Passengers using Northwich rail station on the Manchester to Chester line are going up in the world – if only by a few inches.

That’s all it has taken to make life a whole lot easier to get on and off trains now that Network Rail has installed a ‘Harrington Hump’ on each platform.

The Hump is a system for raising the height of platforms which in the past have been too low for all but the most able-bodied of rail travellers to use. Now, passengers who have previously been denied access to the railway network, could have untold journey opportunities opened up to them.

The humps have been fixed on the platforms to correspond with the normal stopping place of the trains’ disabled access door.

Funded by Northern Rail and Cheshire West & Chester Council, it took just five months to complete the work.

At the official opening, Councillor Mike Jones, leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: “Northwich is a key station on the Mid Cheshire line but it has long been disadvantaged by the height difference between trains and the platform.

“We are delighted that this issue is now resolved thanks to partnership working between the Council, Northern Rail and Network Rail, together with the Community Rail Partnership, for the benefit of Northwich.

“This is a fantastic result for rail passengers in the town who can now make full use of their local station.”

Mark Barker, Client and Stakeholder Manager for Northern Rail, comments: “We are delighted to work in partnership with Cheshire West and Chester Council and Network Rail to deliver what is a simple yet very effective solution to ensure more passengers can travel by train.”

Jo Kaye, Network Rail route director, added: “We have found a novel solution to an age old problem that has caused concern for numerous potential rail passengers throughout the country who simply could not travel by train because of the low platform height.

“It is the ideal solution for stations such as Northwich where the comparatively high cost of completely rebuilding the platforms is not viable.”

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