MidlandRed.net

As you probably know I spend a couple of mornings a week at Shrub Hill railway station to see the freight and passenger workings at Worcester. For several decades the old 'luggage' overbridge has been out of use following loss of Royal Mail work by the RES (Rail Express Systems) sector of British Railways. In April 2013 £1.5 million was earmarked under the Access for Disabled Scheme to restore the bridge and lifts for use of disabled passengers who still have to be escorted by station staff across the barrow crossing to access platform 2.

After a six year wait, action was noted in October 2019 with Murphy Civil Engineers dismantling the wooden roof and erecting scaffolding around both of the support towers. The following pictures are a record in date order of the progress culminating in removal of the Grade II listed steel structure over the last weekend Saturday 16 October 2019. Renovation will take place off site over the next four months, but money has yet to be allocated for new lifts meaning it will not fulfill the new role for a long time to come!
15 October 2019. 22 October 2019. 25 October 2019. 8 November 2019. 21 November 2019.

Here are a few pictures taken early this morning from the over-bridge at Shrub Hill looking north. The removal of the old luggage bridge has given rail enthusiasts a whole new photographic backdrop and a 'full-frontal' of the celebrated semaphore signal assembly. In addition the station has just been graced with new signs in West Midlands Railway colours; being lighter and brighter they are a definite improvement over the old ones and really stand out as pointers for 'Way Out', 'platform numbers' and 'Toilets' should.

Still such an atmospheric place, I'm not sure whether that's because of its history or because I've only ever known it as old and run down! Looks better now though

Apparently the refurbished steel overbridge is not expected to be put back in place until at least August 2020, possibly even further into 2020 or 2021. Still no sign of funds to change the tower structure and fit the long overdue lifts for the wheelchair users and the disabled. If it is ever done, the overbridge will not be for use of the general public as it was reportedly never designed to take the weight of mass passenger movements. Therefore the disabled will eventually need to be escorted over by key holding station staff at some point in the distant future. Meanwhile £22 million has been spent on the Worcestershire Parkway station whilst Grade II listed Shrub Hill is crumbling for lack of funds.

Link; https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/ ... ry/1390156

The new replica bridge was installed late on Saturday night 10 April 2021 and very early Sunday morning 11 April 2021. Took the attached pictures this morning Wednesday 14 April 2021, not sure if the drab blue-grey of the framework is the final colour, but most observers (self included) would appreciate a more inspired choice. Most of the stations run by Chiltern Railways for example are painted in early 1900s GWR dark and light stone, quite a bit lighter than post WWII chocolate and cream but attractive nonetheless, either way it would mean changing the whole station colour scheme and that won't happen as the canopies are Network Rail responsibility with WMR maintaining all the paintwork elsewhere. That said I am pleased that the new Worcester 'luggage' bridge isn't in West Midlands Railways rolling stock livery of purple and orange!

General consensus is that it will be a long time before lifts are installed (if ever) for use of wheelchair users and passengers with buggies or heavy luggage; even then it will only ever be on a one-to-one basis with users being escorted across by station staff - time will tell.

Bit out of sequence but here’s a picture from Twitter of the bridge on low-loder on its way to the station

https://twitter.com/WorcsTravel/status/ ... 62464?s=20