Harborough rail users
Improving the quality of Market Harborough's rail service
Meeting with Harborough Disabled Access Group and HDC Councillor Phil Knowles: 11th October 201811/10/2018
Steve Jones and Cliff Taylor of HRU met Phil Baildon of the Harborough Disabled Access Group and HDC Cllr Phil Knowles at the station on 11th October. We discussed the station realignment scheme now work is under way on site, plus current plans and our respective aspirations for disabled access improvements at the station. The meeting was prompted by the recent closure of the barrow crossing, plus assurances received from Network Rail about the design of the new footbridge and lifts at the station. We confirmed that we share the same aspirations to ensure that the station will be fully fit for purpose once complete, including the additional features we seek. A further meeting will be held with Network Rail in due course.
On 17th September 2018, Nusrat Ghani MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, wrote to all MPs outlining the latest allocation of funds under the Access for All programme. This sets aside £300m for access improvements to railway stations as part of the government's Inclusive Transport Strategy, launched on 25th July. The funding covers Network Rail's 'Control Period 6' (CP6): the five years from 1st April 2019 to 31st March 2024. Bids for funds must be made by 'Local Delivery Groups' (LDGs), which usually means the local train operator and Network Rail. The deadline for bids is 16th November 2018, with the results announced in April 2019.
Market Harborough has already had an allocation of Access for All funds for the planned footbridge with lifts; this is due to be built with the new platforms on the straightened line in 2019. However, we seek further enhancements to the station's accessibility, in the form of:
We in Harborough Rail Users have been liaising with Harborough MP Neil O'Brien about all this and he has written to East Midlands Trains seeking a meeting. This is a first step towards getting a bid submitted for the additional enhancements to bring our increasingly busy station up to fully accessible modern standards. If recent growth trends continue, especially with all the new housing being built in the area, it will not be long before Market Harborough station sees over a million passenger journeys a year! We need a station that fully matches that level of business! Further information is on the DfT website at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/access-for-all-programme and Network Rail https://www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/passengers/station-improvements/access-for-all/ For well over 100 years, there has been a barrow-crossing across the tracks at the south end of the platforms at Market Harborough. However, with the opening of the new car park and step-free access to the southbound platform, the need to take disabled passengers across at track level from one platform to the other is much reduced. This crossing is the last one on the whole line and there is a strong desire to close it and remove the obvious risk it involves.
However, the need for all passengers to be able to transfer from one platform to the other remains. Until the new footbridge is built (summer 2019), EMT are proposing a free accessible taxi between the respective station entrances. This will be a temporary arrangement until the new bridge is open. In principle, HRU welcome the closure of the crossing as it is an anachronism on a busy main line in 2018. However, we have sought assurances that the taxi arrangement will be properly accessible and user-friendly. We do not want passengers to have to wait unduly and certainly not risk missing their trains. EMT have undertaken to put in hand such arrangements. Further details are at: https://www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk/information/media/news/marketharborough/ A site visit at the station took place on 1st December between three members of the HRU Committee, Harborough MP Neil O’Brien and representatives of the DfT, Network Rail and East Midlands Trains. This arose from a meeting on 14th November between Neil O’Brien and Rail Minister Paul Maynard MP at the Houses of Parliament on 14th November; with the DfT also present along with HRU Chair Steve Jones.
The site visit was convened at the DfT's suggestion to explore two particular concerns we have about the station upgrade and track realignment: the lack of proper access for the disabled from the booking office to the platforms and the lack of toilets on the new southbound platform. We looked around the station site and considered the implications including the best location for a lift, the requirements for mains electrical, water and drainage services and the other improvements that are included in the plans for the station. The various parties listened to what we said and, while not disagreeing, it was clear that limited finance is the main constraint here. There are many competing demands for limited funds! We are grateful that the various parties took time out to visit Market Harborough and discuss the issues openly with us. However, we will continue to press for these enhancements to what is otherwise a significant improvement to the station. Harborough MP Neil O’Brien and HRU Chair Steve Jones met with Paul Maynard MP, the Under Secretary of State for Rail, Accessibility and HS2, on 14th November at the Houses of Parliament. The meeting had been requested by Neil O'Brien to press the case for proper disabled access to be provided at the rebuilt Market Harborough station plus toilets on the new southbound platform. The Department for Transport's Planning and Investment Manager for the Midland Main Line was also present.
Rather than go in with a long shopping list, running the risk of everything being lost in the detail, we focused on these two items. However, the meeting also considered various aspects of the scheme, including the need for sufficient shelter on the platforms, and was very constructive. Though he is the 'Rail Minister', Paul Maynard acknowledged that he has no powers to direct Network Rail as it is an arm's-length relationship. However, he did undertake to write to them at senior level, supporting the case for proper disabled access and for toilets on the southbound side. There is also the possibility that the specification for the next franchise may be a means of seeking additional enhancements to the station. Franchise bids are assessed much more on quality than used to be the case. A further meeting with the Department for Transport and Network Rail at the station is to be arranged. We hope that these enhancements to what is otherwise a great improvement at the station can be included. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring the station fully up to modern standards; let's not waste it! Watch this space! |
Categories
All
Archives
December 2023
|