Forum Topic

Ealing Broadway Station

Are there any plans to bring Ealing Broadway into the 21st century ? It's a nightmare in the evening rush hour with so few ticket barriers, so many different train lines arriving and thousands of people trying to get out.

Pat Kingham ● 6892d16 Comments

I hope so. I remeber there were some plans a couple of years ago. Not heard much since - except for the debate on the Leaf stating that this isn't in their plans. The introduction of barriers to stop people without tickets has meant that the entrance to Ealing broadway platforms is completely inadequate now. Maybe the council could push to get this done asap in conjuction with other plans for Ealing....

Niall Connolly ● 6892d

Any Councillors out there ?

Pat Kingham ● 6892d

New rail ticket machines have been installed in the foyer, but the one on the right hand side as you go in is often out of tickets.  So the queues are even longer.

Mark Percy ● 6892d

Oh the curse of modern development. It was so functional as a GWR station but by closing the Metropolitan District Railway Building and plonking Villiers House on top we have a glorified overcrowded combined underground/railway station instead.Believe the station is First Great Western or railway operators responsibility but will probably be developed/misdeveloped as part of Crossrail and is not in the take-it or leave-it Arcadia proposal.

Robert Darke ● 6892d

It is difficult to get to at the moment with squashed road crossings and no proper drop-off/collection for less able passengers.  I remember how wonderful it was when Hammersmith changed and you could get from the tube to the bus easily.  I've never had to use it for dropping off/picking up  - so can't comment on that aspect.

Philippa Bond ● 6890d

According to the staff we spoke with once when having a tube ticket problem, Ealing Broadway technically isn't a tube station.  It's a rail station.  This is why the counter windows can't do anything mildly complicated like sell Student-rate travelcards.  If you insist on speaking to tube staff they will take you down near the District line tracks to a tiny basement office, where two people and a computer are sitting rather miserably, unable to help with much of anything.The people in the basement office told us (this was in the summer) that there are tentative plans to create two seperate rail and tube stations at Ealing Broadway.  But I've no idea if that's actually going to go ahead or not.

Elizabeth Gerty ● 6883d

'Two separate stations' - oh great, 'integrated transport' and 'seamless travel' in action again (not). So the local punters from the likes of West Ealing and Hanwell which are only on the derisory FGW national rail network will be further inconvenienced by having to go through Customs & Immigration control on their route march and obstacle course within Ealing Broadway station just to access the Underground services.

Chris Veasey ● 6883d

I agree - doesn't make a lot of sense to have seperate stations!Although I wouldn't put a lot of weight in this as I think local underground staff will be the last to know what's really planned. I can't see the station changing to two seperate ones unless they decide to move the Main line platforms to be incorporated in the Arcadia plans - which I gather doesn't address any transport.I think the architecture of the old station is great and I would love to see an integration of new and old in a manner like they've done for St Pancras.

Niall Connolly ● 6883d

Don't talk to me about Spankers -  apart from other aspects I'm outraged the domestic (Midland line) intercity punters from a large part of the country's central metropolitan heartland have been pushed out of their fine old station into a nasty neo-1960s steel and concrete box 250 yards north in the dismal backstreets of south Camden well away from convenient interchange with tube and buses.

Chris Veasey ● 6883d

At the meeting last night, called by the SaveEaling'sCentre group to rally opinion against the proposed exciting, modern and promising Leaf "Glengherkin" building, the Glenkerrin representative announced that not only have they acquired the freehold of Villiers House, they've also bought the rights to the parking in the slip road immediately outside Ealing Broadway station. That news surprised me. I do wish all the major parties involved in the regeneration of Ealing's towncentre would get together, sensibly, to plan a completely integrated development of the Arcadia site, Dickens Yard, Ealing Broadway station and the rest of central Ealing. Ealing Broadway station is an essential part of any regeneration of our beloved town centre IMO.

Gerry Tan ● 6883d

If Eurostar hadn't come along the fine old station would have probably been demolished but this is not the point I was making regarding a mix of old and new. You've got to agree the redevelopment of the old station looks stunning even with the issue you raise about the interchange (which I haven't visited so I cannot comment on - but probably isn't as good as it used to be for intercity travellers). However - I'm not advocating a move the main line in Ealing or the tube from the current location. Wouldn't it be good to have a good mix of old & new at Ealing getting rid of the horrible/disfunctional 1960/70's station that we have now ?

Niall Connolly ● 6883d

Agreed the current Ealing Broadway shambles is a grotesquely inefficient and inadequate blend of the worst of ancient and (1960s) modern.

Chris Veasey ● 6883d

I agree all parties should liaise to get what is best for Ealing Broadway as a while.  But I'm not sure where Villiers House is situated.

Pat Kingham ● 6883d

Villiers House is the block over the station entrance with the forecourt and the reason why there isn`t a proper station building at street level.The timescale for Crossrail announced by Transport Minister Kelly is for construction to begin in 2010 with services hoped to commence in 2017.

Robert Darke ● 6882d

Slightly off topic, but are senior citizens' travel cards valid on Heathrow Express?

Graham Weeks ● 6882d

Only 'great' (sic) discounts  -  see:-https://www.heathrowexpress.com/content.asp?SID={0B15939B-8E15-4D03-925C-B8B8CFB04054}&pageid=64

Chris Veasey ● 6882d