A Community Network for Bowes Park and Bounds Green
Following all the issues after the introduction of the May 2018 railway timetable GTR railway company has been made to set up a fund to improve stations affected: https://www.passengerbenefitfund.co.uk/the-fund/
This means that Bowes Park will get £80,000 to improve the station for passengers!
GTR have published a list of potential ideas: https://www.passengerbenefitfund.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/l..., including:
• Fit solar panels to the station
• Adding a 'living plant wall'/bee garden or other environmental options
• Improvements to the station toilets.
• Additional customer seating
• Additional waiting shelters
• Canopies over ticket vending machines
• Additional ticket vending machines
• Additional cycle parking facilities
• Increasing cycle security measures at stations
• Additional customer information screens
Works on stations are more expensive than you would expect, so helpfully they have given some approximate costs for a range of items:
https://www.passengerbenefitfund.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/L...
Apparently there is a 3 month window for local groups to suggest ideas.
More immediately, they have some outreach events, the closest one to us is at St Pancras on Monday 10 June. https://www.passengerbenefitfund.co.uk/getting-involved/
What to people think? What would the £80,000 best be spent on?
Tags (all lower case):
As a starter for 10, I think that a departure board on the overbridge at the station would be really useful for when there is disruption. If it could also feature departure time from Bounds Green tube as well that would be fab!
That would be very useful!
Would be nice see something done with the green verges, that always collect so much litter.
Remove the paintings on the road and ask a local artist to paint something else. I am afraid no-one I have asked think they are an asset to the area.
Hi Carla,
There is a link to approximate costs of items above - it looks like lifts or a new toilet would be too expensive.
What about a waiting shelter on the south-west end of the platform (after the bridge)?
It would be helpful for children and small adults if there was a handrail at a lower level on each side of the stairs. It would be simple and relatively cheap to install. Keep the existing one and just put a lower one in below.
Definitely more seating. It is much needed
A few ideas:
- More seating as others have said
- Modernise it a little bit, and utilise more of the platform
- Probably out of budget, but what about a lift for accessibility?
Access. Could some sort of lift be installed? The stairs are really difficult for anyone with heavy luggage, disabilities or for people with buggies or several little children. It is completely impossible for anyone in a wheel chair.
Nice that funding is being made available although I understand that you don't get much for £80k on the railway. I'd like to see an additional couple of Oyster card readers to cope with the commuter crush, however I think Oyster is a TfL system so perhaps GTR can't deliver that. A lift or step free access would undoubtedly be too expensive but a shelter or two, additional benches and planters on the platforms might be a good option. I hope Leafy Bean Cafe is doing well - do they need any (cost effective) improvements to their premises to support this local business?
I used to work at the Office of the Rail Regulator, but sadly not on the financial regime within which Network Rail had to operate. I know the railway is a difficult and expensive environment for some sorts of works, mainly on the tracks, but sometimes including stations. But how can it cost £20-50k to refurbish toilets? Or £1k per seat for platform seating? These jobs could easily be done without closing the station, working at night or having to meet any railway-specific requirements. No commercial business would pay that much for these sorts of improvement.
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