For the last few months, Network Rail and Norther Rail’s contractors have been building a new ramp at Heald Green Station on the Manchester Aiport line – and very nice it is too. The ramp’s finished, but if you go along, you’ll see the entrance is still fenced off.
Why? Well, if you’re going to put in a ramp, you normally try and make it flush at the top and bottom so someone in a wheelchair could get on and off.
Unfortunately, this ramp doesn’t meet the pavement at the top – there’s a six inch drop from the pavement to the start of the ramp. Oops.
The contractors have been in touch with the council to help them out – can the pavement be dropped to form a lead-in to the ramp? From the Council side, it’s not ideal but yes, it can be done. However, there are all sorts of cables, pipes and boxes under our pavements so if you’re going to dig down more than an inch or two you need to check with the utility companies (cable, phone, electricity, gas, water) and make sure you don’t cut through anything.
So hopefully they’ll get there and open the ramp before too long.
I wouldn’t mention this, except that the staff at the station are being a little cheeky and blaming the Council for the problem when anyone asks. It isn’t the Council – it’s the ramp!
Volunteer
Help in election
Report a problem
Join Us
Your views
Register to vote
Postal vote
Email updates
I know that this is none of your responsibility Iain, but myself and other users of this station don’t really need to know any of this. We don’t need to know who is responsible for this alleged cock-up and we don’t need to know who should be responsible for putting it right. All we need to know is when it is going to be fixed.
Currently the only access to the southbound platform is via a ramshackle ‘temporary’ staircase that is like climbing the north face of the Eiger while laden with shopping. It is hopeless for wheelchair users, the elderly or infirm. It is hopeless for cycles, pushchairs and those carrying heavy luggage. It is pretty much hopeless for a large number of passengers who alight here, especially as anybody unable to make the climb is sufficiently warned about it in advance.
Just to add to the fun, as we scramble up the embankment we pass a colossal, state-of-the-art ramp that we cannot use because seemingly the parties involved are unable to stop squabbling over a shortfall of six inches. If any of them had to do this Heald Green assault course on a regular basis than they would realise that we’re not talking about moving mountains.