Great Western Coffee Shop

Hayes and Harlington Station has four platforms - two on the outside of the four tracks nos. 1 & 4 resp., and an island in the middle for 2/3. The down fast is on platform 1 - accessed by stairs from Station Road. The up fast 2 and down local 3 serve the island. The up local is on 4. The ticket office is on 4. A footbridge connects 4 and 2/3 - but 1 is isolated.

Importantly the upper foyer on Station Road Bridge is accessed by stairs from 2/3 and from 4.

A poster has just appeared at H&H Station stating that the stairs from platforms 2 & 3 are to be closed early prior to the Station's demolition. This is apparently to test the inconvenience to long suffering passengers and commuters. It is stated that passengers would have to use the Heathrow Express Bridge.

But that is the puzzle - the HEX has nothing to do with the Station and vice versa - and there is certainly NO Heathrow Express Bridge!!! So exactly what misleading game  Network Rail / Crossrail is playing at is a moot point? It does not bode well to the coming massive disruption of the demolition of the Station when NR cannot even get its terminology right.

But the closure of the stairs to / from platforms 2 & 3 and the upper foyer is going to cause MASSIVE inconvenience to everyone. This is due to:

1/ It will be almost impossible to get from platforms 2 & 3 to platform 1 except via platform 4 - the quickest route of course would be to run across the fast tracks.

2/ Network Rail has a poor reputation locally for switching trains to different platforms at the last minute; imagine that when a train is seen arriving at platform 1 and passengers have to run from platforms 2 / 3 over the footbridge to platform 4. along Station Parade past Tescos to the Roundabout, then up Station Road to the stairs to platform 1, and then down those stairs. This is simply not going to happen. The best route would be to run across the fast tracks - a dangerous situation I have complained of more than once.

3/ When a train pulls into 2 or 3 the stairs of the footbridge are always crowded with arriving passengers trying to exit the Station; the closure of the direct stairs to the upper foyer would exacerbate this over-crowding especially for passengers trying to go against the flow of arriving commuters to catch the train just pulled in.

4/ There are no lifts so tourists with luggage trying to get from platform 4 to 2 / 3 or vice versa would have to lummox their heavy luggage down and up potentially THREE flights of stairs - sometime against the flow of commuters.

5/ The exit from platform 4 is about to be blocked by the demolition of the neighbouring block of shops / offices in Station Road - WHICH CONTAINS ASBESTOS. It is apparent that no protection from this and other dust will be made for passengers and staff having to walk past the works.

6/ The stairs up from Station Parade to Station Road - where the buses stop - will be blocked off due to the demolition of that building; this would mean that to get to Station Road for the buses passengers arriving at platforms 2 / 3 would have to go up and over the footbridge (two flights of stairs), then out at platform 4, then along the road to the roundabout outside Tescos, then up Station Road to the various bus stops.

7/ In the morning peak passengers waiting on platform 4 would entirely block the approach to the footbridge to 2 & 3 - an already over-crowded situation.

8/ The closure of the direct stairs to / from 2 / 3 and the upper foyer would greatly inconvenience the aged and infirm, anyone with walking aids, mothers with pushchairs, and commuters with bicycles, etc., and it would be impossible to gain access to 2 / 3 for those in wheelchairs who are already grossly (and illegally) inconvenienced by FGW and Network Rail.

9/ Network Rail in its incompetence for misleading the hapless passengers insists on continuing to advertise on large signs that ONLY platforms 4 and 3 are used for trains to or from London. As Network Rail and FGW know at weekends, and in the early and late hours trains also use platforms 2 & 1. There is no reason to suspect that NR or FGW will stop misleading passengers during the demolition / rebuilding work.

10/ The MAIN and ONLY visible departure screen showing platforms for arriving / departing trains is in the upper foyer. This will be removed when the stairs to / from platforms 2 & 3 are closed (and later demolished). Again this is an appalling lack of customer service. 

It appears that Network Rail - once again - is shown to be totally incapable of planning in terms of the needs of commuters and passengers especially in the rush-hour. And to create a situation which could encourage passengers run run across the fast tracks is nothing short of utter incompetence.

But then with Crossrail's / Network Rail's HGV trucks are still killing cyclists in London, so safety for the hapless travelling public does not seem to be a consideration for Crossrail nor indeed Network Rail. The continuing fiasco at London Bridge has also shown that.

C.J.Brady
Harlington

I would address all this to the Crossrail help-email address. You'll definitely get a response.

Yes - but Crassrail are not in charge of Hayes & Harlington demolition. And Network Rail at CRCrossrail@networkrail.co.uk have never yet responded to any of my emails. Even Mark Hopwood has personally responded to many of my concerns - but this is not a FGW project.

Try them, explaining you have contacted NR at that address and could they possibly respond/give another contact? They're usually very helpful - and it is being done for Crossrail, isn't it?

Your point 5 if the shops being demolished really do contain Asbestos then that has to be removed first by specialist contractors the building will have to be sealed and the men will work in full protective clothing. Only once the Asbestos has been removed can the buildings be demolished.

If this doesn't happen then report it to the Health and Safety Executive.

I also believe that demolition contractors are not allowed to let dust etc. escape.

Also lines are designated Mains and Relief.

Out of curiosity to the OP is the typo in the title for this thread deliberate ? :)

The HEX bridge really is a Heathrow Express Bridge, it was installed when the Heathrow Connect (or what ever it was called originally) was inaugurated by HEX.

NR are only following the plan set out by Crossrail, the stairways to the booking office would have to close at some stage so the old shack can be de-constructed.  I think Southall when they get around to that one will be even worse

OK. Give us your alternative plan for redeveloping the station then.

Certainly I would have thought a temporary footbridge from Platform 1 to 2/3 could and indeed should be provided during the works to stop the very long walk (and potentially dangerous short cut) you describe?  Is that definitely not the case?

Other than that concern, a major station redevelopment is always going to cause some temporary issues, and given the far better station that will come as a result, there has to be an element of patience from users of the station during the works.

.....after what Crossrail did to the lovely 130 year old bridge at Taplow station (belted it with a crane, it's been closed ever since), I wouldn't trust them further than I could throw them.

Makes it sound like it was done directly on Peter Hendy's personal instructions.

It was not Crossrail that set about hitting the bridge; it was a contractor (likely to be a sub contractor) working for the agent (Network Rail) of Crossrail.

From what I can see of the damage it looks like the roof was hit and not the main span beams.

It was a subcontractor if you want to be pedantic, although in my industry we take responsibility for the actions of our subbies and take it on the chin..........the outcome of their carelessness is that we now (at no doubt enormous expense) have a temporary structure being erected at Taplow pro tem.....a cynic may of course suggest that the "accidental" strike may be beneficial to Crossrail/NR in the long run, as making adjustments to a bridge of that vintage may be far more expensive than knocking it down and building a new one..........naturally of course I would never suggest that  ;)

Lifts/ramps need to be provided now Crossrail has agreed to make all stations accessible, don't they?

At enormous expense, that is, to the subcontractor.  They may be able to pass this on to their insurer, but they will pay in the long run through greater insurance premiums.  

Edited to fix quotes - bobm

I'm not sure insurance policies cover negligence on the part of the insured, however more important to me and the local community is the potential loss of a 130 year old bridge due to the carelessness (wanton or otherwise) of an idiot.

Oh come on TG don't hold back on this - say what you really think :) :) :)

...........sorry, I've always been a shrinking violet (.....simpers, blushes, giggles)  ;D

I'm not sure how much character will remain after modifications necessary for electric trains have been made?  The lattice open sides will need to be covered with something, the whole thing strengthened and, presumably, modern lifts bolted on to the sides?

Doesn't that mean platforms 1&2 are not used for any services at peak times, which could ease some of the other problems you mentioned?

Open Letter to Hillingdon Council, Network Rail, Demolition Contractors

As a regular user of Hayes & Harlington Station I am increasingly concerned at the apparent lack of protection that the travelling public will have against the stripping of asbestos in the building being demolished next door.

High boards and canvas sheets have been placed around the site in Station Parade - but these are NO protection from asbestos dust - the latter being so fine that the dust has to be filtered using specialist equipment.

It appears that even the mandatory specialist equipment including air-locks does NOT seem to be getting installed.

This is all an unacceptable health risk both for the travelling public and for the staff at the Station.

Personally I have had enough of the lackadaisical approach to stripping asbestos especially at Heathrow Airport (Queens Building incl. the old Medical Centre) and at British Airways (Viscount House, Speedbird House, Comet House, and ancillary pre-fabs). Over the years staff working in these buildings were told by respective managements to just ignore the issues and they will go away. I know this because I used to be a union appointed Health & Safety Representative and lost promotions due to being deemed a whistle blower.

It is unacceptable in this day and age for asbestos to be stripped without adequate protection for the public and staff - including those doing the demolition.

CJB

You tried living there? Appalling place.

Of course it does, all (sensible) limited companies will have professional indemnity insurance which exists to cover negligent actions and to cover any losses arising from those.

Last time I was there it had 5 platforms - one being a rarely used bay  ;D

In fact no client will take them on without it. 

This was a delicate one to merge: the original heading, referred to above, was to 'Hates and Harlington ...'.  I've had to absorb that into a new heading, for a newly merged topic, covering the whole subject in one place - in the interests of continuity and ease of future reference, as ever.  ::)

Very useful for when the Connect can't get to Heathrow though.

And from next year when the first of the TV electrics arrive for crew training.

Not sure if there will be a footbridge to platform 1 at Hayes. Last time I was at West Drayton the incomplete bridge only went between platforms 4/5 and 2/3.
The Hillingdon Times says:
http://www.hillingdontimes.co.uk/news/13370474.Harlington_students_visit_Crossrail_work_at_West_Drayton_station/

Hayes is getting a new footbridge covering all platforms.  The details of which can be found in the planning application:

http://planning.hillingdon.gov.uk/OcellaWeb/showDocuments?reference=10057/APP/2014/4338&module=pl (http://planning.hillingdon.gov.uk/OcellaWeb/showDocuments?reference=10057/APP/2014/4338&module=pl)

There's a trial closure of the main footbridge throughout today (until 19:30) with the intention of monitoring passenger flows to see if the second footbridge can cope.  Let's hope there's a problem meaning some trains have to stop on the down main platform so those monitoring the trial can see what effect that has.

Ha ha - the trial was a complete failure. There were so may passengers using the footbridge from 2/3 to 4 that Health & Safety had to restrict the numbers using it.

I still reckon that the quickest way to get from 2/3 to 1 is across the fast tracks. Since Network Rail suddenly switch platforms just imagine that the last Oxford advertised to arrive at 3 is seen to be arriving on 1. I've seen that many times over the years mainly at weekends.

What is needed is some input into the Crossrail redevelopment from actual users. The FGW Customer Panel is useless. NR remains aloof. Crossrail doesn't consult anyone but just goes ahead with demolition. NO-ONE asks the actual users.

Try joining it then & making it 'better'.

If all that was true, why would they bother with a passenger flow trial?

Never been invited - never knew that there was an option to. CJB.

There are posters on every major station inviting applications - ditto leaflets & the FGW website.

All words and no action....typical of someone frequenting the uk.rail googlegroups. I bet you won't apply either.

I know, lets just close the station to passengers for the entire duration of the works - would make the lives of the people carrying out the improvement works a whole lot easier and would also prevent anyone from using your shortcut across the fast lines (good luck with that by the way!). Would that work better for you?  Or maybe just leave it in the state it's currently in?

It sounds to me like a plan has been made for a much needed overhaul of this tired station in conjunction with the modifications required for electrification and that quite some effort is being put in to try to keep it open and usable throughout the works, I guess you can't please all of the people all of the time, eh?!