Network Rail has completed access improvements at Blackheath station which include ‘a new step-free route between the entrance and both platforms’.
The multi-million pound project, funded by the government’s Access for All scheme, included the installation of a new lift with CCTV and telephone links, and a new staircase to platform 1 which serves London-bound trains.
A new gate was also installed to reopen the existing access point to platform 2 which serves trains towards Kent.
To keep ‘disruption to a minimum’ and get the ‘best value for money’, work to renovate the platforms took place at the same time, Network Rail said.
Transport minister Norman Baker said: “It is important that everyone is able to access the railways as rail travel continues to grow in popularity – that is why we have contributed £1.1m from our Access for All initiative to upgrading Blackheath station.
“In total we are committed to spending £370m on upgrading stations across Britain for people with reduced mobility.”
Dave Ward, Network Rail’s route director for Kent, said: “Thousands of people living and working in Blackheath rely on the railway every day.
“This new step-free route around the station is great news for passengers and will make it much easier for everyone to use the train, especially those with reduced mobility or with small children.
“It’s a significant investment in our stations so they better meet the ever changing needs of passengers.”
Following comments from readers of Rail.co regarding delays to the upgrades and a lack of communication from Network Rail during the works, we asked for their comments.
A Network Rail spokesperson said:
“We issued a letter in April advising local people that we had experienced some problems with the project owing to a combination of extreme winter weather conditions in December and January, some unforeseen difficulties with the installation of the new power supply for the lift and some issues with the fabrication of the new staircase.
“This meant we would not be able to complete the work to the original timescale.
“We apologise for any additional disruption this caused for passengers.”
I don’t know what planet you people are on. The upgrades were delayed for months. The wrong steps were ordered. The whole process has been a total farce, and commuters have had to put up with shoddy access for 8 months, just so that Network Rail could install a lift. I’ve seen glaciers move faster. The sooner the whole rail industry is nationalised the better. More here: http://blackheathbugle.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/anyone-care-to-balance-this-up-a-little/
Hello – and please do not get me on the total lack of communication with all those passengers who were affected by the works over the last 8 months. #totalfail
The improvements to Blackheath train station have been a right mess; nil communication, it took an incredible amount of time *and* I had to get two small kids including a buggy up and down that makeshift bridge with no help whatsoever. God help anyone who had to do that regularly. Oh, and the tarmac (!) surface on the slope from platform 2 into the village looks and feels like it was done on the cheap too.
“A new gate was also installed to reopen the existing access point to platform 2 which serves trains towards Kent.” – Umm . . . have I missed something – what new gate? All I can see they’ve done for access to Platform 2 is completely block off the very useful side gate half way up the access tunnel which is no bloody use to anyone. I would also echo Viks and BlackheathBugle’s comments. I’ve felt like I was risking my life every morning crossing the temporary bridge for the last 8 months which seemed to get more and more wobbly every day.
Amazing – where did you learn your propaganda skills – North Korea or Iraq’s Comical Ali. It has been nothing short of a farce – no communication in 8 months. Would someone like to explain why it took 8 months to install a single lift?
I echo BlackheathBugle’s comments below. I’ve seen elderly passengers and parents with buggies struggling over that bridge for eight months, and we’ve had no clear indication of when things would improve… very little cause for celebration here. An explanation and an apology would be more appropriate.
Had this been any an article of misinformation about any other station, I think they might have got away with it – but when it’s about an area like Blackheath, the people are too passionate about where they live to allow crap like this to get published!! Thank you Blackheath Bugle for bringing this to our attention!
I am sure that the alterations will ultimately offer better accessibility, but what about the 8 months where accessibility was made twice as hard for anyone wishing to use Platform 1 and an epic quest for anyone with a pushchair? An acceptance of the errors that contributed to extended and significant inconvenience to commuters would not go amiss.
It is not a slap on the back you deserve for this, it is a kick up the back****
I’ve yet to meet anyone in Blackheath who thinks the ‘improvements’ are actually improvements, or that they couldn’t have organised the whole thing better whilst drunk.
I have put forward your comments to Network Rail who responded with this statement:
“We issued a letter in April advising local people that we had experienced some problems with the project owing to a combination of extreme winter weather conditions in December and January, some unforeseen difficulties with the installation of the new power supply for the lift and some issues with the fabrication of the new staircase.“This meant we would not be able to complete the work to the original timescale.“We apologise for any additional disruption this caused for passengers.”
So are Network Rail resorting to A) blaming the weather (one month out of 8) and the admittance that Network Rail have engineers who can’t tell their a**e from their elbow over power supplies (remind me do the trains still run on steam) so it boils down to blaming the contractor who are unable to (project) manage their way out of the proverbial wet paper bag!
It doesn’t come close to an appropriate compensation. I wouldn’t be allowed to pay my season ticket 8 months late. They should compensate us for the wasted time on that bloody bridge, and open the extra exits (which would cost them nothing). Utterly mismanaged, with nobody prepared to do anything about it.
I quote:
‘A Network Rail spokesperson said:
“We issued a letter in April advising local people that we had
experienced some problems with the project owing to a combination of
extreme winter weather conditions in December and January, some
unforeseen difficulties with the installation of the new power supply
for the lift and some issues with the fabrication of the new staircase.’
As a point of clarity. The letter was issued to people living in the adjacent roads. Nothing was given to the hundreds of other people who pass through this station each day. Nor was there any information posted on the hoarding outside the station at all throughout the project. Nor was there a phone number for people to contact the Project Manager.
Sorry Network Rail and South Eastern. It is just not good enough.
I am glad that the direct access to platform 1 has finally opened after such a ridiculously long time, but I am at pains to see how the £1.1 million pounds has been spent. The choice of flooring at the entrance seems to be a mistake as it was already slippery today in the wet weather and just waiting for an accident to happen. It would be interesting to see how these funds have been spent. I live fairly close to the station but did not receive any letter about the delays. How about putting up a notice on the station platform or handing out flyers – that would probably be the easiest way of keeping passengers informed of the delays.
The project was months overdue with no communication at all to customers by Southeastern- either by posters or flyers at the station – to explain the delay. These would have been very easy and cheap to arrange, and would have been kept the thousands of daily commuters in the loop. I live very close to the station, use it 7 days a week and pay over £1000 for an annual season ticket, and received or saw nothing. Southeastern, it was very poor if delays kept occurring to nor inform us.And anyway, 8 months to install one small lift (the gate mentioned on platform 2 has always been there) is pathetic.
You are a bunch of wasters. How dare you spend council tax on such a load of baloney. You should be ashamed of yourselves – look in the mirror and think “I am a waste of expenditure”
By the way, I’m pretty sure that this site is ripping off your wonderful story: http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/network-rail-blackheath-station-becomes-accessible-for-everyone/
What an outrageous piece of self congratulatory propoganda!
The installation was a joke – lift installed backwards, and the wrong steps ordered twice, the new flooring at the top of the stairs is slippery and dangerous when wet, and the worst thing is the shocking waste of money installing an un-necessary and showy lift when a simple slope to mirror the other platform would have been more than adequate.
And please don’t claim credit for ‘new’ entrances to platform two when all youve done is unlock an existing gate (whilst locking two others in the process).
Oh, and what ‘simultaneous’ improvements to the platforms are you taking about. You’ve changed Absolutely nothing on the platforms themselves!
What about the toilets that badly need refurbishing? What about the fact that the display board on the town platform is hidden behind ironmongery when you’re beyond the canopy?
And this is without even mentioning the reduced services, delays and cancelations! You want more people to use the trains, then provide a better service, NOT PR spin like this.
What a load of Rubbish – the communication and delays to this project were ridiculous. I was never once informed of how long it was going to take and why it was taking so long! Who evers idea it was to have the works carried out over an icy winter too is obviously in the wrong job. I find it amazing that after the severe cuts to the Blackheath rush hour services that they can come out with this sort of pathetic propaganda. WHAT PLANET ARE YOU GUYS ON?!! Oh, and cheers for the price hike in the season ticket by the way guys – less trains, more expensive ticket – real nice touch that – you must be proud.
I’m astounded by this article, is Norman Baker living on the same planet as the rest of us.
The works were a disaster from start to finish. If the man working on this had created the earth then it would have taken 6 years not 6 days.
Joking apart, this whole fiasco should be the subject of a public enquiry.
The stairs ordered were the wrong ones, the workmen doing the work on the new ramp did about 4 hours work a day, some days no work at all, giving massive disruption to the local taxi firm. The entrance halfway down is now blocked up by a incorrectly installed set of railings.
The temporary bridge is still in place, apparently because the contractors can’t remember who put it up.
I’m proud to be British, but this whole episode has made me ashamed of British workmanship.
This article is the worst kind of journalism, based on nothing more than a press release!
The report is confusing, implying the works at Blackheath were a multi-million pound project. A similar scheme has been completed a few miles away at Forest Hill. The upgrades are beneficial, but definitely not ‘multi-million’. It is crucial for journalists to enquire how much the individual project cost.
the new gate in n wall to car park is as yet inoperable–oyster?? please fix asap as climbing the hill exhausts us 70yr olds. The gate has been ready for three months now–pls expedite its consumation(!).
when will you open side gate in brick wall and sliding gate?
It’s been three months now! Not good enouugh!
when will you open side gate in brick wall and sliding gate?
It’s been three months now! Not good enouugh!