A few years ago I wrote about Prahran station and a pitiful political promise, that saw both sides of politics got into a peculiar fight – promising an additional exit at local railway station. Fast forward to the 2018 State Election, and it happened again at Windsor – the next station along the Sandringham line.
Shadow Minister for Public Transport, David Davis and Shadow Minister for Community Safety, Ed O’Donohue made the campaign promise.
Davis-O’Donohue: Second entrance for Windsor station
28 August 2018Second entrance for Windsor station
A Liberal Nationals government will open a second entrance at Windsor station if elected in November this year.
A Matthew Guy led government will get commuters home faster by opening a second entrance and adding extra Myki readers so patrons can move on and off the train at the northern end of the station.
The Liberals continue to focus of the safety of commuters and commit to adding CCTV cameras at the station.
There are approximately 4,000 passengers who use the station daily, with patronage increasing as population in Windsor and surrounding areas increase.
The second entrance will include a ramp to allow for those passengers who use a wheelchair to access the station platform with ease.
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Public Transport, David Davis:
“Station users will benefit from easier access on and off the platform saving them from missing trains and walking long distances to their cars and homes.”
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Community Safety, Ed O’Donohue:
“The Liberals will continue to invest in the safety of all Victorians, including those who are using our public transport network.”
Comments attributable to Liberal Candidate for Prahran, Dr Katie Allen:
“Locals have all told me how they have missed trains due to the congestion at the entrance and at the Myki reader. This second entrance will help ease the crush at peak times.”
But it came to naught.
The Liberals lost the election to Labor.
None the less Greens MP Sam Hibbins, Member for Prahran, took up the case.
Upgrade Windsor station
A good local train station is critical to the liveability of any community, and Windsor station is right in the heart of the Windsor community.
In response to my local survey, hundreds of commuters suggested several important but relatively low-cost and achievable upgrades to the station, all whilst maintaining the station’s important heritage status.
A second entrance at the western end of the station would be a very easy-to-implement upgrade that would greatly benefit residents in the western half of Windsor, having travelled through Windsor siding. Windsor siding has recently been upgraded by the local council and a second entrance would be a welcome contribution by the state government.
He raised the proposal in parliament.
Windsor train station
5 March 2020In terms of a second entrance at the west end of the station, this would be a very low cost and easy to implement upgrade just requiring a gate, some Myki readers and possibly some steps or a ramp, and this would greatly benefit residents in the western half of Windsor having travelled through Windsor Siding. Windsor Siding has recently been upgraded with better paths and lighting by the council, and I think this upgrade would be a welcome contribution by the state government to that upgrade.
Getting a brush off response from Melissa Horne, Minister for Public Transport.
Costs for new station entrances can be significant and often requires changes to lighting, CCTV, electrical and communications cables.
Who knows that the 2022 State Election will bring?
Further reading
In 2014 Melbourne-based economist Jason Murphy pondered the question of adding additional station entrances in his post ‘Faster train journeys – some low-hanging fruit‘.
Professor David Levinson also asked the same question in his 2017 post ‘Sydney train stations need two exits‘, the 2019 article ‘How to increase train use by up to 35% with one simple trick‘, and associated journal article with Bahman Lahoorpoor – ‘Catchment if you can: The effect of station entrance and exit locations on accessibility‘.
I was very confused about Windsor Siding. There isn’t one as far as I know. I checked and it is the park on the site of where the train used to travel to and from St Kilda.
Given how difficult it was to have the extra much simpler entrance/exits were to get at Prahran Station, I am not holding my breath on this one.
This diagram shows the sidings at Windsor – five in total, closed in 1979.
https://www.victorianrailways.net/signaling/completedia/prasandia.html
While the sidings closed in 79, the signal Box (the absence of which makes an additional entrance a little easier/better/accessed/better passively surveyed) was not closed until 1983, because of the level crossing gates. Had the crossing been converted to boom gates earlier, the signal box could have been switched out when the sidings were not being used, like the Dendy St box could have been and presumably was.
The “low hanging fruit” that will make a difference is the down platform at Tarneit. This poorly designed platform that has all the room in the world sees very long dwell times as the vast majority of passengers exit from the rear door of the train. An exit in the middle of the platform would be relatively cheap to do and would shave a minute or so off the Geelong timetable.
I think the reason for crowding at Tarneit is the underpass being located at the Melbourne end of the station, and the bus interchange being on the other side of the tracks – so anyone wanting to catch a connecting bus has to race across quickly, or miss it.
Entrances to the platforms at the Union St end of the station would both enlarge the pedshed and provide Windsor with DDA compliant entrances, as an alternative to the steep ramps that are the only access now. The ground level is fairly close to platform level at the Union St end of the platforms, so it should be relatively easy.
I hadn’t thought of that benefit – additional entrances *improving* compliance with DDA regulations!
[…] It would be nice to see a lot more stations provided with multiple entrances. It brings a lot of walkability benefits, and it’s minimal cost (especially when rebuilding stations) but – apart from those added to cover for slow Myki readers – trying to get more than one entrance/exit per station is like pulling hens teeth. […]