Birmingham New street revamp

[saaby93]

Hope not another thread?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34293999

By the Beebs stock make anything sound boring presenter
although to be fair he did get going in the middle.

Why do presenters have to repeat what someone being interviewed says
EOR What do you make of the updated station?

Edited by saaby93 on Saturday 19th September 11:56

[RoverP6B]

Looks crap, should have restored it to its steam-era configuration.

Then, we need the new Euston to be a replica of Antwerp Central.

[perdu]

Is that with filthy black glass and a cobbled main concourse?

I think it is very good looking especially if you are used to seeing the silver blob building in the Bull Ring, it's far better looking.

nb, 'acos I'm a Brummie it is THE Bull Ring not some daft attempt to modernise the name into Bull Ring without its THE.

I remember both previous stations, there will never be GWR or LMS steamers running in and out all day so one that caters to the present day city is better suited to purpose.

(My gaffer tells me we're going in to look at the new shops soon as the crowds die down. She knows best and I'll be able to pop into Ian Allan's shop afterwards. Of course she knows best!)

[W124Bob]

Automatic ticket barriers are a joke at such a large station, Virgin have now taken over the job manning the barriers but they keep wandering off doing carebear duties(company policy). All very nice but as yet staff from other companies including BTP have to just join a queue to get through. I doubt my company will cough up to get us passes to just pop through the ticket slot thing. Also access to the A end platforms off the main new concourse seems a bit strange, I haven't been onto the second level yet so I'll reserve judgement about that. I do wonder how long that polished cladding is going to last before it gets grubby, the first area they did around the Navigation street bit is getting scruffy already.

[FW18]

It's good to have the eyesore that was the old station gone and banished to the history books, as it was woefully inadequate for today's needs.

Now if they can sort out the eyesore that is Snow Hill then that would be great, preferably back to its GWR configuration so it fits in with Moor Street.

[anonymous-user]

Birmingham city centre is a bit of a mess IMO, it often feels like you've traveled back to the 1970's due to the amount of concrete and right angles still present. I think they've tried to overcome this with recent architectural additions, but have gone too far with some buildings which will likely date as quick as those concrete ones did (The Bull Ring, the new station, etc).

New Street Station has always been thoroughly unpleasant to use, so any improvement on that has to be a good thing - particularly with regard to taxis - whoever thought siting the temporary rank three car lengths back from a set of traffic lights was a good thing was clearly high or drunk - makes grabbing a cab quickly in peak times a bit of a 'mare.

I'll reserve judgement on the new layout/building until I've experienced it properly.

[W124Bob]

Rumour has it that they forgot about the taxi rank during the rebuild, hence the poor layout that was in place until the weekend(tram construction work didn't help either). Pickup/dropoff still doesn't look to be working well either.

[DaveGoddard]

I bet the station itself, ie the below-ground platforms, are still dark, dingy and stink of diesel. It's the building plonked on top of it they have changed, not the station itself.

[perdu]

DaveGoddard said:

I bet the station itself, ie the below-ground platforms, are still dark, dingy and stink of diesel. It's the building plonked on top of it they have changed, not the station itself.

I bet you are right on the button there, but I dont see what else they could do down there unless they did away with umpteen acres of prime retail space

Which is not very likely

Most 'knowing' commentators are complaining that there is not an increase in platform numbers, but if you have a station down low in a city its hard to see what they could do without demolishing half the city

Still, some of the lower parts of the city could do with replacing with railway platforms

Smallbrook Ringway/Queensway is looking even more dated than New St Station used to

Get another five platforms, knock down High And Mighty

[Europa1]

perdu said:

DaveGoddard said:

I bet the station itself, ie the below-ground platforms, are still dark, dingy and stink of diesel. It's the building plonked on top of it they have changed, not the station itself.

I bet you are right on the button there, but I dont see what else they could do down there unless they did away with umpteen acres of prime retail space

Which is not very likely

Most 'knowing' commentators are complaining that there is not an increase in platform numbers, but if you have a station down low in a city its hard to see what they could do without demolishing half the city

Still, some of the lower parts of the city could do with replacing with railway platforms

Smallbrook Ringway/Queensway is looking even more dated than New St Station used to

Get another five platforms, knock down High And Mighty

Yep, I think technically it's "Birmingham New Street Station concourse" revamp.

[DaveGoddard]

And why the "Grand Central" bull-honkey? It's not bloody New York!

(Yes I am from Birmingham, can you tell?)

[MoggieMinor]

FW18 said:

It's good to have the eyesore that was the old station gone and banished to the history books, as it was woefully inadequate for today's needs.

Now if they can sort out the eyesore that is Snow Hill then that would be great, preferably back to its GWR configuration so it fits in with Moor Street.

The most magnificent Station ever built. Birmingham Snow Hill 1911-1972.

[RoverP6B]

Moggie, I wouldn't call it THAT magnificent. It wasn't exactly St Pancras or Antwerp Central.

[Andy Zarse]

Never mind Antwerp, compare it to Holland's second city Rotterdam and the new Centraal station. The old station was also a vile concrete 1960s mess, worse even than New Street. The revamped one just reopened after a ten year rebuild, and by universal acclaim is an absolute triumph.

I realise options for New Street are restricted by the Pallisades etc, but this shows what a large modern station can be like. Simply stunning in my book, and looks even better in real life.

http://www.dezeen.com/2014/03/22/rotterdam-centraa...

Edited by Andy Zarse on Thursday 1st October 10:44

[Fittster]

DaveGoddard said:

And why the "Grand Central" bull-honkey? It's not bloody New York!

(Yes I am from Birmingham, can you tell?)

Grand Central is the name for the shopping center that's replaced the Pallisades. New Street is still New Street as far as I'm aware.

The station now has a very nice concourse and tarted up platforms.

[Fittster]

Andy Zarse said:

Never mind Antwerp, compare it to Holland's second city Rotterdam and the new Centraal station. The old station was also a vile concrete 1960s mess, worse even than New Street. The revamped one just reopened after a ten year rebuild, and by universal acclaim is an absolute triumph.

I realise options for New Street are restricted by the Pallisades etc, but this shows what a large modern station can be like. Simply stunning in my book, and looks even better in real life.

http://www.dezeen.com/2014/03/22/rotterdam-centraa...

Edited by Andy Zarse on Thursday 1st October 10:44

Did they do work with the tracks / platforms? The big problem with New Street is that the platforms are underground which make doing much with them without tearing down the city and causing huge issues with the overall rail network a nightmare.

[P5BNij]

Fittster said:

Andy Zarse said:

Never mind Antwerp, compare it to Holland's second city Rotterdam and the new Centraal station. The old station was also a vile concrete 1960s mess, worse even than New Street. The revamped one just reopened after a ten year rebuild, and by universal acclaim is an absolute triumph.

I realise options for New Street are restricted by the Pallisades etc, but this shows what a large modern station can be like. Simply stunning in my book, and looks even better in real life.

http://www.dezeen.com/2014/03/22/rotterdam-centraa...

Edited by Andy Zarse on Thursday 1st October 10:44

Did they do work with the tracks / platforms? The big problem with New Street is that the platforms are underground which make doing much with them without tearing down the city and causing huge issues with the overall rail network a nightmare.

Alas no changes to the track layout, signalling or permitted maximum speeds on the approaches to / through the station. I work trains through New St and it has always been the same, an operational bottle neck with tunnels and gradients at both ends.

Twas ever thus and probably always will be, barring a massive rethink / remodelling. I shan't hold my breath!

[Andy Zarse]

Fittster said:

Andy Zarse said:

Never mind Antwerp, compare it to Holland's second city Rotterdam and the new Centraal station. The old station was also a vile concrete 1960s mess, worse even than New Street. The revamped one just reopened after a ten year rebuild, and by universal acclaim is an absolute triumph.

I realise options for New Street are restricted by the Pallisades etc, but this shows what a large modern station can be like. Simply stunning in my book, and looks even better in real life.

http://www.dezeen.com/2014/03/22/rotterdam-centraa...

Edited by Andy Zarse on Thursday 1st October 10:44

Did they do work with the tracks / platforms? The big problem with New Street is that the platforms are underground which make doing much with them without tearing down the city and causing huge issues with the overall rail network a nightmare.

They refreshed the platforms at Rotterdam, which are the opposite of New Street being above the station. Obviously they now have a new roof, but I don't think they altered them substantially.

[perdu]

Many many years ago I attended a breakdown on Smallbrook Ringway for a young(ish) lady (I'm NO spring chicken myself as Andy can attest) who proudly boasted that she was 'rebuilding the Bull Ring'

I asked what she meant and she said "Oh yes we are pulling all this lot down and completely rebuilding the area" so conversationally like, I asked if she was also going to improve the station too

"Oh no, that is 'The Railway's' problem" when I said about restricted platforms and such

Joined up thinking then might have entailed widening the area allotted to rail tracks and altering the basic underground bits the trains need by knocking down some of the truly crappy shops along the Smallbrook Ringway and resetting the southern access for rail on the Bull Ring side of the station


Dear old Brum, its politicians couldnt find their arses without a planner or fifty to show them where to look

Most of the Bull Ring is built over tunnels anyway, going a bit further surely wouldnt have been much harder

Still, me and 'er indoors are going to pop in and become awestruck by the new shopping bits soon

[MoggieMinor]

RoverP6B said:

Moggie, I wouldn't call it THAT magnificent. It wasn't exactly St Pancras or Antwerp Central.

I agree. Birmingham Snow Hill was neither of those but it was far more magnificent than both of them.

Sadly it was sacrificed in favour of the 1960s modernisation of New Street which promised electric trains. The reality was that only certain trains were ever going to be electric hauled. Most commuter services were still worked by DMUs. Cross-country trains were diesel hauled to New Street and changed locos to AC electrics. The diesels were at least at the open ends, as were the HST power cars that came in later. Come privatisation and these services are worked by Voyagers and Class 170s. The only electrics at New Street today are the 323s, 350s and the Pendolinos. Electrification of many routes never came and probably never will.

So, at platform level New Street today still reeks of diesel fumes that make passengers eyes sting. Such a shame when the new concourse and Grand Central is simply stunning.

Snow Hill of course would have had no problem with fumes. It was designed for steam locomotives and was the most impressive station this country has ever seen.