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Glasgow Queen Street refurbishment and remodelling

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PaxVobiscum

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Another thank you from me @PaxVobiscum. I do keep an eye out for a seagull carrying a camera when I'm going through GLQ but I've yet to spot him!

So you didn’t spot him having a hover in George Square today then? ;)
*I strongly advise turning off the sound - that awful Muzak takes longer to play than it did for me to make.
 

GrimShady

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There's not an awful lot of extra room on the concourse. It's pretty similar space wise as the previous layout.
 

PaxVobiscum

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May seem like that at the moment, but remember there’s a fair bit of the concourse not opened yet.

[PARTYLINE]After the decision to extend P1–5, the whole thing was designed round passenger flow, based on tracing actual passenger moments during a survey period, and then factoring in the predicted increases in passenger numbers and requirements of the Equality Act. Given the constraints of the site, they did the best with the available space. Would have been easier if a successful case for demolition of the whole of the Millennium Hotel o_O could have been made. [/PARTYLINE]

Just giving the view from an information session with the architect. My own views may or may not differ ;).

I’m trying not to show accidentally any Visible Party Line :lol: in my own comments.
 
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NotATrainspott

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If I'm not mistaken the plans for the new development on the car park site will likely include the, um, reconfiguration of the Millennium Hotel. I think the comment was that the sort of office development they wanted to build would need a George Square address, not a North Hanover or Cathedral Street one. I'd expect though that the hotel facade, or a replica thereof, would need to be retained.
 

Altnabreac

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There's not an awful lot of extra room on the concourse. It's pretty similar space wise as the previous layout.

Well that's kind of the whole point.

Longer platforms ate into the concourse so the concourse was extended to at least replace what was lost. At the same time they opened up the concourse so there were more open access points and better accessibility but it was never about delivering a much bigger concourse, it was about enabling longer trains.
 

mcmad

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I think you're not getting a balanced picture at the moment, the current concourse area is smaller than previous. Hopefully when all the hoardings come down (next year still?) then there will be more circulation room. At the moment it is very cramped, not helped by the positioning of the (only)departure board.
 

GrimShady

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I know it was for longer trains however I still think there's going to be issues with the usual build up of Edinburgh passengers before the gates and trains not being announced to until the last few minutes.
 

RLBH

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I know it was for longer trains however I still think there's going to be issues with the usual build up of Edinburgh passengers before the gates and trains not being announced to until the last few minutes.
That could be eased, of course, by the trains being announced in reasonable time.
 

Aictos

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Just remember, it's technically illegal to allow a trained seagull to fly within 50m of people or vehicles not under your control. No idea why though.

Are pigeons under the same restrictions? :?:
 

PaxVobiscum

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Well that's kind of the whole point.

Longer platforms ate into the concourse so the concourse was extended to at least replace what was lost. At the same time they opened up the concourse so there were more open access points and better accessibility but it was never about delivering a much bigger concourse, it was about enabling longer trains.

Interesting. I respectfully beg to differ - I have been told otherwise. Also, I thought I remembered a statement about the size of the concourse from a while back, and I think this is it, quoted in an article from 25th February 2014 in the Architects’ Journal:
[BDP’s]latest designs – launched in a public consultation this week – include a new platform lengthening development on the station’s west side and an extended entrance into nearby George Square. Nearby Consort House would be demolished under the plans.

The expanded project is part of the Scottish Government’s £650 million Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) and will expand Scotland’s third busiest station in line with expected passenger growth from 20 million today to 28 million by 2030.

Other improvements include doubling public floor space on the concourse, improving passenger circulation and replacing the 1960s entrance and the hotel extension above with a new 500m² glass frontage.

Of course, there have been many changes to the plans since then, but at least there was indeed an intention to increase the size of the concourse back then. Whether it actually ends up double the size of the previous iteration or not remains to be seen. “Pop-up” retail units may eat into floor space initially, but can be removed as passenger numbers increase and other contiguous developments produce replacement retail units nearby.
 

Altnabreac

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Interesting. I respectfully beg to differ - I have been told otherwise. Also, I thought I remembered a statement about the size of the concourse from a while back, and I think this is it, quoted in an article from 25th February 2014 in the Architects’ Journal:


Of course, there have been many changes to the plans since then, but at least there was indeed an intention to increase the size of the concourse back then. Whether it actually ends up double the size of the previous iteration or not remains to be seen. “Pop-up” retail units may eat into floor space initially, but can be removed as passenger numbers increase and other contiguous developments produce replacement retail units nearby.

I guess it depends what you mean by “concourse”. My impression is the space between the end of the platforms and the exits will be a similar size to before so the impression of concourse space (as referenced above by GrimShady) will be similar to how it was before.

The extra usable space is much more off to the sides, the new lower level toilets, retail space, larger ticket office, bigger entrances, new ramp etc. So the flow and usability of passenger circulation space is much increased (that doubling talked about in the Architects Journal).

But my impression is the actual milling about at the end of the platforms space is similar to before the works.
 

PaxVobiscum

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Update 45 – Christmas Special!

Merry Christmas to all on RailforumsUK and also the many, many good people who have gone out of their way to welcome myself and my seagull and made this series possible.

 

385001

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Update 45 – Christmas Special!

Merry Christmas to all on RailforumsUK and also the many, many good people who have gone out of their way to welcome myself and my seagull and made this series possible.

Thanks for the latest update and Merry Christmas to you and your seagull!
 

InOban

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And so say all of us. I trust that Network Rail will be archiving all your updates to add to their records.
 

InOban

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More likely sending me an invoice for using their artwork without permission :lol:.
The poster on these forums who recorded progress on the electrification of the line through Bolton was asked to contribute his material to NR.
 

Muenchener

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Update 45 – Christmas Special!

Merry Christmas to all on RailforumsUK and also the many, many good people who have gone out of their way to welcome myself and my seagull and made this series possible.

Merry Christmas Pax to you and the well trained seagull (many aren't!).
A big thanks for your efforts over time to log the redevelopment. I was back there myself on Thursday. The first time I have been back to GLQ since that terrible day five years ago.
Pleasing to see the changes thus far but clear that there are still several months of effort to go.
Keep up the good work. Looking forward to the final updates over the coming months.
 

83G/84D

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Thanks for the latest update and Merry Christmas to you and your seagull!

No such thing as a seagull- it’s a generic term. You are in all likelihood referring to a Herring Gull although I have not watched the footage.

Seasons Greetings!
 

edwin_m

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I was expecting this thread to take the common tern into silliness, but was gulled into a false sense of security.
 

83G/84D

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I was expecting this thread to take the common tern into silliness, but was gulled into a false sense of security.

“Common Tern” - another unintended bird reference? That would be worth seeing over Glasgow. :)
 
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