Glasgow Queen Street refurbishment and remodelling

[PaxVobiscum]

Latest pic from NetworkRailGQS Twitter (I’ve also uploaded a cropped version showing just the work area):

We moved 2nd section of hoardings further into concourse at #GQS overnight to enable work over next 2 months to install new buffers to extended platforms 2/3 & 4/5

Passenger flow again moving well despite reduced concourse area.

Thanks for your patience as we deliver this work.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

The shrunken concourse from behind the barriers yesterday:



There was no detectable activity from behind the hoardings while I was there. I suspect that breaking through the concrete floor will be done after the station closes at night.

 

[applepie2100]

Will be interesting to see what happens with the gate line while this is going on. It can get busy enough with the current set up without reducing it further. Also how will access to Platform 1 (and the low level) be maintained while Platforms 2 and 3 are OOU? Put the old entrance to the low level back in with an additional door to P1?

The gateline really needs to be removed pretty damn quick. It's the cause of a serious amount of congestion on both sides of the sides and given the shortage of space it's time they stopped worrying about revenue for a little while and started giving passengers some breathing space. It's made even worse by the current entrance to the low level being through the main gateline.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

2 more views from late afternoon yesterday (sorry about the size of the original images - I’ve reduced them a bit now since I couldn't get them to load when viewing)

Concourse from N. Hanover Street entrance:



Concourse from Dundas Street entrance:

 

[jagardner1984]

From what I could see in the station today there mainly seems to be plant parked behind the hoardings at the moment. There were a lot of spray paint markings on the floor presumably indicating excavation points. It was pretty busy at 0730 this morning before the high peak, and it seems hard to see how they are going to keep constricting the concourse without extending it in another direction. The new front part of the station is clearly some way away.

It’s clearly going to be incredible public space directly onto George Square once fully extended. It almost feels like some temporary shelter, ticket machines and gatelines on both The North Hanover Street and Dundas Street fascias would be required, will little more than walkways to navigate to the platforms internally. Certainly the extension to P2/3 would appear, from the spray markings / diagrams above to take up most of the remaining concourse space on that side of the station.

For all the railway takes a bashing in the press and amongst the public (sometimes deserved), a civil engineering project on this scale in a live environment is bloody impressive.

On a side note, is there any plan to better connect the subway and the station once the work is complete ?

 

[GrimShady]

Article in the Times saying that the old goods yard may now become office space!

So much for a decent drop off / pick up area!

 

[big all]

Article in the Times saying that the old goods yard may now become office space!

So much for a decent drop off / pick up area!

you only need street level for pic uk the space above is not needed

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Article in the Times saying that the old goods yard may now become office space!

Ahem! You heard it in post #742 on this forum first
Glasgow Queen Street refurbishment and remodelling

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Update 34 now uploaded, showing a bit of the work on the platform 2-5 bufferstops, the new roof and the new building at the west side of the station.
Bonus footage at the end: Caley Sleeper Mk.5 launch which you may have seen previously in post #1012 of the Caledonian Sleeper thread (that edit no is longer available ).
CAUTION: Bagpipes in use

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Aaargh! Sorry, duplicate post.

Once is bad enough.

 

[och aye]

Update 34 now uploaded, showing a bit of the work on the platform 2-5 bufferstops, the new roof and the new building at the west side of the station.
Bonus footage at the end: Caley Sleeper Mk.5 launch which you may have seen previously in post #1012 of the Caledonian Sleeper thread (that edit no is longer available ).
CAUTION: Bagpipes in use

Thanks again for the updates PaxVobiscum & Jonathan the Seagull.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Thanks again for the updates PaxVobiscum & Jonathan the Seagull.

Thanks for your comment - nice to be appreciated!

Speaking of appreciation, not everyone is always positive.

While planning how my pet seagull was going to hover safely inside the station for the shots at 0’ 25” et seq, various difficulties were correctly foreseen. If it hadn’t been for the advice and assistance of some representatives from British Tern Protection (who just happened to be there) and who were sympathetic to the bird’s perspective, we would all still be wondering what’s happening behind the hoarding.

A surprising proportion of the above is perfectly true.

Perhaps when Jonathan the seagull writes his memoirs it will all come out, but meanwhile he has to be careful not to dump on his friends.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Here’s a quickie of an Update filmed on the way to the forum meal in Mr Singh’s on Thursday 16th May (great to see all you chaps) with the odd cutaway done on the Friday (OK I’m a continuity cheat).

We get to look into the hole that will soon house the frangible decking behind the new platform 2 and 3 buffers, cast an eye on an ornate iron capital and see a tower crane raise a bit of the roof. What more could you ask for entertainment?

 

[jagardner1984]

Really fascinating stuff and there seems to be huge progress made here, wonderful to see. Is it still due to be fully opened next year ? Will this include the eastern development over the old car park ?

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Just realised there seems to have been an issue with the upload of Update 35 - it would only show at 720p maximum resolution.

EDIT: Now fixed - will play up to 4K now but 1080p will give a more even experience due to some cropping of the original 4K files at the edit stage.

 

[kylemore]

Credit where credit's due - to keep such a busy station open - even with a wee bit of inconvenience - during such a major rebuild, is impressive.

 

[RLBH]

Credit where credit's due - to keep such a busy station open - even with a wee bit of inconvenience - during such a major rebuild, is impressive.

To be honest, I'm not even sure how much inconvenience there is. The 'alternate' access to the low level platforms is actually more convenient, and the actual passenger operation of the station isn't really being impacted. The facilities are reduced, but weren't that great to start with anyway, and it's not a big deal in the city. About the only thing I'd count as an inconvenience is the relocation of the ticket office to the pub opposite.

 

[mcmad]

The relocation of the low level entrance causes some issues when an arrival there coincides with one at the high level and the gates can't cope. The other issue is the lack of circulation space, all it takes is one E&G service to be cancelled or delayed and you can't move on the concourse.

The big impact will come shortly when they start taking pairs of platforms out of use for the actual lengthening works.

 

[Altnabreac]

I see Network Rail are now retweeting pictures taken by our elusive seagull

 

[385001]

I see Network Rail are now retweeting pictures taken by our elusive seagull

He’s truly famous!

Seriously, they could do worse than utilise his evidence of the transformation of the station.

Applause to @PaxVobiscum

 

[PaxVobiscum]

You really shouldn’t encourage the me and my seagull - now look what’s happened:
https://twitter.com/paxvobiscum10/status/1137334711280386048?s=12
(Leisurely flypast video showing the ramp and stairs now installed at Queen Street.)

 

[PaxVobiscum]

This chap from Flint TV was there for the crowds for the Spice Girls Concert (another cameramanperson at Waverley). He declined my offer to swap his camera for my much lighter iPhone

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Announcement this evening from NetworkRailGQS on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/networkrailgqs/status/1139929214164119553?s=12

We’re gearing up for another busy phase of activity at #Glasgow Queen Street as the team prepare to extend platforms 2 and 3 by 26m.

From 17 June, we’ll uncover space beneath concourse which was 'dug-out' for platform extensions during Queen street tunnel closure.

An area at the front of both platforms will be cordoned off to enable this work.

We'll also be moving part of the gate-line to the front of platforms 2 to create additional access to the Low Level and Platform1 via Dundas Street.

This work is ahead of closing platforms 2 and 3 from 30th June - 29th July.

This allows us to extend the platforms to enable longer (8 carriage) electric trains, as well as deliver more seats and faster journey times for customers.

Information on changes to @ScotRail services during the closure of platforms 2 and 3 at #GQS is available at

https://www.scotrail.co.uk/plan-your-journey/glasgow-queen-street-redevelopment

Another update video is in post production ;
meanwhile the seagull has taken off on his own with more pictures on Twitter:

 

[mcmad]

I hope they'll start announcing anything leaving from platform 1 in plenty time then rather than the usual last minute dash. Does that also the only access to the remaining parts of the station will be via North Hannover St?

Edit 17/06. leaflets handed out at QS today showing both entrances will still be available. Access to low level and P1 will effectively revert back to the original layout.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Update 36 for those stuck in on a very rainy day (actually it’s lovely and sunny here so I won’t be watching ).

My seagull has found a new perch overlooking the station. When I asked the gentleman in charge of the location if it was OK for JS to be there, the said gentleman had seen one of these videos - fame has its advantages

Some gratuitous HSTs at the end if anyone is interested EDIT: none of which were on fire at the time https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-48672955

 

[PaxVobiscum]

A bit late, but the uncovering work on the concourse has started for the bits of platforms 2 & 3 that were dug out in 2016. P 2 & 3 will be taken out of service on Sunday.



Sigh... suppose I’ll have to bore you all with update 37 soon.

 

[385001]

Sigh... suppose I’ll have to bore you all with update 37 soon.

Not all of us!

Please keep them coming.

 

[InOban]

I take your it that the white surface being exposed by the digger is the temporary infill left by the earlier work during the blockade.

 

[swt_passenger]

I take your it that the white surface being exposed by the digger is the temporary infill left by the earlier work during the blockade.

I think it’s lightweight polystyrene blocks that form the main infill volume isn’t it? Should be very quick to remove?

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Yes, so I believe to both the above.
The platform edge bases look like the concrete strip below: