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Leeds Station Improvement

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takno

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Thanks class 9. It's an interesting look. I think you'd need to be under it to tell if it felt more airy or not
 

_toommm_

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Apologies about the quality - the original files were 10MB so I've had to screenshot them twice for them to upload:

Screenshot_20190905-112905_Gallery.jpg

Screenshot_20190905-112859_Gallery.jpg
 

Bantamzen

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The plan I believe is to put a new glass facade in once the work on New Station Street is complete.

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/runni...es/north-and-east/leeds-station-improvements/

Artist-impression-of-Leeds-station-development.jpg
 

johntea

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Noticed this morning they’ve started to take the bubble wrap off the new barriers so presumably those are going live soon...several passengers despite no power to them trying to shove their tickets in them! :D
 

YorkshireBear

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I assume the barriers on the south entrance are also getting changed as I got back from work today to find no barriers at all and just two guys stood there.
 

GoneSouth

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Thanks for posting the photos, all I can say is it looks ...errrr ... underwhelming!

St Pancras or Kings cross it ain’t but to be fair I’ll wait and see what it’s really like when I go through in a few days before making any further comment. Man Vic’s roof made of the same material does let in so much light and shows off the old building well, but ultimately it does still look like a cheap greenhouse.

I’m sure that part of Leeds station used to have a roof that let in some light but was so dirty by the time it was covered that you’d hardly know, and the metal doors and window frames at the front were so 1970(ish), glad to see them gone! Leave it all open at the front there and it will match the rest of the station which is the coldest place I’ve ever waited for a train! It points in the perfect direction to act as a west to east wind tunnel but I still love the place because whenever I go there it means I’m arriving home!
 

johntea

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Perhaps a case of the back end infrastructure not being compatible, I’m sure they’ll recycle them to gate up another station rather than just chucking them in the skip though!
 

JaJaWa

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I assume the barriers on the south entrance are also getting changed as I got back from work today to find no barriers at all and just two guys stood there.

Predicted here: ;)

Looks like the S&B clear gates are being replaced with London-style Cubic gates (as used by the new Northern franchise)? Will the Southern entrance gate line also be replaced?

The re-re-refurbished First Class lounge also re-reopened today (image source: Twitter.com/sambeth0310).
 

Mollman

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I wonder what the problem with keeping the old ones is? They only got put in a couple of years ago.
They realised they put them in the wrong place. It is chaos the platform side as people are trying to get between platforms whilst others are trying to get through the gateline. I also recall there is an issue with the old ones reading QR Codes.
 

greyman42

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The old ones were often swallowing tickets that they should not of. Hopefully the new ones won't.
 

thejuggler

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Was in there today, still plenty to do.

If you need Boar Lane area Don't try and go through the front to New Station Street, its congested due to the civil works to lay the new paving. Go in front of the ticket office and nip through Pret.
 

ASharpe

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Was in there today, still plenty to do.

If you need Boar Lane area Don't try and go through the front to New Station Street, its congested due to the civil works to lay the new paving. Go in front of the ticket office and nip through Pret.

I was surprised during the works that so little regard was made for pedestrian flows along new station street, especially as the works are supposed to make it far more pedestrian friendly. Tons of room for the odd taxi but a narrow barriered strip for pedestrians, it was a real pain with my daughter in the pram.

One thing I have appreciated is that the taxi drivers always give way to pedestrians, even before the pelican corsing was disabled. Hopefully the new design will keep the priorities as they are now and not go back to the days of buses tearing down and running red lights.
 

LittleAH

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Went through yesterday, looks good. Natural light certainly enhances the station on arrival.
 

Rikki Lamb

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Some original 1930s mouldings and decor has been exposed above the entrance to the North Concourse.

On another note and apologies if this has been covered in a previous discussion but with regards to platform 0, are they bringing the line further down towards the multi storey car park or extending the platform out?

It looks somewhat short at present if neither are to take place.
 

skyhigh

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The current absence of any cashpoints is proving to be a nuisance.

New cashpoints are installed now - only one was working today but it's a start!

The new barrier line comes into operation on Monday apparently.
 

johntea

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They seem to also be knocking up some sort of information desk smack back in the middle of the concourse now!
 

61653 HTAFC

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Went through Leeds for the first time in months today. The usual problems of folk deciding that right in front of the gateline or stairs to the bridge is the best place to stop and have a chat persists.

A couple of "crowd marshalls" to discourage this wouldn't go amiss. Encouraging folk to use the escalators rather than the narrow staircases to go up to the bridge would help too, as would sticking a big "NO ENTRY" sign at the right-hand-side main staircase.
 

Iskra

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Went through Leeds for the first time in months today. The usual problems of folk deciding that right in front of the gateline or stairs to the bridge is the best place to stop and have a chat persists.

A couple of "crowd marshalls" to discourage this wouldn't go amiss. Encouraging folk to use the escalators rather than the narrow staircases to go up to the bridge would help too, as would sticking a big "NO ENTRY" sign at the right-hand-side main staircase.

I agree that's annoying. Some yellow-hatched boxes painted on the floor would solve the problem.
 

61653 HTAFC

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I agree that's annoying. Some yellow-hatched boxes painted on the floor would solve the problem.
Annoyingly, the narrow stairs from platforms to bridge have notices on the vertical faces saying "please hold the handrail" when "No Entry: please use the escalators" would be more appropriate.

Either that or fit a second set of stairs on the opposite side of the bridge, which would encourage people to use that side of the bridge more, rather than the crush that occurs as crowds heading opposite directions meet head-on.
 

Spartacus

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There's no way you'd get away with no entry signs as you'd be in trouble every time an escalator broke down or had to have work done on it. Besides, the amount of times in the morning peak when you have a train disgorge it's passengers would create a bun fight at the pottom of an escalator. There's times when a full unit comes in and either sites there for ages or goes to Neville Hill, so nobody's rushing down those stairs to get to it.

I've also never, ever, seen a no entry on a 'two lane' staircase work, such as at York, people use both either because they're in a hurry and need to break free of the herd or are too busy looking for their train to notice. I can't see it having a chance at Leeds.
 

61653 HTAFC

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I've also never, ever, seen a no entry on a 'two lane' staircase work, such as at York, people use both either because they're in a hurry and need to break free of the herd or are too busy looking for their train to notice. I can't see it having a chance at Leeds.
At Huddersfield it works (most of the time) on the island platform staircase because it has a divider down the middle, and this would also work at Leeds on the main staircase opposite the gateline for the same reason.

Yeah, there's always a few idiots who think they're more important, but the best way to deal with that is to put up gun-towers!

With hindsight, the main bridge would've been better off a bit closer to the "middle" of the platforms, and had staircases & escalators on either side: one side for up and one for down.
 

xotGD

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With two separate staircases at Leeds it would make perfect sense to make one of them up and the other down. Most people treat them in this manner anyway so it just needs formalising.
 

johntea

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It doesn't really matter how many signs you put up as people love to ignore them anyway!

Case in point they put up that stupid luggage barrier at the bottom of the main escalator telling people to use the lifts, guess what everybody still forced their luggage through the gap somehow and up the escalator so I notice that has been removed now!
 

takno

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With two separate staircases at Leeds it would make perfect sense to make one of them up and the other down. Most people treat them in this manner anyway so it just needs formalising.
I think my priority would be getting people to stand to the right on the escalators. The steps are tediously long when you're in a hurry
 

xotGD

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I think my priority would be getting people to stand to the right on the escalators. The steps are tediously long when you're in a hurry
I reckon about 39 out of 40 standees stand on the right. Of course it only takes one to create a blockage.
 

_toommm_

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The new barriers have been plugged in sometime after 6am today - they're still open though with the old barriers in operation. I suspect they'll become active either overnight or sometime this week.
 

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