As one of the co-authors of the report 'Better Rail Stations', I feel I must comment on your editorial.

First, we identifies ten 'priority stations for investment'. We don't see them as 'worst', they're all well-managed but they're suffering from cumulative lack of investment - which our proposals seek to address.

Second, Preston. Our report makes it clear that we agree with you. Preston's fine listed structures should be respected.

The overwhelming problem is poor circulation, with a narrow footbridge encumbered by stairs and a couple of sepulchral subways a long way from the entrance. [1] Our answer is a new footbridge spanning the entire station to the car park, with escalator access from the platforms, eventually connecting to a [2] modern bus station with express busses running out along long-abandoned rail rights-of-way to the M6.

The other issue is that two of the platforms - 1/2 and 5/6 are far too narrow for the huge numbers of passengers using them. [3] We recommend widening 5/6, used by Southbound 'Pendolinos', by shifting the track to occupy the long-abandoned Platform 7. [4] Widening of 1/2, used by Northern and Transpennine services would come later in a comprehensive re-building of the station's west side, [5] restoring to active use the long-abandoned platform complex (the former REs platform / old paltform 1/2). Here, a bay could serve a tram train service from Blackpool South, presently under study in an EU-funded Interreg project, as recommended in our report. Together with rapid transit, this could make Preston a model for the Sub-Regional Super Hub stations we describe. But this is an ambition for later. Meanwhile we need to make Preston fit for purpose.

Professor Ser Peter Hall
Bartlett Professor of Planning and Regeneration, University College London

This certainly throws up some interesting points... 

[1] The new footbridge is already planned by Network Rail back in October 2008 (see News Archive). The implication back then, was that it would have been completed by now.
[2] Are we talking about north over the Deepdale / Longridge Branch, or south over the East Lancs line? Possibly both? This sounds worryingly like the infamous (mis)guided bus scheme in Cambridge. It also seems at odds with the various proposals for a trams over these two disused routes (See News 20th December)
[3] Platform 7 to be sacrificed to enable the widening of the 5/6 island. Platform 7 can hardly be described as long-abandoned, being much used for rail tours and the line is the Up Goods Loop! 
[4] To be honest, I would have thought that this would have been a bigger priority. The extra line between P1 and the REs platform would make widening the Platform 1/2 island relatively easy. 
[5] It seems to me that the easiest option, would be to reinstate the line round the back of the PCD, currently severed in the middle, and reinstate both platform faces as through lines for general use. That would be a necessity because the widening of two island platforms would be at the expense of both the Up and Down Goods Loops...

Clearly, much of this is very much inspirational and is subject to the usual politics which tends to delay (at best) schemes of this type. It might be that the "comprehensive rebuilding of the station's west side" would mean a fresh start with the buildings and platforms on the site of the PCD. Perhaps a way could be incorporated, of letting the RSR run up into the station...!

I'd like to hear your thoughts on what is likely to be the biggest change to Preston Station for 40 years. What do you make of these plans? What are the chances of any of it actually happening?

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