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Midland Station. One of the Most Popular.

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Guest busdriver1
So no room to the north, but there is to the south where there used to be 4 tracks as far as Dore. Some have said this should be used for tram train, but a park and ride station at Millhouses could serve as a terminus for some of those stopping services coming in from the north and east.

 

Far too sensible, will never happen as far to many people will actively look for reasons for it not to happen rather than looking for ways to make it happen.

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There is no requirement for the Cross Country trains (mostly class 221/222) to arrive at Sheffield with First Class at the front or rear- its pretty random. Platform staff are not informed, but they are aware of the congestion on that platform.

If you really want to be a smart person, look at the bar above the coupling as the train approaches, if it's yellow that is the first class end of a 221/222.

 

I do look for the yellow bar (also on the TPE 185s) as trains arrive but the position of the first class is (generally) displayed on the platform monitors for each train. If the platform staff took a moment to look at these themselves they could possibly be a bit more proactive in encouraging passengers to move down the platform when the first class is displayed as being in the rear coach.

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Speaking of the "ticket nazis" at Piccadilly back on page one, what Sheffield needs is "enforcers" to regulate the stairs up to the footbridge to ensure people don't walk up the "down" stairs, and down the "up" stairs.

 

Particularly on the island platorms, 2, 3&4, & 5.

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The positioning of first class is often beyond the control of the operator but if they were customer focused then there would be far more communication between the operator and the station and then to the customer as the positioning is known well in advance of the trains arrival.

 

Long ago in the days of BR InterCity tried colour coding sections of the platform to enable passengers to wait in the right area true it did not always work

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So no room to the north, but there is to the south where there used to be 4 tracks as far as Dore. Some have said this should be used for tram train, but a park and ride station at Millhouses could serve as a terminus for some of those stopping services coming in from the north and east.

 

Terminating the Short Formed trains from the North and Lincolnshire at 3 and 4 and running the longer units to terminate at Millhouses (or similar) Park and ride would be solving several problems, particularly if the through roads at Midland could be utilised in the same way as platform 1. A lot of potential for the these trains to stop at the north ends of 2,5 and 6 and then move out onto the through roads to avoid the terminating London trains and the reversing Liverpool Norwich trains. Could be a tight fit.

 

Reintroduce Platform 9 as well.

 

If the new station was far enough south, Dore station( parking, platforms to London) problems are resolved-close it.

 

Is there enough land anywhere to build a new station? Yes Tesco.

 

---------- Post added 23-05-2018 at 01:12 ----------

 

The positioning of first class is often beyond the control of the operator but if they were customer focused then there would be far more communication between the operator and the station and then to the customer as the positioning is known well in advance of the trains arrival.

 

Long ago in the days of BR InterCity tried colour coding sections of the platform to enable passengers to wait in the right area true it did not always work

 

EMT Norwich Liverpool Trains are frequently not in alphabetic order ie

 

ABDC, BACD, BADC

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Where was Platform 9? How easy would it be to restore it?

 

The use of platforms 2, 5 and 6 and the under utilised through roads sounds fairly simple and a quick win, although the through roads can get very congested with parked Pacers at weekends!

 

SYPTE commissioned a feasibility study into restoring all 4 platform's at Dore & Totley when the second platform is restored. It would have created more congestion in the Sheaf valley and added to journey times for long distance routes so was shelved. That's almost certainly even less feasible with HS2 wanting to power through.

 

However, extending those longer trains currently terminating at the north end down to Dore might be feasible. The space between the old fast and slow double tracks at Dore was wide and the old island platform could have been narrowed and/or extended to add a bay platform. It might be possible to do that at less expense than a full restoration, and without causing a blockage on the mainline. Such a platform could probably take two short trains, as happens at 3 and 4 today.

 

Combined with a Millhouses station (Tesco's maybe rebuilt overhead) and restoration of more track into town there's only lack of money to prevent an addition to cross city rail connections and increased flexibility.

 

The Midland Railway engineers who triumphed with the construction of the fast and slow tracks down the Sheaf valley, opened in 1904, would be amazed to see how well we're doing without them today - and see so many old track beds that could be restored to ease current congestion.

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Where was Platform 9? How easy would it be to restore it?

 

The use of platforms 2, 5 and 6 and the under utilised through roads sounds fairly simple and a quick win, although the through roads can get very congested with parked Pacers at weekends!

 

SYPTE commissioned a feasibility study into restoring all 4 platform's at Dore & Totley when the second platform is restored. It would have created more congestion in the Sheaf valley and added to journey times for long distance routes so was shelved. That's almost certainly even less feasible with HS2 wanting to power through.

 

However, extending those longer trains currently terminating at the north end down to Dore might be feasible. The space between the old fast and slow double tracks at Dore was wide and the old island platform could have been narrowed and/or extended to add a bay platform. It might be possible to do that at less expense than a full restoration, and without causing a blockage on the mainline. Such a platform could probably take two short trains, as happens at 3 and 4 today.

 

Combined with a Millhouses station (Tesco's maybe rebuilt overhead) and restoration of more track into town there's only lack of money to prevent an addition to cross city rail connections and increased flexibility.

 

The Midland Railway engineers who triumphed with the construction of the fast and slow tracks down the Sheaf valley, opened in 1904, would be amazed to see how well we're doing without them today - and see so many old track beds that could be restored to ease current congestion.

 

The north end of platform 8 has a very obvious kink- this was platform 9, the track to platform 8 was next to the wall where there is now a space.

 

Expanding Dore station to four platforms is a dead duck.

No significant local demand

No Park and Ride facility for 400+ cars.

Poor road connections.

Nimby land.

Genuine environmental issues on the eastern side.

 

The example of Cambridge North is a reminder of how difficult it is to plan and fund a new station and on a much bigger bit of railway land with a much bigger usage forecast.

 

Focus on Millhouses

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EMT Norwich Liverpool Trains are frequently not in alphabetic order ie

 

ABDC, BACD, BADC

 

Indeed I imagine this is even confuses the staff not just the passengers

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This is usually because half is detached/attached at Nottingham.

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Speaking of the "ticket nazis" at Piccadilly back on page one, what Sheffield needs is "enforcers" to regulate the stairs up to the footbridge to ensure people don't walk up the "down" stairs, and down the "up" stairs.

 

Particularly on the island platorms, 2, 3&4, & 5.

 

Well said there about the stairs! I've often thought about suggesting gates/turnstiles that only operate in the correct direction on the 'up' and 'down' stairs.

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The north end of platform 8 has a very obvious kink- this was platform 9, the track to platform 8 was next to the wall where there is now a space.

 

Expanding Dore station to four platforms is a dead duck.

No significant local demand

No Park and Ride facility for 400+ cars.

Poor road connections.

Nimby land.

Genuine environmental issues on the eastern side.

 

The example of Cambridge North is a reminder of how difficult it is to plan and fund a new station and on a much bigger bit of railway land with a much bigger usage forecast.

 

Focus on Millhouses

 

I've traced a 1964 1:1250 map online and can see it was a similar arrangement to the present 1a and 1b way of operation. It's probably possible to find enough width to make a bay platform between 6 and 8 to allow longer trains to continue using the full length of both, and also hold a 4 car train from the north, especially if using the space up to the wall.

 

The opportunity to do anything at Dore has now passed anyway. Doing otherwise would delay the long overdue redoubling, something that has been at least 20 years in the planning. The biggest local concern is the non-local demand and the good ring road connections drawing users from as far as Aston to the east, Crosspool to the north-west and Chesterfield to the south! Local demand is currently heavily constrained by the lack of trains into, and out of Sheffield. The services in 1938 were very much better.

 

Because there's a better service twice as many commute the 40 miles to Manchester as the 4 miles into Sheffield! Trains into Sheffield in a morning are at 6.50, 7.57, 8.03, 8.24, 8.28, 9.58. Note the gaps of more than an hour at critical commuting times for a service that takes 7 minutes compared with peak hour buses taking over 30 minutes into town.

 

Return trains out of Sheffield at 14.14, then 16.14, 17.14, 18.14, 19.14, 20.14, then an age until 22.47. It only takes a little over an hour to walk the distance. Yet 3 trains an hour will pass through in each direction.

 

However, this thread is about Shefield Midland, so I'll stop here - after mentioning that the new 7.57 into Sheffield is allowed 17 minutes from Grindleford and for it's first 3 days of operation has arrived at Dore in time to take a 7 minute breather, a better place for passengers to wait if it's wet than cramming into the tiny waiting shelter or sheltering under the single large conifer!

 

(Incoming passengers are now coming from Manchester to D&T for Chatsworth and getting the 218 bus outside the station, maybe saving 40 minutes on going into town and coming out again. Apparently somewhere on Google recommends it. Demand isn't always what you expect!)

 

It will be interesting to see what has transpired in 20-30 years time. Priorities and funding sources won't coincide so each incremental opportunity needs to be grasped along the way.

Edited by 1978

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