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Is Manchester Victoria slowly being rennovated?

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Prodigy

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Over the past few months I have noticed a few improvements at Manchester Victoria Station, new toilets have been built and the seating on all platforms has been updated and modernized. Also it looks to me like some structural work is going on but I can't quite tell.

With this being said, is the station actually being slowly renovated, or are new toilets and new chairs the only thing the Station's going to get?
 
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MidnightFlyer

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The big upcoming project is the new roof and revamped concourse. I don't think much else is due. I suspect the toilets and seating would fall under general maintenance and renewal more than anything else, same as any other large station.
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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The W H Smith outlet on the concourse at Manchester Victoria always brings to mind the old-style log cabins of the "Wild West" and was made to look even worse in comparison a few years ago when the concourse flooring area was eventually refurbished. The new refurbishment with its mezzanine floor and all the associated new buildings under the new roof will totally transform this railway station, which always seemed to vie with Wakefield Kirkgate for the title of "Worst Railway Station in Northern England"
 

Bevan Price

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Pity they don't do a proper job - knock down the arena and restore the extra platforms (formerly 15 & 16) on the north side of the station. It would also improve the incredibly gloomy passenger environment* on platforms 4 to 6 if the arena was removed.
* - Almost as bad as Birmingham New Street.
 

yorksrob

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which always seemed to vie with Wakefield Kirkgate for the title of "Worst Railway Station in Northern England"

Bit OTT. As well as being relatively easy to use in terms of interchangeing, you can get a cup of tea, a newspaper and something to eat. There's always someone manning the ticket office and people to ask for information, and if what has been said on this column is true, they even have useable toilets now !
 

MidnightFlyer

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Plus the beautiful building, old tiled map, preserved booking office and stunning roof in the Pumpkin cafe / bar.
 

PR1Berske

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Victoria is not as bad as Wakefield, there's some real gems there. The tiled map, as has been said, is remarkable. I hope it's maintained.

The problem I have always had with Victoria is the 'shapelessness' of it all. I know the shape of, say, Piccadilly because there's a couple of entrances and once you're in the size and shape is fairly clear. Victoria is a bit more...lumpy and disorganised, which isn't helped by the Arena, which gives that whole side of the station a dark, dank, disconnected appearance. This problem is exacerbated by the ticket checks, which when taken as a whole with fencing and stairwells makes that side of the station seem wholly disconnected from the rest of it.

I would be very interested to see if, maybe in a good 10 or so years time knowing how these things work, Victoria and Salford Crescent are somehow 'coupled' to allow for new post-Curve, post-Metrolink Expansion services to use the available space.
 

snail

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Pity they don't do a proper job - knock down the arena and restore the extra platforms (formerly 15 & 16) on the north side of the station. It would also improve the incredibly gloomy passenger environment* on platforms 4 to 6 if the arena was removed.
* - Almost as bad as Birmingham New Street.
Yes, the arena only cost £50M of public money and attracts thousands of people into the city every week. Much better to spend even more money on a couple of platforms. Or not. :roll:
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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Bit OTT. As well as being relatively easy to use in terms of interchangeing, you can get a cup of tea, a newspaper and something to eat. There's always someone manning the ticket office and people to ask for information, and if what has been said on this column is true, they even have useable toilets now !

I cannot speak for the female toilet facilities for obvious reasons, but the male toilet facilities for more years than I can remember have been the most disgusting ones on a railway station in a major city. I must confess it is some time since I was desperate enough to have to use them, so if something has been done to improve them, that does not excuse the very many years in which they were very unhygenic.
 

MidnightFlyer

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There's new ones now, fully on the site of the old Ladies'. Very nice to use actually.
 

WatcherZero

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No more flooding problems due to toilet drain level being lower than the storm drains outside like the previous gents. Alright as modern bogs go but not executive if you know what I mean.
 

yorksrob

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I cannot speak for the female toilet facilities for obvious reasons, but the male toilet facilities for more years than I can remember have been the most disgusting ones on a railway station in a major city. I must confess it is some time since I was desperate enough to have to use them, so if something has been done to improve them, that does not excuse the very many years in which they were very unhygenic.

Well, I can't disagree with that. The onboard facilities have usually been a better bet most of the time.

Just to clarify, when people talk about "new" toilets, I take it these are actually new - as opposed to the 90's era stainless steel examples without loo seats? I never had the pleasure of the underground ones, but I always found the ones that replaced them fairly off putting (I passed through on Saturday but didn't need to spend a penny).
 

Bevan Price

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Yes, the arena only cost £50M of public money and attracts thousands of people into the city every week. Much better to spend even more money on a couple of platforms. Or not. :roll:
But there were other locations they could have put the arena, rather than ruin Victoria.
 

daniel3982

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But that is irrelevant to where it is now.

Exactly, this talk is ridiculous. The Arena is one of the two busiest arenas in the World and a significant contributor to the Manchester economy and number of people using the railways into the city. Yes it's a shame for Victoria that it was plonked there but what is done is done so time to move on from this discussion, it isn't going anywhere unless someone has £100m + to gift to build a replacement elsewhere in the city
 

Bevan Price

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Exactly, this talk is ridiculous. The Arena is one of the two busiest arenas in the World and a significant contributor to the Manchester economy and number of people using the railways into the city. Yes it's a shame for Victoria that it was plonked there but what is done is done so time to move on from this discussion, it isn't going anywhere unless someone has £100m + to gift to build a replacement elsewhere in the city
True, but if enough people criticise the authorities, it may discourage them from planting similar monstrosities on top of other stations.
 

Nym

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There's new ones now, fully on the site of the old Ladies'. Very nice to use actually.

Although they are very clean inside (mainly) the layout does seem to have been desined by someone with a sense of irony. If they wanted to reduce leuid acts in there, the design used, isn't, well, perticularly good. (Asside from pointing a camera directly at the large cubicle)

Get the feeling no-one knows what I'm on about here...
 

Bevan Price

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Would Birmingham New Street have featured in your thoughts when you made that posting ?

No - but now that you mention it, I should have thought about New St., and I could also include Euston, where much of the platform area is rather grim.
 

yorksrob

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I have to say, I had the pleasure of using the new facilities yesterday and was very impressed. I also noticed that there's now also a Delice De France (which I would have been tempted to use had I not been pressed for time) so things definately seem to be looking up.
 

MidnightFlyer

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Well that's certainly new since February (11th to be precise) - whereabouts is it? Of the four outlets there (Metro bar, Pumpkins, hot dog stand and Java coffee bar) it should be the first to offer a wide variety of take-out snacks!
 

yorksrob

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Well that's certainly new since February (11th to be precise) - whereabouts is it? Of the four outlets there (Metro bar, Pumpkins, hot dog stand and Java coffee bar) it should be the first to offer a wide variety of take-out snacks!

It's in the same area as the Java coffee bar/hot dog stand. Come to think of it, I didn't notice whether they were still there or not, so I'm not sure whether they've been replaced.
 

Prodigy

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It's in the same area as the Java coffee bar/hot dog stand. Come to think of it, I didn't notice whether they were still there or not, so I'm not sure whether they've been replaced.

Hotdog stand has gone sadly :(. I think the Java Coffee bar is still there but unsure.
 

185

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Power supply failure yesterday in the main station buildings above and around the ticket office. All passenger toilets out of use and several other associated problems around the concourse too.

The concessions Northern Rail selected are awful. One was charging £1 for drinks for 12 months, then put them up to £1.65 the following day. Manchester Piccadilly station's Bread Box kiosk still charges £1.

I'm hoping Network Rail take Vic in house as a managed major station.
 
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