18.03.11
Station gets the Hump
An innovative solution to help disabled people get on and off trains without rebuilding platforms is being installed at Northwich station.
The ‘Harrington Humps’ on each platform will be fixed on to correspond with the normal stopping place of the trains’ disabled access door.
Jo Kaye, Network Rail route director, said: “We have found a novel solution to an age-old problem that has caused concern for numerous potential rail passengers throughout the country who simply could not travel by train because of the low platform height.
“It is the ideal solution for stations that have a small number of passengers and therefore the comparatively high cost of completely rebuilding the platforms is not viable.”
Works starts on Monday, funded by Northern Rail and Cheshire West & Chester Council, and could be completed by the weekend.
Charlie Seward, the council’s director of regeneration and culture said: “The difference in height between trains and the platforms at Northwich has been a long standing problem for rail passengers and an issue that Cheshire West and Chester Council promised to tackle. We are pleased that partnership working with Northern Rail, Network Rail and the Council has led to the installation of two Harrington humps.”
The Harrington Hump is manufactured by Pipex Structural Composites of Plymouth, Devon.
The idea was initially developed by Network Rail and Cumbria County Council.
(Image shows the ‘original’ hump at Harrington station, Cumbria)
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