Glasgow Queen Street refurbishment and remodelling

GrimShady · 22 Aug 2019

najaB said:
Glass floor?

Good for Voyeurs

d9009alycidon said:
Voyeurs paradise, you would have loads of Glasgow blokes with cricks in their necks!

My thoughts exactly.

Bi level shopping area seen in this video.

I very much doubt we'll get it now.

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NotATrainspott · 22 Aug 2019

GrimShady said:
Good for Voyeurs

My thoughts exactly.

Bi level shopping area seen in this video.

I very much doubt we'll get it now.

Apparently there are plans for an office development on the site instead. It would be very much standard for a development like this to include public facilities like cafes or restaurants on the ground floors. The original plans for the multistorey car park had the bottom levels dedicated to the station, and I'd expect them to remain pretty much unchanged even if they swap out the shopping centre parking above. The way the ground levels differ across the site makes me think the station part might well be on two or more levels. Then, the base of the office part can be pretty much level across the entire site, with the car park/servicing bit more hidden in the slope. If designed correctly, NR could build these bottom levels and put a concrete slab on top waiting for an office developer to come along if it doesn't all happen in one scheme.

RLBH · 23 Aug 2019

NotATrainspott said:
If designed correctly, NR could build these bottom levels and put a concrete slab on top waiting for an office developer to come along if it doesn't all happen in one scheme.

If the development was being done in some parts of the world, Network Rail would just build the office complex themselves and let it out directly. I have a hard time seeing why they shouldn't be allowed to do that.

najaB · 23 Aug 2019

RLBH said:
If the development was being done in some parts of the world, Network Rail would just build the office complex themselves and let it out directly.

NR's policy seems to be reducing their non-railway property portfolio rather than adding to it.

coppercapped · 23 Aug 2019

najaB said:
NR's policy seems to be reducing their non-railway property portfolio rather than adding to it.

Not so much NR's policy as Treasury instructions. Remember the flap about selling the 'railway arches'...?

adrock1976 · 23 Aug 2019

RLBH said:
If the development was being done in some parts of the world, Network Rail would just build the office complex themselves and let it out directly. I have a hard time seeing why they shouldn't be allowed to do that.

najaB said:
NR's policy seems to be reducing their non-railway property portfolio rather than adding to it.

A problem I can see if Network Rail was to build and rent out offices themselves would be the big question of who would actually be responsible for the maintenance, fire safety checks, gutter cleaning, etc?

RLBH · 23 Aug 2019

adrock1976 said:
A problem I can see if Network Rail was to build and rent out offices themselves would be the big question of who would actually be responsible for the maintenance, fire safety checks, gutter cleaning, etc?

Not that I'm suggesting they should actually do it - but in this scenario, Network Rail would be acting exactly like any other landlord of commercial offices. So, whoever does it when (say) JLL builds a new office block.

I can see why they wouldn't want the hassle, but railway companies doing real estate development is something that happens in other places.

takno · 23 Aug 2019

adrock1976 said:
A problem I can see if Network Rail was to build and rent out offices themselves would be the big question of who would actually be responsible for the maintenance, fire safety checks, gutter cleaning, etc?

I would have thought that those were areas they had enough experience in from managing their own offices and huge portfolio of actual rail assets. Having a building over the top of your assets that you don't control, that seems like more added complexity and trouble than doing the gutters.

swt_passenger · 23 Aug 2019

Could someone confirm if the proposed shopping area (shown in the recently added video) would be behind the Millenium Hotel? Just that it didn’t seem that obvious to me...

nicholaswood · 23 Aug 2019

GrimShady said:
Good for Voyeurs

My thoughts exactly.

Bi level shopping area seen in this video.

I very much doubt we'll get it now.

That video is an older visualisation. I think that was from when the Buchanan Galleries extension into the current car park and over Cathedral Street was still going ahead. After they pulled out, they released a much more scaled down design, which can be seen in this newer visualisation:

HankyuDentetsu · 27 Aug 2019

I know this is veering off topic, but it seems crazy for NR to be reducing their non-rail portfolio (Treasury instructed or otherwise). Property is a great revenue stream that can be used to further invest in the railway itself; Japan's railway companies are extremely good at monetising the property they own, utilising space under railways, in stations, and also by building offices and hotels connected to large terminals and interchanges. This article (an interesting read in its own right) states that 1/3 of all revenue earned by one of Tokyo's largest railway corporations - Tokyu - comes from real estate related business: https://www.ft.com/content/9f7f044e-1f16-11e9-b2f7-97e4dbd3580d

As a result, many of the larger rail companies (who both own the infrastructure and land, and operate the services) are actually very cash rich and provide incredible service. The commercial deck and office development at Queen Street should be NR or ScotRail owned! Additional revenue streams for franchises might help keep rising train fares to a minimum if anything else.

najaB · 27 Aug 2019

HankyuDentetsu said:
I know this is veering off topic, but it seems crazy for NR to be reducing their non-rail portfolio (Treasury instructed or otherwise).

A crazy idea from the UK Treasury, now that's something we've never seen before!

edwin_m · 27 Aug 2019

Ideology says that businesses should concentrate on their core roles, and that everything must be done by a private company unless it's absolutely essential to retain State control.

takno · 27 Aug 2019

edwin_m said:
Ideology says that businesses should concentrate on their core roles, and that everything must be done by a private company unless it's absolutely essential to retain State control.

I think it had more to do with getting in a quick billion so that the deficit didn't get any bigger for a year. Stupidly short-sighted, but that's what passes for fiscal policy these days

najaB · 27 Aug 2019

edwin_m said:
Ideology says that businesses should concentrate on their core roles, and that everything must be done by a private company unless it's absolutely essential to retain State control.

takno said:
I think it had more to do with getting in a quick billion so that the deficit didn't get any bigger for a year. Stupidly short-sighted, but that's what passes for fiscal policy these days

"A little from Column A, and a little from Column B" methinks.

youngac · 27 Aug 2019

Network Rail are now advising that platform extension work at Platforms 4 and 5 will take place between September 16 and October 14.

PaxVobiscum · 27 Aug 2019

youngac said:
Network Rail are now advising that platform extension work at Platforms 4 and 5 will take place between September 16 and October 14.

Lnk to media release

Network Rail is advising passengers that platforms 4 and 5 at Glasgow Queen Street will close from mid-September to mid-October, as engineers deliver the final phase of platform extension work as part of the station’s multi-million-pound redevelopment.

Following the recent completion of extensions to platforms 2 and 3, Network Rail will now undertake the same activity to platforms 4 and 5.

Extending both platforms by 26 metres enables longer trains of up to eight carriages to use the station – providing more seats for passengers.

As part of the £120m project to enhance and expand Scotland’s third-busiest station, platforms 4 and 5 will close from Monday, September 16 and reopen for the start of service on Monday, October 14.

During the platform closure, engineers will dig out sections of the concourse, rebuild sections of the platform walls, lay new track and connect it to the existing infrastructure, extend overhead power lines, install coping stones, and carry-out re-surfacing works.

The majority of train services into the High Level station will be unaffected during the four-week closure. However, there will be alterations to some services, on the following routes:

Glasgow Queen Street – Anniesland

Glasgow Queen Street – Edinburgh (via Cumbernauld & Falkirk Grahamston)

Glasgow Queen Street – Aberdeen & Inverness

Kevin McClelland, route delivery director for infrastructure projects, said: “Enabling longer trains to use Queen Street by extending platforms to deliver increased capacity will help the station expand to meet projected growth in passenger numbers.

“When the extension of platforms 4 and 5 is finished, it will mark a significant milestone in the station’s redevelopment as it will be the last element of platform works.

“While we appreciate this is inconvenient in the short-term, we continue to work closely with our ScotRail colleagues to minimise disruption for passengers.”

In advance of the platform work, engineers will undertake preparatory work to the front of platforms 4 and 5, including the installation of foundations to support the new overhead line equipment.

After the platform work, activity will then focus on the substantial fit-out of the internal areas on the new concourse, ahead of the project completing in spring 2020.

Full details of the changes to services during the delivery of the platform work can be found at: https://www.scotrail.co.uk/plan-your-journey/glasgow-queen-street-redevelopment

The redevelopment of Glasgow Queen Street station is part of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) – a Scottish Government investment in the railway infrastructure across central Scotland.

Glasgow Queen Street station opened in 1842, with the Victorian glass roof constructed three decades later and completed in 1878, which is now a category A listed structure.

PaxVobiscum · 28 Aug 2019

From NetworkRail Scotland Twitter this morning:
https://twitter.com/networkrailgqs/status/1166634769645539328

Starting today at #GQS we're handing out leaflets at the station to highlight the closure of platforms 4 & 5 from 16th September - 14th October.

Lookout for our teams at stations including #Anniesland #Springburn

#Cumbernauld #FalkirkGrahamston #Stirling #Waverley & #Haymarket

GrimShady · 28 Aug 2019

There's been absolutely zero about the plans for a dropping off point. It needs addressed as the previous version wasn't very good either.

PaxVobiscum · 28 Aug 2019

My seagull had a wee fly round again today; a good breeze along West George Street enabled him to almost hover beside the big south window. He visited his usual perches then went to squawk at some old friends in George Square. Oh, and while taking a rest perched on George House in North Hanover Street, he couldn't help overhearing that the plans for the station might just be altered to accommodate more retail space and a 1st class lounge.

Queen Street in motion (Twitter video, no commentary):

Class 170101 · 28 Aug 2019

PaxVobiscum said:
My seagull had a wee fly round again today; a good breeze along West George Street enabled him to almost hover beside the big south window. He visited his usual perches then went to squawk at some old friends in George Square. Oh, and while taking a rest perched on George House in North Hanover Street, he couldn't help overhearing that the plans for the station might just be altered to accommodate more retail space and a 1st class lounge.

Does your seagull give these people good ideas and plop on them for the bad ones?

Hope there is plenty of circulation space at Queen Street HL it has always been a bit tight in my limited experience especially when busy.

PaxVobiscum · 28 Aug 2019

Class 170101 said:
Does your seagull give these people good ideas and plop on them for the bad ones?

Hope there is plenty of circulation space at Queen Street HL it has always been a bit tight in my limited experience especially when busy.

There should be plenty of space (except perhaps for short periods when there’s a big event on) for some years to come, enough to allow for a couple of ‘pop up’ booths in addition to the permanent retail space.

There was a pretty thorough study of passenger circulation done at the planning stage and the new design was apparently informed by that. I’ve seen the animation of the actual passenger movement data captured during the study and also the animation of the modelled predicted passenger movements when the refurb is finished.
Clever stuff.

HankyuDentetsu · 29 Aug 2019

PaxVobiscum said:
Oh, and while taking a rest perched on George House in North Hanover Street, he couldn't help overhearing that the plans for the station might just be altered to accommodate more retail space and a 1st class lounge.

Very interesting. Top marks to your seagull for that little scoop!

PaxVobiscum · 31 Aug 2019

Update 40 now available - longer and even more tedious than usual with lots of views of glazing being installed, a look forward to the platform extension work in September and flocks of seagullcam views of the works.

No trains (OK 2 fleetingly) in this one. The wee Twitter video in post #920 above would be enough for most people.

Still, if you really must:

GrimShady · 1 Sep 2019

Class 170101 said:
Does your seagull give these people good ideas and plop on them for the bad ones?

Hope there is plenty of circulation space at Queen Street HL it has always been a bit tight in my limited experience especially when busy.

There used to be plenty of room before the installation of those stupid barriers.

PaxVobiscum · 2 Sep 2019

That last update is out of date already :lol:

.
Though the actual closure of platforms 4 and 5 isn’t happening for a couple of weeks, the previously excavated section is being worked on already.

Not a view out my cell window but a peek north through a gap in the sheeting and perhaps more interesting* that it might at first appear:

1 White rectangles centre left: some of the polystyrene blocks still to be removed
2 Concrete foundations bottom centre and right: part of the base for the frangible decking supports
3 Brick wall right centre: the boundary of the “crumple zone” to be covered by the frangible deck
4 Off white rectangles stacked centre right: some more of the polystyrene blocks already removed
5 Upper left: excavator sitting on the section of the extension still to be uncovered.

* debatable

paul1609 · 2 Sep 2019

My West Highland line train on Monday was delayed at the end of the Maryland line junction for sometime on monday before arriving at the most eastern platform on Monday, is that the norm now?

PaxVobiscum · 2 Sep 2019

A couple more pictures contributed by one of the team working at Queen Street, reproduced with permission:

(c) EM McDonald

Class 170101 · 4 Sep 2019

paul1609 said:
My West Highland line train on Monday was delayed at the end of the Maryland line junction for sometime on monday before arriving at the most eastern platform on Monday, is that the norm now?

Need a bit more information than that. There aren't many trains on the WHL but there is more than one.

(Edited for aren't instead of are)

PaxVobiscum · 4 Sep 2019

paul1609 said:
My West Highland line train on Monday was delayed at the end of the Maryland line junction for sometime on monday before arriving at the most eastern platform on Monday, is that the norm now?

Class 170101 said:
Need a bit more information than that. There are many trains on the WHL but there is more than one.

I must have had a stroke or something because I cannot understand either the question or the response.

Glasgow Queen Street refurbishment and remodelling

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