The bridge thread. Yes another. Couldn't be arsed looking.

Is there a need for faster or longer trains to pass through Barnsley? Genuine question, no sniping or hidden agenda to it. The last time I caught a train is some time ago and it pulled into Barnsley almost empty and left in the same state pretty much. Return journey was the same.

Are trains used much by our citizens? I imagine they could be busier at rush hour with commuters heading to Leeds or Sheffield.

 

Current bridge is fine for those with full mobility, anyone with a pram / pushchair or wheelchair have to go the long way around through the interchange. After three (disrupted) years, it’s become a bit of a joke.

 

I don't argue with you mate.

 

It’s a well used station and is classed by the department for transport as an ‘important feeder’ due to the number of passengers. For a deprived town that suffers with a severe lack of government funding, and given the need to address a rapidly increasing reliance on cars, it’s very important that people have access to better public transport.

The peak commuter services used to be very busy towards Leeds and Sheffield, but obviously the lockdowns and working from home have reduced that demand somewhat. Given the terrible connections and journey times to wider areas, I’d say it’s extremely important to continue to push for improved services. The Barnsley area would have much better rail services today had the North Midland Line through Cudworth & Royston not been lifted.

 

Thank you for the well reasoned response. As I say, it must be 25 years since I used trains regularly and not at all in the last 5 or so

 

To be fair that's only 11p per day for the 26 years it's taking them to build it.

Personally I think it looks fantastic on the plans but is a fundamentally flawed design as its exit is in the wrong side of Pontefract road and as others have said, the foot traffic outside of football fans is extremely low from that side.
I know the council plan on building a second multi story carpark which I believe is planned to be on the courthouse area. I wish they'd instead have bought the gala bingo site and built the multi story there. It would have meant that a large bridge was then serving far more people and therefore obviously would be seen by far more people too to justify the costs but would also have allowed the bridge to end on the correct side of Pontefract road. Would also mean far more parking around the glassworks leisure area and therefore have aided an increase in customer base for the eateries, bars and the cinema and bowling alley.
It would also mean they could get rid of an eyesore building and would have meant gala bingo being an ideal tenant for the unit above is sports that they struggled to let.

But that's just me

 

As a regular commuter between Barnsley and Sheffield, and sometimes Leeds, there aren't enough trains in an hour, especially at morning peak and late evenings. Fortunately, I've not needed the morning peak in some time.

Barnsley's platforms have shrunk though. They are berried off toward the bridge now, where they used to be platform.

 

I’ve already addressed this before, but there’s no guarantee the Gala Bingo side could’ve supported the bridge construction. Ground surveys could’ve ruled that out at initial design stage. Not to mention the additional cost to purchase the site, demolish the building, and make the bridge even longer to accommodate the requirement to travel over additional highway. Highway often used by double decker buses may I add - resulting in an even greater height requirement (and cost) to build the bridge. It’s far cheaper to just redesign the road layout at that side.

The council don’t want more people travelling to the town by car. The government don’t want us travelling by car. The environment doesn’t wasn’t more cars either.

 

I think this can be summed up as follows:

- we needed a new bridge

- but christ, its expensive.

 

You're right they don't but they aren't going to get more travelling by foot either from that side of town because there aren't many houses there plus I'm not suggesting any extra carparking, simply building the additional carparking near the leisure hub, shopping centre and football ground rather than away from all these on the courthouse. Having the bridge terminate on the same side of Pontefract road as the bus station would also allow for an increase in bus passenger capacity on that side of the railway line and provide a safer route for the children using the planned youth area to walk into the town centre without having to cross the busy and dangerous Pontefract road. Same goes for visitors to the Metrodome and indeed anyone living on the estate beyond the bridge.

You're right it would have meant buying gala bingo but they bought half the town centre to make it prettier and gala bingo is one of the ugliest buildings around. Looks like something off phoenix nights.

I understand the bridge would have to be longer but I think a slightly longer one that serves much more purpose is better than a short one that causes safety issues. As for the height thing I believe it's already considerably taller than a double decker bus as it passes over the entrance to the carpark (5.2m high with double deckers being around 4.4m).

I like the design, I can't wait for it to be built. I just don't personally think it achieves the aims that it sets out to do from a practical point of view, all of which would be achieved by terminating it on the other side of Pontefract road. I do really like the bridge though, I'm just being overly critical

 

I could counter some of your comments - like the fact the the bridge has a slight camber (meaning the maximum height you’ve quoted isn’t over the full length of the bridge deck), but it’s clear we completely disagree, and I don’t want to continue to flood the thread with lengthy posts the majority of people couldn’t care less about.

I’m just glad the bloody thing is finally being built.

 

The original plan was for it to come out of the side of the development a little further south nearer the signal box. This changed when the development was scaled back.
Perhaps it would have been cheaper to move Oakwell, then the meccano bridge would have been sufficient (except for those with mobility issues).

 

In the words of Anthony H Wilson ‘the bridge (hacienda) must be built’

we are, we can be (sometimes) be limited by our heritage to keep to functionality - which is a fair point

we should be aspirational, we should wish for things (if it’s education, architecture, football, homes) better than the generation before us then that’s not wrong. We should be outward looking.
We should be able to catch a train to more ‘exotic’ places,
They don’t have to grapple with this quarrel in the south, it’s a birthright, why shouldn’t it be ours.
I love my town, the people, we produce it’s culture - continue to move the dial.
People want to live here, people move here these days.
Barnsley continues to be an opportunity and not a sentence