New Sunderland Station Building

[GrandCentral]

The new Sunderland Station south building opened yesterday and the feedback has been pretty negative from local people. What do you think?

I do think that it's a bit of a let down, particularly compared to the artist impressions. No doubt it's an improvement on what it replaced but at the moment it looks like an empty warehouse.

 

[snowball]

There was this press release on Friday.

Sunderland station entrance opens doors

Sunderland's multi-million-pound southern train station entrance has officially opened its doors today (Friday December 8).

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Sunderland's multi-million-pound southern train station entrance has officially opened its doors today (Friday December 8).

The transformation of the city’s new arrival point – featuring a heavily glazed fascia that looks out to Market Square in the heart of the city – welcomed the public from 8am this morning, with the finishing touches being applied to the public realm surrounding the station over the next few months.

The leader of Sunderland City Council, Councillor Graeme Miller and chief executive Patrick Melia met with Julie Elliott MP; representatives from Network Rail, Grand Central and Northern Rail, as well as contractor BAM, to see the finished station after 18 months of construction.

The southern entrance of the station features a large glass wrap around design and includes a new ticket office and reception, public toilets, retail space and cafes, comfortable waiting areas, as well as a new mezzanine level that has office space reserved for rail industry staff. The project was driven by Sunderland City Council, in partnership with Network Rail, Nexus, Grand Central and Northern Rail.

 

[Bantamzen]

A bit of a let down is a major understatement. I mean the original rendering wasn't exactly inspiring, but the finished product looks like a waiting room for the Squid Games.

 

[och aye]

Add some shelves and you've got a branch of Costco!

 

[vic-rijrode]

There was this press release on Friday.

Sunderland station entrance opens doors

Sunderland's multi-million-pound southern train station entrance has officially opened its doors today (Friday December 8).

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

I suggest that "The southern entrance of the station features a large glass wrap around design and includes a new ticket office and reception, public toilets, retail space and cafes, comfortable waiting areas, as well as a new mezzanine level that has office space reserved for rail industry staff." may mean that shops and café(s) will be built in the otherwise cavernous space. I cannot believe that Network Rail would let that sort of commercial opportunity pass by.

It does remind me of a (much) smaller version of Euston when it opened in the mid 60s. If I recall correctly the only structure breaking up the monotony of the huge hall was the stairs and escalators to the Underground. What I will say is that even in its "unvarnished" state now, the new Sunderland station is far and away better than its predecessor building which was a tip and, of course, the northern and only entrance (until the new building opened) which is a veritable slum.
Give it time I would say.

 

[swt_passenger]

I suggest that "The southern entrance of the station features a large glass wrap around design and includes a new ticket office and reception, public toilets, retail space and cafes, comfortable waiting areas, as well as a new mezzanine level that has office space reserved for rail industry staff." may mean that shops and café(s) will be built in the otherwise cavernous space. I cannot believe that Network Rail would let that sort of commercial opportunity pass by.

Like on the Reading ‘transfer deck‘ perhaps? IIRC the catering outlets were effectively prefabricated offsite, and delivered almost complete and just connected to water and electrical services.

 

[lachlan]

There is so much space here - at the very least more seating should be provided

 

[Pinza-C55]

Looking at the pictures they are probably waiting for the January sale at IKEA to get the wall art and seats.

 

[J-2739]

Value-engineering galore.

 

[mad_rich]

I can't wait for the Sunderland episode of The Architecture The Railways Built.

Nexus could maybe have waited until a bit more furniture and decoration was up before doing a press release, but even the render isn't exactly inviting. As it is, it has all the charm of an unused aircraft hangar.

 

[W-on-Sea]

It doesn't look great, but still seems a *vast* improvement on what was there before....

 

[Pinza-C55]

I suggest that "The southern entrance of the station features a large glass wrap around design and includes a new ticket office and reception, public toilets, retail space and cafes, comfortable waiting areas, as well as a new mezzanine level that has office space reserved for rail industry staff." may mean that shops and café(s) will be built in the otherwise cavernous space. I cannot believe that Network Rail would let that sort of commercial opportunity pass by.

It does remind me of a (much) smaller version of Euston when it opened in the mid 60s. If I recall correctly the only structure breaking up the monotony of the huge hall was the stairs and escalators to the Underground. What I will say is that even in its "unvarnished" state now, the new Sunderland station is far and away better than its predecessor building which was a tip and, of course, the northern and only entrance (until the new building opened) which is a veritable slum.
Give it time I would say.

The 1966 station was cheap as was its predecessor but the only thing that made it a "tip" was the way it had been carved up over the years to shoehorn extra shops and staircases etc into it. The platform area is horrendous but that hasn't been addressed and when or if they finally address it they will have to do so underneath the new building which will be an engineering nightmare.

 

[GatwickDepress]

Amused they have all that wall space, but still went in for the small-size departure boards, potentially blocking the stairs in very busy periods? I don't know Sunderland enough to know if it ever gets that busy.

 

[SteveM70]

I love the optimism in the press release describing it as Sunderland's "arrival point" rather than its "departure point"

 

[deanmachine]

I love the optimism in the press release describing it as Sunderland's "arrival point" rather than its "departure point"

Generally speaking people who depart will also arrive back to the same place.

 

[vic-rijrode]

It doesn't look great, but still seems a *vast* improvement on what was there before....

It most certainly is both at the old south end and at the existing "hole in the wall" north entrance of the station. Unlike many on here, I will not judge the station until it has "matured" a little.

 

[CharlieSpotted]

I hope the 12 people who can sit down in there enjoy their opulent surroundings!

 

[vic-rijrode]

Looking at the pictures they are probably waiting for the January sale at IKEA to get the wall art and seats.

Very easy to sneer, but I have IKEA bookcases and they are excellent, durable and spacious. As regards seats, being predominantly a Metro station with the hourly Northern Services and a handful of Grand Central trains, I would think most folks travelling from the station will go straight down on to the platform to wait for their train, where there are plenty of seats both at the North(ern) end and the southern (Metro) end.

I hope the 12 people who can sit down in there enjoy their opulent surroundings!

As I have stated above, most people who are travelling will go down to the platform where there are plenty of seats.

 

[thomalex]

Just had a look at some of the images and from the outside it looks fine, there's also nothing wrong with the exposed beams. I think it's some of the details where it falls down, like the way the beams just slam into white wall, the cabling which is left exposed and just strapped onto them, the unpainted metal roof sheeting.

Also the vast expanse of white wall really isn't helping things. Just drawing a horizontal line mid-way up and painting a darker or different colour above would have improved this massively without any additional cost.

 

[Bantamzen]

I hope the 12 people who can sit down in there enjoy their opulent surroundings!

They ought to put some 5 a-side goals in the empty bits. It would go down a treat on match day!

 

[GrandCentral]

It really is a bit of a let down. Much better than what it replaced, there's no doubt about that but it is bare and quite frankly depressing. I also think it will age terribly and look as bad as the old one did in about 10 or 20 years.
Any news on plans to reopen the old platforms?

 

[DarloRich]

It doesn't look great, but still seems a *vast* improvement on what was there before....

agree - needs a bit more furniture and colour but much better than it was.

 

[vic-rijrode]

It really is a bit of a let down. Much better than what it replaced, there's no doubt about that but it is bare and quite frankly depressing. I also think it will age terribly and look as bad as the old one did in about 10 or 20 years.
Any news on plans to reopen the old platforms?

Oh for heaven's sake give it a chance. It's only just opened and folks are condemning it already. The new building could stand there for another 100 years and it would still not look as bad or as "frankly depressing" as "the old one" did when that was newly built.

 

[ian1944]

Generally speaking people who depart will also arrive back to the same place.

I think that the comment was about the city's attractiveness and likelihood of permanent departure, presumably by residents, as the reaction "I went to Sunderland, it were dreadful, I'm bever going back" would keep the number of arrivals and departures in balance. Regarding the number of seats being 12, there seem to be three double-sided four-seaters, which makes 24 to me.

 

[vic-rijrode]

I think that the comment was about the city's attractiveness and likelihood of permanent departure, presumably by residents, as the reaction "I went to Sunderland, it were dreadful, I'm bever going back" would keep the number of arrivals and departures in balance. Regarding the number of seats being 12, there seem to be three double-sided four-seaters, which makes 24 to me.

That "it were dreadful" reaction strikes me as valid as the foreign tourist who comes to London, thinks the food is dreadful, the crowds overwhelming, the hotels expensive and the people unfriendly and menacing.... and then states "England was dreadful" without ever going outside of the West End. There are parts of Sunderland that are not nice but again parts that are astonishly beautiful. Hopefully those that want to visit the new station will also visit more of the city.

 

[azOOOOOma]

Oh dear what a wasted opportunity. Hopefully the finishing touches that are meant to be coming bring it all together.

I was shopping in Sunderland the other day and was impressed at the Christmas decorations that pay homage to the city today and it’s past. For example, Penshaw Monument, the glass centre, the theatre and a mine (and a couple I couldn’t quite work out). It would be a great concept to bring to the station. Or get the community involved with officially sanctioned graffiti or kids painting. There’s are large Chinese and Nigerian communities. Couldn’t they get those involved with some traditional art?

It looked great from the outside but what a letdown. Even some slat panels from B&Q at £70 a sheet running up in a line on a few walls would do something.

The look is cold, clinical and depressing. Stick a Greggs, a SAFC gift shop or a coffee shop. Something to bring people in. The city is looking pretty smart. Particularly around the old Vaux site. It is a shame the station isn’t inline with it.

However, it is an improvement on the old one. Let’s not forget that.

Laura x

 

[RailWonderer]

The government wants to do everything as cheap and barebones as possible. That said Sunderland, while not a London terminal deserves something far grander than this car wreck. Every new stations that pops up as a dull prefab I always see as a missed opportunity. When was the last pleasant UK terminal opened since the St Pancras and KX redevelopments?

The UK seems to be getting more into hostile architechture to discourage people waiting around too long.

 

[vic-rijrode]

Oh dear what a wasted opportunity. Hopefully the finishing touches that are meant to be coming bring it all together.

I was shopping in Sunderland the other day and was impressed at the Christmas decorations that pay homage to the city today and it’s past. For example, Penshaw Monument, the glass centre, the theatre and a mine (and a couple I couldn’t quite work out). It would be a great concept to bring to the station. Or get the community involved with officially sanctioned graffiti or kids painting. There’s are large Chinese and Nigerian communities. Couldn’t they get those involved with some traditional art?

It looked great from the outside but what a letdown. Even some slat panels from B&Q at £70 a sheet running up in a line on a few walls would do something.

The look is cold, clinical and depressing. Stick a Greggs, a SAFC gift shop or a coffee shop. Something to bring people in. The city is looking pretty smart. Particularly around the old Vaux site. It is a shame the station isn’t inline with it.

However, it is an improvement on the old one. Let’s not forget that.

Laura x

A wasted opportunity? Give it a bloody chance! It's only just been opened, for heaven's sake. There's plenty of time to "bring concepts to the station" and to "stick" a Greggs inside (although many are sniffy about that brand). Usually graffitti mean beauty in the eyes of some beholders and crude vandalism in others. "Slat panels from B & Q up the wall" - spare me!

You are correct in that it's getting to look "pretty smart" around the old Vaux Brewery site - personally I would have preferred keeping the Brewery. When the high pedestrian bridge over the Wear gorge is built, it'll be even more impressive.

BTW in addition to the attractions of Sunderland you mentioned, all of which (well maybe not the "mine" wherever that is) are worth a visit, there are the Museum, St Peter's Church (part Saxon and 1300 years old, after which the nearby Metro station is named), the Marina (where kids artistic efforts may be viewed), Roker and Seaburn seaside resorts - both of which have huge blue flag beaches, Roker Park itself (the real park not the old football ground), a bracing walk out to Roker Pier, the River Wear valley upstream from the A19 bridge, the Washington Wetlands (yes, part of Sunderland) and for those of us that have an interest in football, the Stadium of Light ground and its complementary surrounding buildings. Admittedly outside the boundaries of Sunderlnd itself, but easily accessible is the Durham Heritage coast (a hefty walk from Seaham station) and the glorious coastal walks from Seaburn to South Shields.

All-in-all a far better place to live than many of the much trumpeted dumps I have visited.

The government wants to do everything as cheap and barebones as possible. That said Sunderland, while not a London terminal deserves something far grander than this car wreck. Every new stations that pops up as a dull prefab I always see as a missed opportunity. When was the last pleasant UK terminal opened since the St Pancras and KX redevelopments?

The UK seems to be getting more into hostile architechture to discourage people waiting around too long.

"Car wreck" "dull prefab", "hostile architecture" eh? Perhaps you would have preferred to see millions wasted on a model of the Taj-Mahal ("far grander") over the train tracks?

A wasted opportunity? Give it a bloody chance! It's only just been opened, for heaven's sake. There's plenty of time to "bring concepts to the station" and to "stick" a Greggs inside (although many are sniffy about that brand). Usually graffitti mean beauty in the eyes of some beholders and crude vandalism in others. "Slat panels from B & Q up the wall" - spare me!

You are correct in that it's getting to look "pretty smart" around the old Vaux Brewery site - personally I would have preferred keeping the Brewery. When the high pedestrian bridge over the Wear gorge is built, it'll be even more impressive.

BTW in addition to the attractions of Sunderland you mentioned, all of which (well maybe not the "mine" wherever that is) are worth a visit, there are the Museum, St Peter's Church (part Saxon and 1300 years old, after which the nearby Metro station is named), the Marina (where kids artistic efforts may be viewed), Roker and Seaburn seaside resorts - both of which have huge blue flag beaches, Roker Park itself (the real park not the old football ground), a bracing walk out to Roker Pier, the River Wear valley upstream from the A19 bridge, the Washington Wetlands (yes, part of Sunderland) and for those of us that have an interest in football, the Stadium of Light ground and its complementary surrounding buildings. Admittedly outside the boundaries of Sunderlnd itself, but easily accessible is the Durham Heritage coast (a hefty walk from Seaham station) and the glorious coastal walks from Seaburn to South Shields.

All-in-all a far better place to live than many of the much trumpeted dumps I have visited.


"Car wreck" "dull prefab", "hostile architecture" eh? Perhaps you would have preferred to see millions wasted on a model of the Taj-Mahal ("far grander") over the train tracks?

I will agree with you on this government's parsimony though.

 

[Benjwri]

I agree it doesn't look great, but I also think it's worth remembering that this is just a case on the opposite side of the cost vs beauty argument. This was designed by the in house architechture team of a civil engineering consultancy, and the design reflects that, but so does the cost. Almost ever Network Rail project has vastly overrun in both cost and time, yet this station did neither, and that was because it was designed in a cost effective manner, making use of readily available 'prefab' parts. The second you get specialist architects involved, as with HS2 stations, and Brent Cross West even, costs start to skyrocket, not least because with each revision the plans get sent back through the architects, then the civil engineers, and each company will charge a hefty sum for that, especially when specialist parts are involved at the civil stage. By contrast this project was bid for through the Network Rail Framework, and delivery in a cost effective and speedy manner, which is in some ways a refreshing change. This also doesn't mention that the 'prefab' off the shelf parts you see used here are vastly cheaper than custom made pieces of architechture you see in a lot of stations.

At the end of the day its a very simple choice of cost vs beauty, and you just can't have both. In this case there was a set budget, and I highly doubt the project would've gone ahead if it would cost more, it likely was a choice of this station, or no station.

 

[azOOOOOma]

A wasted opportunity? Give it a bloody chance! It's only just been opened, for heaven's sake. There's plenty of time to "bring concepts to the station" and to "stick" a Greggs inside (although many are sniffy about that brand). Usually graffitti mean beauty in the eyes of some beholders and crude vandalism in others. "Slat panels from B & Q up the wall" - spare me!

You are correct in that it's getting to look "pretty smart" around the old Vaux Brewery site - personally I would have preferred keeping the Brewery. When the high pedestrian bridge over the Wear gorge is built, it'll be even more impressive.

BTW in addition to the attractions of Sunderland you mentioned, all of which (well maybe not the "mine" wherever that is) are worth a visit, there are the Museum, St Peter's Church (part Saxon and 1300 years old, after which the nearby Metro station is named), the Marina (where kids artistic efforts may be viewed), Roker and Seaburn seaside resorts - both of which have huge blue flag beaches, Roker Park itself (the real park not the old football ground), a bracing walk out to Roker Pier, the River Wear valley upstream from the A19 bridge, the Washington Wetlands (yes, part of Sunderland) and for those of us that have an interest in football, the Stadium of Light ground and its complementary surrounding buildings. Admittedly outside the boundaries of Sunderlnd itself, but easily accessible is the Durham Heritage coast (a hefty walk from Seaham station) and the glorious coastal walks from Seaburn to South Shields.

All-in-all a far better place to live than many of the much trumpeted dumps I have visited.


"Car wreck" "dull prefab", "hostile architecture" eh? Perhaps you would have preferred to see millions wasted on a model of the Taj-Mahal ("far grander") over the train tracks?


I will agree with you on this government's parsimony though.

There are two Greggs within 100 metres of each other in Sunderland as the crow flies and at least four in the city. Seems the Greggs fans outweigh those who are ‘sniffy’ about it in Sunderland.

The rest of your post reads like I was talking Sunderland down which I absolutely wasn’t. The train station in my opinion (which I’m entitled to have) is dull, depressing and grey.

Otherwise thanks for your entirely patronising reply.