It was great today to join people from First Capital Connect, Network Rail, WHIG, other local councillors and members of the local community to officially open the new Thameslink station.
What was interesting was that despite the large crowd (I counted 60) we made very little impression on the huge public space that is the new station forecourt.
My colleague Councillor Gillian Risso-Gill is already thinking how to use the space.
There are reports of the event (including the actual ribbon cutting) you can read the First Capital Connect press release.
The only worry I have is how often the tiles are going to get cleaned. The subtle way they project from the wall suggests to me they will end up being a magnet for dust. Lets hope they get a regular high pressure wash down!
This is good how? The much proclaimed 12 carriage trains won't arrive until 2018 (It would be nice if FCC would run more than a few 8 carriage trains - their first act on coming in was to change most of them to four).
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, same old aggressively bad service, same old overpricing and an ego trip for the councillors. FCC has spent most of the upgrade money it got on putting new ticket barriers all along the line. What an utterly pointless waste of money.
I think most people would agree there are many reasons why this is a good thing. My top three are:
ReplyDeletea) Access:
There are lifts to the platform - allowing many more people to use the trains who can't negotiate stairs and/or don't want to negotiate stairs with heavy luggage on their way to places like Luton or Gatwick. It was just announced that the Overground is also set to get new lifts - so making the transition between different lines will be much easier for people with limited mobility.
b) Safety:
After years of complaints and several serious accidents, the new layout massively improves the pedestrian traffic around the very busy stations - particularly during rush hour. Expect far fewer accidents in the future now that the two shops on the corner of West End Lane and Iverson Road have been demolished and the pavements are much wider.
c) Public space:
In their plans Network Rail promised a new public square for West Hampstead. I thought this was hype at the time - but now its built is clear how big an area they have created. Whilst you don't want to use it for events that would get in the way of the rush hour traffic (see above) the extended forecourt is very attractive place for events like market stalls (like the one the West Hampstead councillors organised this weekend) on a more regular basis.
The investment has cost them quite a bit - and I think installing ticket barriers (they call it 'revenue protection') is a fair trade off for those benefits above. (It might even stop many locals being overcharged if they forget to touch out with their Oyster cards)
Other people might highlight different benefits - such as the smarter building, the disabled toilet, the mini cafe (coming to the station soon), the more prominent live departure boards, the wider pedestrian bridge (lessening the horrible crushes that there were as lots of people left the trains) or the increased feeling of personal security people are reporting. But apart from all of that - what have Network Rail ever done for us??