Plea to save historic rail bridge
The Friends of Alton Station are urging people to write to Network Rail in support of their campaign to save the station^s historic footbridge.Viewed as an integral part of the railway station^s Victorian facade, key to its attraction for visitors to the Mid Hants Railway heritage steam line, and part of the town^s history, the footbridge was closed in August last year after a Network Rail inspection found it to be ^less structurally sound than expected^.
Now the estimated cost of repairs has led to an unofficial recommendation by Network Rail to demolish the bridge.
Having received a copy of an internal memo stating the engineers^ preference for demolition, the campaign group set up a meeting with a Network Rail representative ^ a meeting cancelled by the closure of the line from Farnham caused by a landslide at Wrecclesham.
So concerned have Friends of Alton Station members become on the lack of action and communication over the future of the bridge, they have taken the initiative by writing to Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy requesting a meeting to discuss the matter.
According to Friends of Alton Station chairman Stephen Lewis, East Hampshire
MP▸ Damian Hinds has also written, and Alton Town Council is expected to do so in the near future.
Now, campaign group members are making an appeal to the public to write to Sir Peter in support of the retaining the footbridge.
It appears that while the intention of Network Rail had been to repair and redecorate the bridge to extend its serviceable life for at least another three to four years, to enable the Friends of Alton Station to try to organise longer-term funding to maintain the structure, the level of decay has been found to be greater than initial visual examinations originally revealed, raising safety issues, and this, combined with a number of associated engineering implications, has seen as escalation in the cost of retaining and re-structuring, now expected to be more than ^500,000.
By contrast, the removal and improvement process would be less than half.
But there appears to be no suggestion from Network Rail of making it safe and, while not for use, retaining the structure purely for its visual effect.
Ideally, the Friends of Alton Station would like to retain the bridge for future use.
Mr Lewis said there were three main strands to the argument for retention:
- History: The bridge was installed in 1892 and is part of the fabric of Alton;
- Tourism: The footbridge is an important and well-known part of the Victorian ambience of the station as people cross the line to access the Mid-Hants Railway Steam Heritage Line;
- Convenience: People using the train services to London find that the bridge offers a covered route from the canopy of platform two to that on platform one, and when the train is full the bridge allows for faster movement for those at the southern end of platform two.
As president of Alton Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Lewis pointed out that tourism is one aspect of Alton^s economy that the chamber is keen to build on. ^We recognise that Alton^s connection with both the national rail network and the steam railway are a key part of our tourist industry, and the footbridge is a very visual part of that historic connection,^ he said.
While accepting that the recently erected Disability Discrimination Act-compliant bridge plays an important role in making Alton station more accessible, Mr Lewis added: ^It is simply that the Friends of Alton Station, Alton Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Alton Town Council, the Alton Society and the Alton Line Users^ Association all recognise that the 1892 bridge is important to people in the town and to those who use the station for both business and pleasure.^
To support the Friends of Alton Station campaign, e-mail
peter.hendy@networkrail.co.uk or write to Sir Peter Hendy, Chairman, Network Rail, 1 Eversholt Street, London. NW1 2DN.
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