New shelter for Melksham station

[whole diary]

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

Melksham seems to be very priviledged compared with Hanborough. We have a similar shelter at Hanborough also facing westwards but without the extension, allowing about 12 people  (out of 50 - 70 people waiting for the morning peak hour trains) to sit on the bench. The Melksham shelter seems to be improved on the Hanborough version in that in addition to the gap at floor level we also have a similar gap at roof level so that with a westerly wind anyone sitting on the bench has the rain blowing in on them. Further when this shelter was installed as an "improvement" a few years ago the floor was lowered to remove a step over which a waiting traveller had earlier fallen when leaving the shelter and broken her ankle. To use the shelter after heavy rain you need wellies to paddle in and amuse yourself by splashing around while seated. To maximise the chance of flooding in the shelter the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) contractor erecting our CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) display a few years ago cemented in the drainage channel blocking it from acting as a drain so that flood water can no longer drain away into the station garden. The only significant merit I can see with these new style shelters is that the glazing panes are small and numerous making it more difficult for the vandals to smash them.

[grahame]

Melksham seems to be very priviledged compared with Hanborough ...

Or perhaps things have moved forward from the Hanborough design ... and they'll move forward in future years when Hanborough's shelter is next improved, leaving Melksham saying "wouldn't it be nice if ...".

The extension at the end of the shelter is for a ticket machine, and over the past couple of days groundworks have been going on there ready for its installation.   There's a very real need for this, as we're getting to the stage that the train manager doesn't have enough time to sell tickets between stations ...

The area being worked on this week is cycle shelter replacement ... and I'm hopeful that the works will include a slight lowering of the ground so that the puddle that you have to stand in to read the out-facing notice board can drain.

We're delighted to now have a lit shelter  ... and one which is far less exposed to the elements.  For sure, it's typically not going to provide enough space for everyone who's waiting for a train at the rate we're going, and I hope the new cycle shelter will give some protection too.