On Jul 8, 1:58*pm, Neil Williams wrote:

On 8 July, 13:42, Mizter T wrote:

CTA? (Common ticketed area?)

Compulsory ticket area.

Of course, d'oh! (I should add that I've never claimed to know what
I'm talking about!)


I *think* you're suggesting that the entire overbridge should be
barriered, right? Or not barriered - it's not quite clear to me. (I
don't quite understand the "*might*" reference w.r.t. access to the
main platforms.)

I'm saying the whole overbridge should be within a common barriered
area containing both LUL and the mainline. *To achieve this, it would
I guess be necessary to have a smaller barriered area around the
access to the stairs on the HEx platforms and platform 1. *There would
then be no barriers on the bridge itself to get in the way of a very
large passenger flow.

OK. There's also the ramp and stairs up from platforms 8 & 9 - these
platforms are ungated at the concourse end (and of course platform 1,
by it's nature, is ungated, as you suggest).

The HEx platforms could I suppose have the reverse arrangement of what
currently exists on the overbridge for platforms 2-5 - but this
doesn't tackle the issue of the overbridge as a public access route
from that northern entrance (where gates would frustrate wannabe HEx
pax as well as many others), and they would block off the option of
wannabe HEx pax jumping out the taxi (on the cab road next to
Eastbourne Terrace) and heading to the HEx platforms via the
overbridge instead of the concourse. I'm only focusing on HEx issues
here as I'm sure that's what BAA would fuss about - I think the issue
of public access to the northern entrance would be more of an issue,
more on that in a mo...


(I suspect, like other things, this was not an issue prior to the
teacup).

Interesting - if so, there might be something of a left-hand (FGW)
right-hand (LU) situation here - but it would be interesting to hear
more from regular users of these gates, or indeed see the usage stats
before and after, so as to be surer as to what degree the new Circle/
teacup line arrangement may have affected matters.


Gating the entire overbridge would bring its own set of issues - the
overbridge is used as a route to and from the exit at the north side
of the station (towards the canal basin and Harrow Rd beyond).

How do you get there? *Is it from Platform 1, which would remain
unbarriered? *I can't recall seeing any other exits.

The NRE "Stations Made Easy" plan of Paddington is very useful here as
it comprehensively illustrates the situation:
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/statio...Overview.xhtml

So, there's a ramp up from platforms 8 & 9 - these platforms are
ungated at the concourse end. The northern entrance/exit is more of a
side-door, but it is signed as an exit within the station (to "Harrow
Rd") via both platform 1 and platforms 8 & 9. It serves the large new-
ish Paddington Basin development, and to some extent St Mary's
Hospital, as well as providing a route north to Harrow Rd and beyond.

I suppose that one could put forward the case that it's used by
regular users, such as commuters, who are likely to have a season
ticket or Oyster card - and the gates could be configured to provide
'free passage' through the CTA (though such an arrangement is open to
abuse, with bods touching-out on the gate but not walking through it,
and instead staying within the CTA so as to board a train to
wherever).

And as you pointed out in your original post (and I understand the
reference now), such a gating scheme would allow people to gain access
to the main (non-surburban) platforms, for the cost of an unresolved
journey - FGW might consider than an issue, especially with the
possibility of some pax innocently and unthinkingly assuming they
could use Oyster PAYG to get to say Slough or Reading.


Regardless, the situation sounds rather less than ideal. (Long term,
as part of Crossrail, the LU H&C/ lasso line platforms are to get a
new entrance which should help matters - must admit I'm not up on the
details of this though.)

That is certainly necessary - my experiences over the past few weeks
would suggest that the issue on that platform is so bad that the
Circle should be reverted until *after* another entrance (or at least
a second set of temporary stairs from the overbridge to the LUL
platforms) can be constructed.

Must admit that I was a bit surprised when the Teacup/ Lasso
(whatever!) went ahead without there being any changes at Paddington
H&C platforms - I recall alighting there some time before the changes,
not during the rush-hour either (poss. shoulder-peak), and standing
right at the back of a queue of people waiting to climb the stairs (I
was in no rush) - the number of people hauling luggage up the stairs
(and not holding up for a moment for the non-luggaged folk to go
first) was a significant contributory factor, but even without the
luggage the number of people would have prevented a quick escape. I
spoke to the platform assistant on duty and he said it was always like
that!

One last thing - I dunno how it would compare to using the Circle/H&C
line (slower I'm sure), but one alternate option for a Paddington to
Euston journey might be the 18 (bendy) bus that traverses Harrow Road
- you'd need to use the aforementioned northern exit from Paddington,
and use the pedestrian subway under the road. The 18 is a busy route,
though it might be ok in the contra-peak direction. Just and idea -
though it might well be more useful in a snafu situation as opposed to
during the normal course of events (when others might be heading to
the front of Paddington for the 205 bus).