Some on here would twist on 21
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Sunderland railway station.
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There’s no funding secured for the platform expansion yet though, sadly.
The city deserves much more.
What will it do to improve connectivity / platform capacity?
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Howton3r
Full Back
Here's a brand new train station, phase one of many to come
(Some) posters on SMB and eejits on facebook: NER NA IT'S CRAP EEE LOOK ARRIT THERES ANRLY 7 SEATS 20 MILLION ON WHAT. WAA WAA WAA WAA WAA
Normal people: Eeee aye it's canny, glad it's done, better than the owld one. I hope they fill it out a bit more...
(Some) posters on SMB and eejits on facebook: NER NA IT'S CRAP EEE LOOK ARRIT THERES ANRLY 7 SEATS 20 MILLION ON WHAT. WAA WAA WAA WAA WAA
Normal people: Eeee aye it's canny, glad it's done, better than the owld one. I hope they fill it out a bit more...
Its certainly moving along, unless you're blind that is.
PinzaC55
Striker
But as I pointed out earlier the logical way to do things would be to sort the platforms and track out first then do the surface buildings. The way they have done it is like building a bungalow and maybe adding a basement when you have enough money.
The Ram
Central Defender
Ideally yes, not all of the money is available to do that and the south entrance was dropping to bits.
PinzaC55
Striker
How much would the platforms and track cost to sort out ? Genuine question as I don't know. I knew one of the designers of the signalling for the Metro rebuild in 2001. He told me the original intention was to have the platforms back as they were pre 1966 but it was reduced to its current state for "cheapness".
seaham ftm
Winger
Would be a fortune to sort out I reckon. It needs it though.
The city in general Is, absolutely, but the capacity of the railway station (which is essential in order to have more links with the rest of the region/nation) hasn’t moved one inch.
Nexus also had and have zero interest improving Sunderland’s direct rail links with the rest of the region/country. In fact they actively oppose it.
Their policy is to channel rail passengers through Newcastle Central. While this is arguably understand for northbound journeys from Sunderland (although it still means non-direct services which are proven to be less attractive to customers than direct services), it’s barmy for southward travel (which is 75% of the the rest of the UK) because it adds a minimum of 35 minutes on to each and every journey - and in reality it’s more like a practical addition if 50 mins to allow time for the connection (particularly is travelling on ‘Specified Train Only’ tickets (ie advance) which are the cheapest).
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PinzaC55
Striker
I know what the plans are, generally. I also know that the main problem with the station was the sub surface area so if I was in charge of the project that's the bit I would tackle first.
If there's an actual engineer on here who can explain how it makes any kind of sense to do the surface building first and the platforms later, I'm willing to listen.
I could be spouting shite here but of course I could be being accused of spouting shite by other shite spouters
I never onced mentioned your post.
Osklen
Winger
I guess it depends on what you are proposing to do at station platform level?
If it is to open / remove the air structure above to make it more airy and as the image you showed then you will need to acquire the freehold and leasehold interests in order for leases/businesses to extinguished. Also consideration would need to be given to if any do any of the above ground structures actually impede the opening of any of the platforms? So do you need to demolish all of them before the platform can be utilised?
Alternatively if it’s just to tart the below ground station up as it is then I guess it doesn’t matter if the above ground concourse was built first or not albeit it would more cost effective to do it in one go. Hopefully as you have said in previous posts they’ve future proofed the existing design to enable future connection to the new platforms?
Sound likes the biggest issue has been securing funding and no doubt the options where do what they have or nothing at all?
PinzaC55
Striker
I never said you did. I recognise that I could be talking shite and there could be a good reason that this project has been handled the way it has but I want to know the actual reason.
There is no funding in place for those plans, or any desire at the public transport body responsible for Wearside to actually improve direct connections for Wearside to the broader region or the rest of the country.
The botched expansion job of the Metro in 2002 throttled capacity at the station for regional/national connections.
The city has lived with the consequences of that for more than 20 years already.
Have you ever wondered why the city centre has been so poor, while other cities have leaped ahead? Part of the reason is the lack of transport connections.
‘Plans’ are what Nexus do best. (Eg ‘Project Orpheus’) - which what they used as a distraction when the Metro came (only just) to Wearside, throttled the capacity of Sunderland Central but didn’t actually serve most of Wearside. They didn’t have finding for that but it didn’t stop them banging on about it for months and deflecting questions by pointing to ‘the plans’. A while later, Project Orpheus was quietly dropped.
The tidying up of the South entrance is just that - let nobody be fooled into thinking that it will do anything to help the city’s economic development by way of direct rail connections to anywhere else.
It only makes sense because the re-opening of mothballed platforms will never happen while Nexus are our regional PTE and they maintain a policy of channelling rail passengers through NCL. As mentioned, this is madness for 75% of journeys (which are southbound) because it means a connection and adding a minimum of 50 mins on journey time.
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Boris Bear
Striker
Stop moaning
Why?
I’m trying to get Sunderland people motivated to call for more for themselves. To stop accepting second best. To stop accepting lies and deceit. To stop accepting the economic development of their city being strangled.
The only people who won’t like that are those who benefit from those lies snd deceit.
Are you suggesting that people should build a basement then maybe add a bungalow when they have enough money?
Boris Bear
Striker
It’s not being strangled…it’s seen a billion and a half of outside investment in the last 5 years
Bloke next door
Goalkeeper
It seems to me that they’ve done a great job of smartening up the entrance. There’s no funding as yet for platform level as I guess there is no business case. However;
- trains on east Durham line are now a lot busier and there is growing pressure for more carriages
- there’s going to be extra “fast trains” on this line every couple hours starting next week I think
- the plans for city centre mean more residents and more footfall.
Ultimately if the city keeps progressing in the direction it is, the business case will stack up more and the platforms will be opened up.
- trains on east Durham line are now a lot busier and there is growing pressure for more carriages
- there’s going to be extra “fast trains” on this line every couple hours starting next week I think
- the plans for city centre mean more residents and more footfall.
Ultimately if the city keeps progressing in the direction it is, the business case will stack up more and the platforms will be opened up.
