STATION MODERNISATION AND EQUIPMENT
A new lift at Cardiff Central station gives passengers total access to platforms, without the need to go outside, as Stannah Lift Services explain.
N
ational lift service provider, Stannah, have completed the challenging in-
stallation of a scenic passenger lift within in the art deco ticket hall of Cardiff Central station. Stannah were the principal con- tractor on a four-month project to install a lift for Arriva Trains Wales and Network Rail to ensure easy access to Platform Zero.
The platform, built in time for the 1999 Rugby World Cup, now serves departures to Ebbw Vale, a new route which opened in 2008. Access to Platform Zero was via a stairway and therefore presented a chal- lenge to people with restricted mobility, copious luggage or young children. If they did use the platform then it was necessary to go outside of the station and access it ex- ternally, in all weathers.
The project was instigated by Arriva Trains Wales and funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the Department for Transport (DfT) to completely upgrade the accessibility of all seven platforms at Cardiff Central.
Cardiff Central was first constructed in 1850, then rebuilt and re-opened in 1932. It is a Grade II listed building which today serves 10 million passengers a year depart- ing to destinations all over the UK – more than London’s Paddington Station. It is located very close to Welsh Rugby’s home, the Millennium Stadium, and is the larg- est of 20 railway stations within the City of Cardiff.
Planning for the lift installation within the grand main ticket hall of the station was subject to listed building controls and each stage of the project had to satisfy Cardiff’s listed building officer. The lift needed to cause minimum disruption to the integrity of the art deco building, including the spec- tacular suspended lighting that spans the vaulted ceiling.
The best of plans…
The original plan was to position the lift against the external west wall of the ticket hall to gain immediate access to the plat- form at the upper level. This proved im- possible as the wall housed essential elec- trics for the building. A second proposal involved positioning the lift very close to
70 | rail technology magazine Apr/May 11
the supporting pillar, but on beginning the excavation for the lift pit, through the con- course floor, the area was found to be solid foundations for the pillar. The problem was resolved with a third proposal with the lift being moved to the right and away from the external wall, resulting in a scenic glass structure with space around it and a glass and steel bridge linking it at the up- per level to the stairway landing. Stannah then created a double width glass door exit to Platform Zero in the original external wall of the building.
Each stage of the process had to meet with approval from the listed buildings officer, Network Rail, Arriva Trains Wales and ul- timately the Welsh Assembly.
The installation of the lift to provide disabled access and meet the require- ments of the Equality Act 2010 was a design challenge within a historic build- ing. Conservation design drawings were provided by Barlow Henley Architects of Bristol and from the requirements of the listed building consent the lift was de- signed and installed by Stannah under the close supervision of their major projects operations manager, Ken Price.
The result is a spectacular addition to the fabric of the station.
The two-stop, through-door glass pas- senger lift in a structure supported glass shaft stands proudly in the west side of the
magnificent Grade II listed ticket hall and is linked to the landing, and exit to the plat- form, by a seamless steel and glass bridge.
Built to Network Rail specifications, the lift features an energy efficient, variable frequency, ‘hydroelite’ hydraulic drive sys- tem that uses the least amount of electricity possible.
There was no need to find space for a mo- tor room within the ticket hall as a remote location presented itself in the basement of the station. Stannah created the motor room within part of an existing boiler room that sits directly below the ticket hall. A special cage was constructed to ensure re- stricted access to the motor room area.
The repositioning of some of the existing induction system in the boiler room was necessary to allow the correct space around the lift equipment in accordance with the Lift Regulations and European standard EN81-1 relating to hydraulic lifts.
Stannah Lift Services have completed more than 85 lift refurbishments and in- stalled almost as many new bespoke lifts for Network Rail ‘Access for all’ project to improve accessibility right across the UK rail network.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
T: 01264 364 311 E:
liftservices@stannah.co.uk W:
www.stannahlifts.co.uk
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