Friday 2 July 2010

Stockade station - Birmingham International

This from D0260...

Further to Eye's piece on the Coucher Memorial Fences at Stockport, welcome to Birmingham International, or should that be HMP Elmdon?

About a month ago each and every platform end, north and south, was fenced at the top of the platform end ramp.

These photographs are the north end of Birmingham International station, taken from Platform 4, nearest the NEC.


A similar thing has happened at Coventry, but as the platforms there are narrower, the fencing is not quite so intrusive.

At Birmingham International the sides of the fencing, usually finished in triangular wood, now sports a sort of giant egg-box of shredded rubber tyres.


How much did this lot cost?

Indeed!

Eye was pleased to see that Nigel Harris over at RAIL has also taken up the cudgels against the apparent relentless march of these costly genuflections to the Elf''n'Safety Taliban (see Stop & Examine in the latest issue).

Perhaps ORR readers can advise whether this really offers a value for money solution to a percieved safety risk?