10 of the "worst" stations in England had been identified for ?50m of improvements, including Manchester Victoria, Wigan North Western, Crewe, and Liverpool Central.
The historic Crewe station, a vital hub in the UK national rail network, is falling apart and is a disgrace. It gets considerable traffic and should have far better facilities. This is possibly the most important station outside London and needs to be improved.
The major NS/EW junction of Warrington Bank Quay is also a disappointment, considering it is a major town on the West Coast mainline, and a junction connecting a North Wales service (which ought to go to Holyhead rather than terminating at Llandudno), the station has nothing and is too bleak.
The underground Liverpool Central is like a dungeon, its overcrowded island platforms an accident waiting to happen, and again a lack of proper facilities.
Wigan North Western, another identified for cash for
Maybe there’s only so much you can do in the middle of a recession. The vulnerable in society are still going to want their benefits.
Barbara Doll to you | May 26, 2010
It’s a disgrace. The government wants more people to use the trains, but doesn’t seem prepared to make the railways attractive to travel on. Many stations have been reduced to unstaffed halts, with bus type shelters and little else – no toilets, no refreshments, nothing.
All these train companies are making massive profits, and in any other country they would be obliged to use that money to improve facilities for their passengers.
squeaky guinea pig | May 26, 2010
No British government has been prepared to spend as much on the infrastructure as most other countries. I have a friend who travels extensively in all european countries and even Romania has better roads and railways. And I was shocked to learn that our personal tax burden is one of the lowest in the EEC. Is that why we spend so much more on big TV’s, mobile phones, fast food and booze, while things that really matter go hang? I don’t know. Perhaps you do.
edgarl | May 26, 2010
Announcements have been made about station improvements – including all those that you mention. The new Government has not stated that these works have been cancelled in the spending cuts announced earlier this week. Remember, that there is no magic wand to be waved which will mean the work will be miraculously done overnight. It all takes time, and has to be programmed and done around the continued use of busy stations.
The train operating companies, whether they make a profit or
rdenig_male | May 26, 2010
There are only 66 stations in Category B.
Branson is the head of Virgin trains. Train operating companies are not responsible for stations. Stations are owned and operated by Network Rail. Train operating companies have no control whatsoever over what Network Rail do with the money to them by train operating companies for the right to operate the franchise. That is between Network Rail and the government.
If you are somehow anti-Branson, you seem to have picked the wrong topic.
JIM | May 26, 2010
You highlight a few stations that are in a poorish state, thought not nearly as bad as you state. On the network as a whole most stations are cleaner, have had more re-furbishment and have been made more user friendly than at any time since the second world war. Huge progress has been made in providing not only clean and re-furbished stations but beter places to eat and drink, clean toilets and better facilities for the disabled as well as high tech train running information. The responsibility for
David S | May 27, 2010
British Rail was privatised years ago. Some stations are owned by rail companies and some are owned by Network Rail (ex-Railtrack).
16 seconds in | May 27, 2010
Good point, before tens of millions are spent on a new ‘hi-speed’ rail lines, the existing rail network needs to be brought up to standard. When the railways were privatised we were told we wouldn’t have to pay a subsidy to maintain the railways. We’re still paying a subsidy and train company directors are collecting millions in profits from exorbitant fares.
Sol | May 27, 2010
