If I understand correctly, the biggest new demand at Victoria in the future will be through services. There was mention in the early Northern Hub documents of West facing bays (I think for services to Atherton) - but Joseph Locke didn't think that wouldn't happen (possibly superseded by tram-train or the bay at Stalybridge). Anyway, I think the general idea of the northern hub scheme is to make as many services go through as possible to increase connectivity throughout the North....
I’ve been pondering this. These are my non-expert observations :
I can see that from a connectivity perspective it makes sense for Vic to be primarily a “through” station.
However - it is generally used as if it were a terminus - regardless of whether trains pass though or not. In other words a shit load of people get off in the mornings and get on in the evenings... not much happens in the opposite way.
This is fine for platforms 1 and 2 as you don’t have to negotiate any stairs... and this is where my Todmorden trains generally departs from / arrives into.
Occasionally - for no obvious reason - it will go into platform 4 or 5.
This is a real pain in the arse - and the mutterings of displeasure among fellow passengers is evident ! It might only take a few extra minutes to shuffle up the stairs, over the tracks and down again - but it feels like it takes for ever - particularly when you are delayed anyway.
With 1 train disembarking it gets very crowded on the steps. Occasionally 2 trains disembark at the same time, and this in my view is teetering on the dangerous... too many people on the platform trying to get up 1 stair case.. not good... and if you happen to be trying to get ON to the platform to board, you may as well forget it.
I’ve never seen 3 trains - perhaps the controller person prevents this happening - but if it were to happen it would be a death trap.
So - given the presumed goal of running longer trains carrying more passengers - something will need to be done... you’d need to at least double, probably triple stair capacity. But with the arena above it’s hard to see how it could be done.
It would almost make more sense to have some sort of draw-bridge at platform level that can be raised for through trains - making it a semi-terminus - but I cant see the HSE going for that.
Or perhaps a subterranean concourse, so you only have to go up or down rather than both at the pinch-point... or you could have more stair cases accessing the platforms from below. No easy solution - but if Vic is to serve more passengers using through platforms - someone needs to think about it. As a regular user of Vic - I see platform access being the limiting capacity factor rather than anything else.
Perhaps it’s all in-hand and I’ve just missed it ?? ... or perhaps the intention is to down-grade Vic - capacity wise ? .. but that seems counter to the presumed aim of improving the station, to presumably attract more passengers.