THE traffic
was diverted from Lord Street on Saturday, 30 August 2008, as
Merseyside Police negotiators talked down a man who threatened to
jump from Southport Lord Street building. The man was spotted
around 4.3Opm on top of Barclays Bank. The man then threatened
to jump.
Police reacted
quickly by cordoning off the area after fears about the structural
safety of the Victorian pillar the man was clinging to and to allow
full access for the police negotiators.
It is still unclear
what his motives for scaling the buildings are. He was later
talked down at 11.30pm. A police spokesman said the man was
taken to hospital to be assessed. His actions meant not only
traffic problems, but the early closing of many businesses for the
day, in the 100m sealed off area of Lord Street.
What was more
shocking than the chap threatening to jump was that many people,
even with children flocked over to watch!
RAIL STRATEGY SIGNALS A BETTER RAILWAY FOR LANCASHIRE AND CUMBRIA
MORE frequent
trains, more tracks, improved stations and more freight services are
all proposed as Network Rail publishes its long-term strategy aimed
at improving rail services in Lancashire and Cumbria.
Covering routes such as Leeds to Blackpool North, Settle to Carlisle
and the Cumbrian coast line, the strategy outlines how Network Rail
will work to deliver a rail network able to manage the predicted
growth in rail usage over the next ten years. The publication,
which will now be submitted to the Office of Rail Regulation,
follows a three month extensive consultation period with key
stakeholders and additional analysis.
The document - the Lancashire and Cumbria Route Utilisation Strategy
(RUS) - illustrates the forecast growth in population, employment
and housing, and subsequently estimates rail usage over the next 10
to 15 years setting out the industry’s preferred strategy that could
be adopted to help meet this demand.
The strategy looks at increasing the number of rail services, with
better connections, better stations and other improvements enabling
the railway to drive economic growth throughout the area.
Peter Strachan, route director for Network Rail said:- "After
a successful consultation process, I am convinced that we now have a
robust and purposeful strategy for delivering a rail network in
Lancashire and Cumbria that can handle the expected increase in use
over the next decade or so.
This is an exciting time for the rail industry. The changes
ahead will improve the reliability, capacity and connectivity of
routes across the north west.
We appreciate
all the contributions to both the development process of the
strategy and to the consultation."
The strategy to address peak capacity in the period 2009 to 2014
includes:-
* Line speed improvements between Burnley and Hebden Bridge to
shorten journey times on the Leeds – Blackpool route. The
current speed limit of 45mph could be raised to at least 55mph and
as much as 70mph where suitable
* Re-doubling of the tracks at London Road junction in Carlisle to
improve performance of freight and passenger services on the Settle
– Carlisle line
* More regular trains into Sellafield
* More regular train services between Preston and Ormskirk, and an
improved service between Preston and Southport
* Sunday services from Carlisle to Whitehaven to increase from three
to four a day
* Improving the Settle – Carlisle timetable to give a regular
two-hourly service, with targeted additional services where
passenger requirements and space in the timetable coincide
* The proposal to lengthen trains and platforms on the Manchester –
Clitheroe line is already included in Network Rail’s
Strategic Business Plan but it is recommended that the peak time
services between Manchester and Blackburn are extended to Clitheroe
* Minor alterations on Platforms 1 and 2 at Preston to improve
passenger flow and ability to get connections. This would
include relocating the buffet and staff accommodation from their
present position to elsewhere on the platform, and improving
passenger facilities
For the period 2014 to 2019 Network Rail is proposing the
re-signalling scheme already planned for the Whitehaven – Maryport
line should include a re-modelling of the track layout in Maryport
and the provision of an additional platform. The creation of a
new Maryport signalling centre and the performance improvements that
will bring may mean the possibility of running additional Sunday
services.
The strategy will now be presented to the Office of Rail Regulation
(ORR). The ORR has 60 days to consider this after which it
will become an established strategy.
A copy of the Lancashire and Cumbria RUS can be found on the Network
Rail website at
www.networkrail.co.uk.
This online newspaper adheres to the Press
Complaints Commission’s Code of Practice.
If you have a complaint about editorial content
which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then
contact the Editor by clicking
here. If you
remain dissatisfied with the response provided then
you can contact the PCC by clicking
here.
