The railway track excuse has always seemed like a cop out. The Amsterdam Arena is built over the top of a motorway which goes under the middle of the pitch. The old Atletico Madrid stadium had a motorway running underneath the main stand in a similar position to where the train tracks would lie beneath a potential expanded south stand at OT.
Perhaps the housing next to the train tracks is more of an issue?
This might be of interest;
Originally, way back, the railway land belong to British Rail (
when it was still in Government ownership) and BR were not allowed to sell off land except to other Government agencies, but they would allow a leasing system; however at the time the fallibility and the true cost of building an extension to the South stand on land actually owned by someone else, was considered prohibitive by the then owners/directors of the club.
Other development plans for the other three sides of the ground were then considered, and eventually actioned.
I was told by people I knew who worked for the club (
at the time) it seems the whole project was reconsidered when government restrictions changed, but it seems other issues arose as H&S, Planning and Building Regs had changed and the line itself became mainly a goods line; later it was security issues that attracted attention e.g. in theory, some determined terrorist could run a massive bomb right into the heart of the stadium on the train, etc. And of course all the time the cost was increasing just to build it, never mind kit it out.
My 'inside man' had left the club by then, so I don't know exactly what has taken place since the late 80's The decision to build the 'Munich tunnel' was I think taken around that time, but cant not be sure.
When the club started buying property and land on the other side of the railway I don't know, either, again not sure when or for what purpose. You have to assume that the original plan to just extend the South Stand to three tiers was now 'old hat' and something new was envisage, might still be on the cards...
who knows this could be Joel's big statement when he meets the fans?
There is also problems of access and egress on the other side of the ground North/Stretford End, i.e. bridge over the canal, which has caused concern more than once for H&S reasons with pedestrians, mingling with vehicles, especially at the end of the game. The Police are not happy about these arrangements, because as more stringent security measures have been introduced to check vehicles entering car parks, the build up of traffic back on to the main road becomes horrendous and in some case downright dangerous.
Perhaps the only feasible thing would be to 'flip the grounds footprint' over (
as Spurs seem to have done) and swap the car parks over; however there would still be issues then with canal and buying up land further down the road, whatever happens a new stadium on the OT site looks very unlikely, especially as 75000 fans still turn up, with leaky roofs, no screens, dilapidated concourse, and seats that soon only kids can sit in, every home game.
The stadium improvements, like many other club management issues have been 'kicked down the road' for years, even before the Glazers arrived. I don't see it changing much to be honest whether Joel and Co stay or go!
Looks like we are staying at the 'Theatre of Dreams' until it falls down around our ears!