The Harrington Hump is a modular, easy-to-install system by which the height of a railway platform can be increased at relatively low cost. The system takes its name from Harrington railway station in Cumbria, England, which is the location of the first production version. Since 2011, Harrington Humps have been installed slowly at other railway stations in the UK and elsewhere.
Platform height across the UK rail network is not standardised because, at the time of the construction of the network, different railway companies settled on different platform heights. [1] Platforms sited low (compared to the level of the train carriage floor) present entry and exit problems to mobility-impaired passengers, including wheelchair users. [1] Raising the level of a complete platform is relatively costly and in many instances beyond the means of Network Rail and local authorities. [2]
The impetus for the hump, it is claimed, was a complaint by the chairman of the Copeland Rail Users' Group that low platforms on the Cumbrian Coast Line caused users difficulty in boarding and alighting from trains, made at Allerdale Area Transport Advisory Group, a sub-committee of Cumbria County Council's Local Committee. A suggestion of a partial raising of platforms was made to parry a Network Rail assertion that remedial work would cost a "six-figure sum" per station. [3]
The Harrington Hump is a partial solution to the long-standing problem of user access to railway carriages from relatively low station platforms. [1] [2] The Hump is a pair of ramps and a short flat top, built from a glass-reinforced polymer. It is capable of being designed to meet the width and height requirements of a particular station, and can be installed in a few days. [2] Installing a Harrington Hump is much cheaper than raising the entire length of the platform – to the order of 1/10th of the typical £250,000 cost. [2]
The Hump was devised by Network Rail and Cumbria County Council, in conjunction with Pipex Structural Composites, [2] and was installed first at Harrington railway station in December 2008. [3] It is claimed that Harrington was chosen as the pilot site because it has the greatest drop from train floor to platform and, as a coastal station, it offered the harshest of environments in which to test the hump. [3] Otherwise known as an "Easy Access Area", [4] Network Rail has conceded that the structure will be known henceforth by its nickname, Harrington Hump. [2]
The Hump is positioned to align with a particular door on a train, usually one designed for wheelchair access. [2] Consequently, the Hump is less suited to platforms served by different configurations of trains, such as at Dalton railway station, where wheelchair accommodation doors are often located in different positions on different trains. [5]
The second Hump was installed at St Albans Abbey railway station and the third at Aberdovey railway station. [6] Other stations to receive Humps include Northwich, Flixton, Whaley Bridge, Eccles, Kents Bank and Hadfield. [7]
The Hump system won a Delivery of Customer Service Award at the 2009 Civil Service Diversity and Equality Awards. [8]
In February 2019, a Hump was proposed for Marsden railway station in West Yorkshire, which would alleviate the problem of a 45 cm drop from train to platform [9]
According to the Association of Community Rail Partnerships, [10] innovative aspects of the Hump are that:
Similar humps have been installed on the London Underground. Between 2010 and 2011, they were provided at all of the Victoria line stations except Pimlico. The Underground humps are of a masonry construction [11] [12] and thus are not Harringtons. The impetus for their installation are the Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Non Interoperable Rail System) Regulations 2010, and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. [13] [14]
The Victoria line is a London Underground line that runs between Brixton in south London and Walthamstow Central in the north-east, via the West End. It is printed in light blue on the Tube map and is one of the only two lines on the network to run completely underground, the other being the Waterloo & City line.
A railway platform is an area alongside a railway track providing convenient access to trains. Almost all stations have some form of platform, with larger stations having multiple platforms.
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Seascale is a railway station on the Cumbrian Coast Line, which runs between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness. The station, situated 33+1⁄4 miles (54 km) north-west of Barrow-in-Furness, serves the village of Seascale in Cumbria. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
Millom is a railway station on the Cumbrian Coast Line, which runs between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness. The station, situated 16 miles (26 km) north-west of Barrow-in-Furness, serves the town of Millom in Cumbria. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
Silecroft is a railway station on the Cumbrian Coast Line, which runs between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness. The station, situated 19 miles (31 km) north-west of Barrow-in-Furness, serves the villages of Kirksanton and Silecroft in Cumbria. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
Nethertown is a railway station on the Cumbrian Coast line, which runs between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness. The station, situated 39 miles (63 km) north-west of Barrow-in-Furness, serves the village of Nethertown in Cumbria. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
St Bees railway station is a railway station serving the village of St Bees in Cumbria, England. It is on the Cumbrian Coast line, which runs between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
Parton railway station is a railway station serving the village of Parton in Cumbria, England. It is on the Cumbrian Coast Line, which runs between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
Harrington railway station is a railway station serving the village of Harrington in Cumbria, England. It is on the Cumbrian Coast Line, which runs between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
Chester railway station is located in Newtown, Chester, England. Services are operated by Avanti West Coast, Merseyrail, Northern and Transport for Wales. From 1875 to 1969, the station was known as Chester General to distinguish it from Chester Northgate. The station's Italianate frontage was designed by the architect Francis Thompson.
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Seaton Carew is a railway station on the Durham Coast Line, which runs between Newcastle and Middlesbrough via Hartlepool. The station, situated 14 miles 77 chains (24.1 km) north-east of Middlesbrough, serves the seaside village of Seaton Carew, Hartlepool in County Durham, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
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Dent is a railway station on the Settle and Carlisle Line, which runs between Carlisle and Leeds via Settle. The station, situated 58 miles 29 chains (93.9 km) north-west of Leeds, serves the villages of Cowgill and Dent, South Lakeland in Cumbria, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains. It is the highest operational main line station in England.
Penrhyndeudraeth railway station is a railway station serving the small town of Penrhyndeudraeth on the Dwyryd Estuary in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a station on the Cambrian Coast Railway with services between Shrewsbury and Pwllheli via Machynlleth.
Aberdovey railway station serves the seaside resort of Aberdyfi in Gwynedd, Wales. The station is on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services every two hours calling at all stations between Machynlleth and Pwllheli, including Tywyn, Barmouth, Harlech and Porthmadog. Passengers can connect at Machynlleth for trains to Aberystwyth or Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton, Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International.
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Hillside railway station serves the southern half of the Birkdale area of Southport, England. It is located on the Northern Line of the Southport branch of the Merseyrail network's.