Works planned to tackle ongoing flooding issues at Maidenhead Railway Station

Work to address ongoing flooding issues at Maidenhead Railway Station is currently being undertaken, Network Rail has revealed. 

The company has said it is working with colleagues at Great Western Railway (GWR), which operates the station, to address the issues caused by flooding.

This follows various incidents around the station, including taking the newly installed lift serving platforms 2 and 3 out of action. 

The lift re-opened in September following several months of closure while it was re-located and renewed during major improvement works. 

But it has been plagued with issues ever since, with many raising concerns about it being out of action on various occasions. 

Back in September, the lift was out of service due to ‘extreme rainfall’, which caused water pooling. 

Likewise, the weather also affected the ticket barriers, meaning they were not available for use. 

Last month Network Rail apologised after rainwater during Storm Bert affected the lifts at the station – which are now back in operation. 

The issues at the station were a talking point during the council’s Disability and Inclusion Forum meeting at Maidenhead Town Hall on Monday.

Chairwoman Lisa Hughes revealed that she contacted Network Rail after the flooding issues at the station in September and asked numerous questions, including why the lift serving platforms 2 and 3 had broken down at the time. 

She said: “I asked them then what happened in the recent incident where the lift broke down and they said the existing station drainage couldn't cope with the volume and intensity of rainwater on this particular occasion.”

This led to water spilling from platform level down pipes and existing drainage infrastructure, ‘which flooded areas of the station including the lift motor room’. 

The meeting heard that once the flooding from the subway and lift shaft had been cleared, it took approximately 40 hours to get the lift back up and running.

Ms Hughes also asked what flooding mitigations had been designed into the station works overall and specifically in terms of the lift shaft.

“They replied that there [were] additional drainage measures for that specific project and some general drainage clearance while on site and they've listed exactly what works were done,” she told the meeting.

Ms Hughes was told that passengers were notified of the broken-down lift online through updated passenger systems, through front line teams and through industry systems, for passengers travelling from other stations. 

In terms of alternative provision during that time for passengers needing to use the lift, Ms Hughes was told that customers were advised to either travel to the next station and come back if possible or a taxi provision was offered. 

Ms Hughes also asked what plans were in place to reduce the likelihood of the issues occurring again. 

She was told that senior management across the rail industry are looking to improve the drainage and reduce the impact of flooding.

“But they've said this process is just commencing and so further activity at the station will continue.”

Cllr Helen Price (tBfi, Clewer and Dedworth East) said: “There seems to be an inability to recognise that extreme weather conditions are now going to be part of our lives and therefore we should be anticipating events, we in the most wider sense of the word, rather than just reacting to them.”

She added that she was ‘slightly puzzled’ that the company ‘waited’ for the issues to occur then thought they should start ‘thinking about it’. 

Ms Hughes said she believes the rail operators are now ‘grasping’ the point in Maidenhead, and hopefully the plans mean there will be reduced chance of issues occurring again. 

Network Rail has been contacted for further comment.