So they're rebuilding Birmingham New Street...
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hiraethified
That was a fine old GWR station, cruelly trashed.
New Street used to look like this:
Bring it back, thats what I say!
Didn't know Digbeth bus station had gone either. That can only be a good thing.
That's gorgeous, I've always wondered what New Street used to look like.
Time was when it was a matter of local pride to argue with Brummies about who had the worst looking bus station but now both have gone... at least we've always had Temple Meads though
Any chance Network Rail know about Antwerp? Probably not. A terminus station, Victorian, that has just had a 10 year rebuilding programme to keep the Victorian overground buildings, but build massive tunnels to make the station a high-speed through station. Having been through it myself last month, the underground platforms are extremely spacious and uncluttered and uplit with halogen lighting, so it's about as pleasant as you're going to get without natural light. Some background here, but no photos as yet of the new subterranean platforms.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antwerpen-Centraal_railway_station
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antwerpen-Centraal_railway_station
There's 4 new platforms that for some reason they haven't connected to the network yet.
They're not new platforms - they're the original ones: it's the through platforms to the side that are new.
There was talk about connecting the bay platforms back up, but IIRC it was decided against on the grounds that they're only of use to trains coming from the south, and that isn't really where the capacity problems are anyway.
Well, yeah, new old ones. True the main capacity problem is the tunnel through to Snowhill. The terminating platforms haven't been connected because the DfT have refused any public funding for them. These terminating platforms could be made more useful with a bit of reconfiguring of the local network, which I think the next thing on the cards after the New Street renovation.
Take the Moor Street lines, the Aston lines and maybe the Coventry Line in an underground tunnel beneath the city centre with stops to connect with bith the Moor Street - Snow Hill and new Street Axes and then coming up onto the Cross City Line towards Longbridge and the LMS line to Wolverhampton.
Cost a bit, but it INVESTMENT in the infrastructure of one of Europe's biggest cities. Never saw a problem with the M6 toll motorway did they?
Indeed, as the New Street saga has shown, getting the government to invest in Birmingham infrastructure is near impossible. If it wasn't of national importance it wouldn't have happened. I think they don't like the fact we don't have a labour council.
Centro/or whatever it is now, have some decent plans for improving the local network but when or where the moneys going to come from is anyone's guess. And this is in the largest city in Europe without an underground network.... and can't even get funds for a proper tram network.
Centro/or whatever it is now, have some decent plans for improving the local network but when or where the moneys going to come from is anyone's guess. And this is in the largest city in Europe without an underground network.... and can't even get funds for a proper tram network.
Crispy
The following psytrance is baṉned: All
I just wish they'd stop the london trains in the big shed instead of platform 249 or whatever it is all the way the other sideThat's gorgeous, I've always wondered what New Street used to look like.
Time was when it was a matter of local pride to argue with Brummies about who had the worst looking bus station but now both have gone... at least we've always had Temple Meads though
I just wish they'd stop the london trains in the big shed instead of platform 249 or whatever it is all the way the other side
but then you wouldn't be able to stop for sushi and waffles
From an operational point of view stopping the terminating London trains on the far side of Temple Meads make sense cos it's isolated track and signalling wise so ins can dwell there before heading back to that there Lunnon in a way that they couldn't on the shed platforms. But I think I said that before, so sorry.
As for Brum, the obvious, back of a fag packet idea would be an underground heavy rail tunnel that could carry the Cross City Line and Coventry/Walsall/Wolverhampton lines under the city centre. Having stations on this underground line at New Street and Moor Street would improve interchange between the LMS and GWR lines too, offering more oppurtunities for journeys that don't begin or end in the city centre.
As for Brum, the obvious, back of a fag packet idea would be an underground heavy rail tunnel that could carry the Cross City Line and Coventry/Walsall/Wolverhampton lines under the city centre. Having stations on this underground line at New Street and Moor Street would improve interchange between the LMS and GWR lines too, offering more oppurtunities for journeys that don't begin or end in the city centre.
tangerinedream
Density of Sound
I just wish they'd stop the london trains in the big shed instead of platform 249 or whatever it is all the way the other side
Makes sense to have the trains to nowheresville go from the far flung platform though...
BigTom
Well-Known Member
bump...
New Street station entrances and exits switch over today - new exits are to Stephenson Street (same place as there was before, but now this will be the main entrance/exit) and on Hill Street (I don't know where this one comes out, it's completely new afaik).
There's claims of a video on this Birmingham Mail article, but it doesn't seem to actually be there...
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/video-take-tour-new-look-new-3169601
I'm going to wander through it on my way home from work tomorrow and have a look at see what it's like.
But worth people knowing if they're coming into Birmingham that they'll exit somewhere new... and for anyone leaving Birmingham not to try to get to New St through the Palisades shopping centre.
Hopefully the new concourse is going to be a big improvement on the old one, though the whole train bottleneck issue can't be resolved and there's only so much you can do for the platforms really.
New Street station entrances and exits switch over today - new exits are to Stephenson Street (same place as there was before, but now this will be the main entrance/exit) and on Hill Street (I don't know where this one comes out, it's completely new afaik).
There's claims of a video on this Birmingham Mail article, but it doesn't seem to actually be there...
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/video-take-tour-new-look-new-3169601
I'm going to wander through it on my way home from work tomorrow and have a look at see what it's like.
But worth people knowing if they're coming into Birmingham that they'll exit somewhere new... and for anyone leaving Birmingham not to try to get to New St through the Palisades shopping centre.
Hopefully the new concourse is going to be a big improvement on the old one, though the whole train bottleneck issue can't be resolved and there's only so much you can do for the platforms really.
Some pics of work in progress here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-22311215
More info: http://www.newstreetnewstart.co.uk
Think the video is on the newstreetnewstart site.
More info: http://www.newstreetnewstart.co.uk
Think the video is on the newstreetnewstart site.
SikhWarrioR
And the Worms ate into his brain
Euston would give New Street a good run for being the worst station in the UK having used both more times than I care to remember
teuchter
je suis teuchter
I don't think there's anything fundamentally wrong with Euston. The big hall would be impressive if they would just clear out all the clutter of advertising signage and kiosks that has accumulated over the year. If you look at the ceiling it is actually quite a grand structure. Just treat the architecture with some respect like is now the case at St Pancras and Kings Cross (asking for just one modernist station out of all London's terminals isn't too much is it?)
The other thing would be to have loads more seating (which would be easy if you got rid of the kiosks on the concourse). Oh and maybe announce trains more than five minutes before departure time. Reducing the stampede factor would make it a more pleasant station to use.
The other thing would be to have loads more seating (which would be easy if you got rid of the kiosks on the concourse). Oh and maybe announce trains more than five minutes before departure time. Reducing the stampede factor would make it a more pleasant station to use.
blossie33
trailer trash
I went up to Birmingham in June just after they had changed the exits - was prepared to find it a bit confusing but I think it's alot better than before. However, being a born and bred Brummie, I do know my way around and I often used the old Stephenson Street exit so I know exactly where I am.
SikhWarrioR
And the Worms ate into his brain
I beleive that the midand metro is now to be extended from Snow Hill to New Street and possibly Moor Street as well
BigTom
Well-Known Member
Yep -that's what's being done to corporation street at the moment.
farmerbarleymow
I'm Petee's spirit animal
I've been to Birmingham recently and the station is much nicer than it was. It couldn't really be any worse of course!
The artists drawings I've seen on the Network Rail site look good, introducing natural light down into the platforms which is good, with a huge new atrium. Some good artist pics here:
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/6222.aspx
It must have been the worst example of BR 60s station designs. The old 60s Manchester Piccadilly was awful, but nowhere near as bad as NS.
I either read somewhere or someone was talking to me on the train about this while I was travelling there, that when they were building the new Bull Ring shopping centre the developers offered Network Rail the chance to build new tunnels underneath to ease the bottleneck. NR apparently refused (costs?), and the developers subsequently drove huge piles into the ground where the tunnels would have ran so it is now impossible to construct tunnels through that part of the city centre. I don't know how true this is though.
I quite like Euston, and the main hall is a nice structure, but agree about removing all the stupid adverts, put seating in, and announce trains earlier to avoid the mad stampede. The platforms need sprucing up though as they are dark and dingy.
I remember once waiting one rush hour for the Manchester train. The concourse was rammed, with loads and loads of people with those incredibly annoying pull-along trolleys, and they announced our train at platform 12 (or whatever it was). Stupidly they also announced in the next breath the train to Liverpool on the adjacent platform. So a good few hundred people surged down one of the side tunnels off the concourse that lead to the ramps to the platforms, and because of all the stupid trolleys everyone got tangled up and there was a complete logjam. It was quite funny as people were getting rather irate with each other.
Luckily I had my walking boots on so used them for what they are designed for and just climbed over the stuck trolleys - I was damned if I was going to have to stand all the way home because of the idiots and their trolleys!
The artists drawings I've seen on the Network Rail site look good, introducing natural light down into the platforms which is good, with a huge new atrium. Some good artist pics here:
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/6222.aspx
It must have been the worst example of BR 60s station designs. The old 60s Manchester Piccadilly was awful, but nowhere near as bad as NS.
I either read somewhere or someone was talking to me on the train about this while I was travelling there, that when they were building the new Bull Ring shopping centre the developers offered Network Rail the chance to build new tunnels underneath to ease the bottleneck. NR apparently refused (costs?), and the developers subsequently drove huge piles into the ground where the tunnels would have ran so it is now impossible to construct tunnels through that part of the city centre. I don't know how true this is though.
I quite like Euston, and the main hall is a nice structure, but agree about removing all the stupid adverts, put seating in, and announce trains earlier to avoid the mad stampede. The platforms need sprucing up though as they are dark and dingy.
I remember once waiting one rush hour for the Manchester train. The concourse was rammed, with loads and loads of people with those incredibly annoying pull-along trolleys, and they announced our train at platform 12 (or whatever it was). Stupidly they also announced in the next breath the train to Liverpool on the adjacent platform. So a good few hundred people surged down one of the side tunnels off the concourse that lead to the ramps to the platforms, and because of all the stupid trolleys everyone got tangled up and there was a complete logjam. It was quite funny as people were getting rather irate with each other.
Luckily I had my walking boots on so used them for what they are designed for and just climbed over the stuck trolleys - I was damned if I was going to have to stand all the way home because of the idiots and their trolleys!
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
Yeah, it's a bit of a confusing mess at the moment, I've heard lots of locals moaning about it but they didn't seem to grasp that what's there at the moment is very much a stop gap while the rest is demolished/rebuilt.
Pickman's model
sunset spires and twilight woods
yeh what's there after will be worse
YOU'RE a confusing mess.
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
Well, no. It won't be as good as it could have been, due to them not being able to demolish the entire shopping centre above it, but it will be far better than the dark shithole that we had before.
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