A very enjoyable but short stay at Bath Spa train station on the Great Western Mainline where we see plenty of services from Great Western Railway and a light engine movement from DB Cargo UK.
Bath Spa was opened for business in 1840 by Great Western Railway and was originally called Bath, the name stayed in place for over 100 years when in 1949 the station was renamed to Bath Spa. The station was built and designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and holds a grade 2 listed title which means that the structure cannot be demolished to make way for a more modern structure which in turn works for the town of Bath itself because of its old Roman history and the styling of some of the more older buildings in and around the city such as the local churches and the stunning city centre which is steeped in history, this means that Bath attracts thousands of visitors every year. When I was film in here I noticed an awful of Asian tourists in particular taking a keen interest in the local scenery east of the station which I great to see. The reason why Bath station was renamed to Bath Spa was because of another station in the cit sharing the same name which was Bath Green Park. It's name wasn't changed from Bath until 1951.
From its initial conception the station has always had ease of passenger access at its heart with access ramps at either end of the station for the disabled and for those with heavy luggage. Which made getting from the station to a car or taxi very easy and stress free. But in 2011 the northern ramp was completely removed and instead replaced with a lift to make things easier for the commuters of all ages but more so towards those that would require the use of a wheelchair to get about.
When the station was built it hosted a grand hammerbeam roof that covered the area of the lines between the two platforms. However this was removed in 1877 when the platforms had to be lenthened. It also had a 3 track goods shed located to the West of the station but was subsequently demolished when the station got lengthened.
Now whilst the station has been given a listed building certificate you can apply to make alterations so long as they don't affect the physical building itself, in 2005 Great Western Railway applied for a listed building consent which meant that it was allowed to alter the platforms and make changes inside the main station building so long as it didn't conflict with the original design. This meant that they were able to introduce lifts to the platforms and automatic ticket barriers.
With the electrification of the line this would prove a bit of a problem because the station canopies cannot be touched. This means that the catenary would be placed in between the two lines as to avoid making the station look somewhat unsightly.
Over the years the station has been averaging around 6 million passengers every year with 6.4 using it last year alone.
You can now find me on Facebook through the group Tornado922, there you will find regular updates, videos and photos from all of my goings on throughout 2018.
8 сен 2024
