[crossposted to uk.transport.london]

Shades of the finished but unopened Shepherd's Bush (Overground)
station on the West London Line, as documented on the London
Connections weblog:

http://londonconnections.blogspot.co...erd%27s%20Bush
(ignore any references to the closure of the Central line's Shepherds
Bush tube station)

How wide is a platforms supposed to be? Well, how long is a piece of
string...


On 22 Feb, 01:13, XxXxXx wrote:

Row over platform width delays Sandhills station reopening.

by David Bartlett, Liverpool Daily Post

THOUSANDS of Merseyside commuters and football fans face an extra four
months of "chaos" at one of Liverpool's busiest train stations, it
emerged last night.

Sandhills station, currently undergoing a £6m revamp, will not now
open to passengers until July - 16 weeks after the original re-opening
date in March.

It means the new station will not be ready in time for passengers
heading to the Grand National at Aintree in April, one of the busiest
weekends on the Merseyrail network.

It will also mean Everton and Liverpool football fans using the
Soccerbus service from Sandhills will still have to embark at Kirkdale
and Bank Hall stations.

The reason for the delay is a row about the width of the station
platforms between passenger transport authority Merseytravel and
operator Merseyrail on one side and Network Rail on the other.

It is the latest in a number of disputes between the organisations and
has led to Merseytravel writing to Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly
demanding control of the Merseyrail network be taken out of the hands
of Network Rail.

Merseytravel wants to control the network so decisions on maintenance
are made locally.

At a meeting of Merseytravel's rail services committee, chief
executive Neil Scales said: "Our colleagues in Network Rail have made
a cock-up with one of the drawings.

"The drawings show a safe walking area platform of 2m wide. It should
be 2.5m. People can't walk on a platform of less than 2.5m.

"We want to make it absolutely clear that this has got nothing to do
with Merseyrail electrics or Merseytravel, it is entirely in the
control of Network Rail."

Merseyrail and Merseytravel said they only found out on Monday that
the platform would be narrower than 2.5m.

Sandhills is often used as a station where passengers alight when
there are problems with services, and a space of 2m is not judged safe
if high numbers of people are involved.

Cllr Mark Dowd, chairman of Merseytravel, said: "We are going to the
Government to say enough is enough. It's an absolute disaster, it will
create chaos, make no mistake about it.

"Network Rail is as much use as a chocolate fireguard, and this is
another kick in the teeth."

He said he was concerned it could cause disruption for the Grand
National in April.

The committee agreed a motion calling on the Government to hand
control of the network over to Merseytravel.

When open, 4,500 people use Sandhills station each day, adding up to
1.5m passengers a year, and it is also used by football fans catching
the Soccerbus service to Anfield and Goodison Park.

A spokesman for Network Rail insisted Merseytravel and Merseyrail had
been aware of the 2m clearance between hoardings and the platform edge
from "day one".

He said: "That has never been a concern until we had a meeting with
them on Monday.

"It was suggested by Merseyrail 'we keep the station closed until July
- a week before the Tall Ships event, because that would give
everybody a clear shot at working on the station'."

He insisted that, although 2m was not the "standard", it was safe and
acceptable.

He admitted Network Rail could have done with a two- week extension,
but added: "We are still working for a hand back of the station on
March 10."