line.

Where else would benefit from this sort of link up to improve access to services for passengers?

 

[Nick Ashwell]

St Johns and Lewisham

By closing St Johns tbh

 

[adamedwards]

Closing stations is a different thread to the one I have opened. I can't see a way you could easily join St Johns to Lewisham with a bridge. Station entrance to station entrance is 0.7 miles along busy roads and for St Johns customers the additional psychology of having to walk in the wrong direction to get to London. So I'm ruling this one out!

 

[30907]

This was prompted by discussion in another thread about the close proximity of Wigan North Western and Wigan Wallgate. Looking at Google Street view it would appear that a bridge footway of something like 300m could be installed to link the stations within the barrier lines. Havng to walk out of a station into an unfamiliar street, particularly at night, is a major disincentive to changing trains, so this (yes expensive) bridge would fix that.

Another place where a bridge to join the platforms would be very handy is at West Hampstead to join the three stations.

Where else would benefit from this sort of link up to improve access to services for passengers?

West Hampstead would be useful but the tube station would be difficult to access.

Wigan looks a possibility but the walk isn't that bad.

The only other one that comes to mind is Catford to Catford Br - but I'm not sure how much demand there is (I used to use it regularly in the late 70s!) and the route is short and straightforward.

 

[JonathanH]

Dorking and Dorking Deepdene could do with having a more straightforward interchange.

The awkward issue is how sharply the Dorking to Horsham line diverges away from where Dorking Deepdene is sited.

 

[PGAT]

Would be nice for the Caterham line to join or run parallel to the Oxted Line and share a station at Upper Warlingham before branching off again. Probably not possible though

 

[BeijingDave]

It has often occurred to me that Warrington could have had a split level station like Tamworth where the WCML and Cheshire Lines cross. There has always been the space for it around there, although it might require a warehouse or two to be knocked down. In that location, it would have been no less of an inconvenience to reach than Warrington Bank Quay really, with similar main road access. The problem might have been Central users would have found it much less convenient. I suppose Central might also have been retained. It would have been interesting if someone had been brave enough to do it 50-60 years ago around the time of WCML electrification. The town's centre of gravity would have shifted towards it over time.

 

[yorksrob]

They achieved something with Gloucester and Gloucester Eastgate, but they ended up closing Eastgate as it annoyed motorists too much (some level crossings,).

 

[Grumpy]

BR used to have an internal staff suggestion scheme (WASP?).
Approx 1975 I submitted a suggestion arguing that Wrexham General and Exchange stations should be re-branded as one station. It was rejected out of hand. Of course a few years later they went and did it.

 

[Tayway]

Culrain and Invershin

 

[zwk500]

King's Cross-St Pancras is sort of integrated. Dropping the road into a tunnel to create a free-flow interchange plaza would have been nice, although I recognise there are good reasons why the Pedestrian tunnel was chosen instead.

There are very few stations in close enough proximity that a single footbridge could link them, especially within the gate line. However I think there are a number of stations where a much greater effort to promote a serious walking route would work - New Cross/New Cross Gate, Edenbridge Stations, Euston/King's Cross-St Pancras, Birmingham New Street/Birmingham Moor Street.

 

[Bevan Price]

It has often occurred to me that Warrington could have had a split level station like Tamworth where the WCML and Cheshire Lines cross. There has always been the space for it around there, although it might require a warehouse or two to be knocked down. In that location, it would have been no less of an inconvenience to reach than Warrington Bank Quay really, with similar main road access. The problem might have been Central users would have found it much less convenient. I suppose Central might also have been retained. It would have been interesting if someone had been brave enough to do it 50-60 years ago around the time of WCML electrification. The town's centre of gravity would have shifted towards it over time.

Warrington Bank Quay used to be a split level station - it had Low Level platforms for the Ditton - Warrington - Lymm - Timperley / Manchester services until they were withdrawn circa 1962.

Having a station where the CLC line crosses the WCML would just have meant that both stations would have been inconvenient for the town centre, instead of just Bank Quay.

I think the site layout at Wigan would make it expensive to "move" Wallgate station to a location adjacent to North Western. In addition, the approach to Wallgate has a rather steep gradient, which I gather is considered "undesirable" for new stations.

 

[philosopher]

King's Cross-St Pancras is sort of integrated. Dropping the road into a tunnel to create a free-flow interchange plaza would have been nice, although I recognise there are good reasons why the Pedestrian tunnel was chosen instead.

There are very few stations in close enough proximity that a single footbridge could link them, especially within the gate line. However I think there are a number of stations where a much greater effort to promote a serious walking route would work - New Cross/New Cross Gate, Edenbridge Stations, Euston/King's Cross-St Pancras, Birmingham New Street/Birmingham Moor Street.

Catford and Catford Bridge stations are only about 100 metres apart and are both aligned in a north / south direction. So these stations I think could realistically linked by a single footbridge, perhaps with a common entrance from Catford Road. There is a block of flats in between the two stations which probably would complicate matters though.

 

[zwk500]

Catford and Catford Bridge stations are only about 100 metres apart and are both aligned in a north / south direction. So these stations I think could realistically linked by a single footbridge, perhaps with a common entrance from Catford Road. There is a block of flats in between the two stations which probably would complicate matters though.

Well if there's a block of flats in between they can't really be linked by a single footbridge. I suppose the bigger question is whether there are meaningful interchange opportunities provided by linking them.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I think the site layout at Wigan would make it expensive to "move" Wallgate station to a location adjacent to North Western. In addition, the approach to Wallgate has a rather steep gradient, which I gather is considered "undesirable" for new stations.

It should, however, be possible to extend the platforms at North Western to the north and the platforms at Wallgate westwards - it would then become relatively straightforward to install a lift and footbridge link between the two. You could even retain the existing Wallgate entrance as well, giving a complex with two distinct areas of footfall coverage.

 

[NSE]

I do agree with the notion of well sign posted walking routes. Having recently gone between both Edenbridge stations (for nothing more than to tick them off) and it was a simple enough walk, but I did have to check maps a couple of times. A couple of well posted signs would make this very user friendly. This is a pleasant Kentish village so it’s not exactly dangerous, but I’m sure there are plenty of inner city ones where a few well pointed signs and a couple of bright lights would make a world of difference.

 

[Basil Jet]

Maidstone Barracks and Maidstone East

 

[NoRoute]

A better link between Euston and St Pancras would seem an obvious one, certainly if HS2 services to the East Midlands via Eastern Leg ever happens, because it is not good having the high speed and conventional services to the East Midlands area split between two different stations.

Passengers are likely to want to have the choice of taking the most convenient service and options in the event of any delays or issues, which is a lot easier if these are either in the same station, or with a fast link between the two stations.

 

[Magdalia]

Where else would benefit from this sort of link up to improve access to services for passengers?

An example where this has already been done is Hackney Downs and Hackney Central.

Another place where a bridge to join the platforms would be very handy is at West Hampstead to join the three stations.

I'm quite familiar with these as I do the change between the Thameslink and NLL stations. Both of these have been improved considerably in recent years with new footbridges and lifts, and the Thameslink entrance/exit on Iverson Road makes the change much easier too.

But all three lines are effectively below ground level, and there are lots of buildings in the way, so I'm intrigued as to where your bridge would go?

 

[Purple Train]

The only other one that comes to mind is Catford to Catford Br - but I'm not sure how much demand there is (I used to use it regularly in the late 70s!) and the route is short and straightforward.

I've got lost on that walk...

To give a couple of examples involving the Tube - Fenchurch Street and Tower Hill, and Aldgate and Aldgate East. (I believe the two Hammersmiths were linked at one time, were they not?)

 

[30907]

Well if there's a block of flats in between they can't really be linked by a single footbridge. I suppose the bigger question is whether there are meaningful interchange opportunities provided by linking them.

Catford Loop to Lewisham and beyond, Hayes to Denmark Hill.
TBH I doubt there's huge demand and there's level access from Catford Station entrance to Catford Bridge up platform (the down side is more of a trek).

It should, however, be possible to extend the platforms at North Western to the north and the platforms at Wallgate westwards - it would then become relatively straightforward to install a lift and footbridge link between the two. You could even retain the existing Wallgate entrance as well, giving a complex with two distinct areas of footfall coverage.

I think the OP only envisaged a covered walkway between the two, not moving either station.

 

[6Gman]

This was prompted by discussion in another thread about the close proximity of Wigan North Western and Wigan Wallgate. Looking at Google Street view it would appear that a bridge footway of something like 300m could be installed to link the stations within the barrier lines. Havng to walk out of a station into an unfamiliar street, particularly at night, is a major disincentive to changing trains, so this (yes expensive) bridge would fix that.

I suspect the footbridge might be further than the existing route!

 

[PTR 444]

Maybe not exactly in the spirit of this thread as it involves closing a station, but one idea I’ve had is to close Farnborough North and replace it with two new stations on the North Downs Line. A ‘Frimley Interchange’ located just north of the Blackwater Shopping Park with a footbridge over the A331 to the existing Frimley station, and a ‘Farnborough Interchange’ where the NDL crosses the SWML to provide an interchange between both these lines.

 

[Manutd1999]

Manchester Oxford Road and Deansgate

 

[BeijingDave]

Manchester Oxford Road and Deansgate

Well, they are on the same line and all services that pass through or call at Deansgate also call at Oxford Road, so really what you're proposing there is to just demolish Deansgate and have a very westerly entrance/exit to Oxford Road, I assume.

Not sure that's what the OP intended but may be wrong.

 

[YorksLad12]

King's Cross-St Pancras is sort of integrated. Dropping the road into a tunnel to create a free-flow interchange plaza would have been nice, although I recognise there are good reasons why the Pedestrian tunnel was chosen instead.

Do yo mean just Pancras Road, or as far as the junction? Any tunnel would need to be quite deep because of the larger vehicles that pass through the area, and you couldn't sink a tunnel anywhere near Euston Road, for obvious reasons

But yes; if you could pedestrianise the whole area between the two stations (or at least as far north as Battle Bridge Place, with pedestrian priority and only taxi access to/from the south) it would link them better above ground as well as below.

 

[London Trains]

Old Oak Common and Willesden Junction - with new platforms on the WCML which would enable all Avanti and LNWR services to call at OOC.

 

[The Planner]

Old Oak Common and Willesden Junction - with new platforms on the WCML which would enable all Avanti and LNWR services to call at OOC.

800m or more is stretching it a bit to be the same station.

 

[zwk500]

Old Oak Common and Willesden Junction - with new platforms on the WCML which would enable all Avanti and LNWR services to call at OOC.

Aren't they planning 2 new stations on the Overground routes for OOC instead of pushing people up to Willesden Jn?

 

[WAO]

Walton (Junction) and Rice Lane/(Preston Road), of course.

WAO