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Glasgow Queen Street refurbishment and remodelling

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edwin_m

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I think the standards only allow a frangible deck when all other options are found to be impossible, it’s not so much a good idea, as an essential feature to achieve the platform length and concourse size, caused by the limitations of the overall site. Where space isn’t an issue the buffers of new build terminus platforms will be set significantly further away from the cross platform permanent structure.
Particularly important at Queen Street considering the steep down gradient on the approach.

My impression is actually that once completed, the station will be quite minimalist in terms of wider facilities and will merely be a gateway to/from the city from Edinburgh/Stirling and the north, as opposed to Central which has shops, fast food and where people are more likely to linger. However, given that it's an important terminal, the west end of the country's most important rail service, I can understand why they'd want to put some more into it, especially given Queen Street has been somewhat neglected over the years.
People won't be hanging around long periods waiting for Edinburgh trains but they might be for the less frequent services to the Highlands. So I think in an ideal world there would be some more retail/catering but there just isn't the space. There are plenty of choices on nearby streets!
 
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GrimShady

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Particularly important at Queen Street considering the steep down gradient on the approach.


People won't be hanging around long periods waiting for Edinburgh trains but they might be for the less frequent services to the Highlands. So I think in an ideal world there would be some more retail/catering but there just isn't the space. There are plenty of choices on nearby streets!

There's plenty of space in the old goods yard, Lots of people heading to the Highlands have large cases. It isn't easy to drag them up and down Buchanan Street. My girlfriend for example won't leave the station if the train is late, even if she's hungry!
 

Bald Rick

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tbh 200k spent on muirals would have covered 1 or 2 stations getting full prm access and weather protection.

Not sure how much you think full PRM access costs at an average station, but it’s at least 10x more than £200k!
 

LOM

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Perhaps it’s all part of a plot to ensure all the punters congregate on the main concourse on the other side of the gateline obediently watching the Customer Info Screens by making it feel scary to hang about behind the buffers looking at RealtimeTrains ;).

That was the thought that struck me when I saw your pictures. The top of the railings is steeply angled so you cannot rest a cup on them and presumably this is a deliberate design decision. I always used to go straight through the barriers and wait next to the buffer ends. The old fence was good for leaning on and you could place a cup of tea on it. The new railings and the location of the new screen certainly discourage this.
 

47271

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Is it really the case that we're not going to get even the old level of retail within the station site?

At least a Smith's, Boots and a small supermarket within a minute or so of the platforms is pretty important, as well as a cafe. If I turn up with minutes to spare before a three hour journey to the north of Scotland I'd expect to be able to get these things and not have to traipse up Buchanan Street.
 

47271

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The most important facility is, of course, a bar. :)
Yes, that too! I just haven't felt in the need of a bar at Queen Street recently so overlooked that point. If you do want a drink right now, and the no nonsense ambience of Dow's doesn't float your boat, there's always the bar of the Millennium Hotel.
 

PaxVobiscum

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At civilised times (not Friday/Saturday nights) there is The Counting House on George Square which will be less than 2 minutes from the W. George St. exit. As good as in the station itself.
 

herb21

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Is it really the case that we're not going to get even the old level of retail within the station site?

At least a Smith's, Boots and a small supermarket within a minute or so of the platforms is pretty important, as well as a cafe. If I turn up with minutes to spare before a three hour journey to the north of Scotland I'd expect to be able to get these things and not have to traipse up Buchanan Street.
Just thinking that it is a scotrail station, like haymarket rather than an NR station like waverley or central. I would think that scotrail assumption is that the vast majority of passengers are taking the Edinburgh or Stirling bound trains as commuters and require limited provisions. That said it could do with a small shop like the haymarket m&s (which is very popular for commuters) and given that it is the terminal for long distance trains (unlike haymarket) could do with a proper cafe. At least there is the space to the North Hanover side to develop something.
 

InOban

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It is managed by ScotRail. It belongs to NR. I assume that NR would be responsible for the capital expenditure to create retail spaces. I would be surprised if there were not the usual chains wanting locations in the station.
 

PaxVobiscum

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I would wait until the thing is completely finished before getting too excited about what’s not being provided. The priority is to keep the station running as smoothly as possible while the new parts are under construction. When the new entrances and the rest of the concourse open and when ScotRail staff are in the new Dundas Street building then attention will turn to facilities like retail outlets.
 
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47271

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I would wait until the thing is completely finished before getting too excited about what’s not being provided. The priority is to keep the station running as smoothly as possible while the new parts are under construction. When the new entrances and the rest of the concourse opens and when ScotRail staff are in the new Dundas Street building then attention will turn to facilities like retail outlets.
Totally agree, it was just that one or two posts implied that there's a deliberate intention not to have those facilities within the building. I was challenging the accuracy of those claims.
 

alangla

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Yes, that too! I just haven't felt in the need of a bar at Queen Street recently so overlooked that point. If you do want a drink right now, and the no nonsense ambience of Dow's doesn't float your boat, there's always the bar of the Millennium Hotel.

Personally I was gutted when The Vale closed & was converted to the current ticket office :)
In all seriousness though, did Queen Street have a bar before what eventually became the Wetherspoons underneath opened? I know the Sainsbury’s under SPT was a bar before it became a supermarket but it wasn’t really part of the station
 

RLBH

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people on here do seem overly concerned with the aesthetics, when the rest of the network still needs function over form.
If you have to rebuild the station anyway, and it was necessary for all the reasons given, then applying a little attention to detail to improve the aesthetics is small change compared to the rest of the project. In some cases it may come for free - you'd have to pay the same to design something that looks bad!
 

PaxVobiscum

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I think the standards only allow a frangible deck when all other options are found to be impossible, it’s not so much a good idea, as an essential feature to achieve the platform length and concourse size, caused by the limitations of the overall site. Where space isn’t an issue the buffers of new build terminus platforms will be set significantly further away from the cross platform permanent structure.

I find it interesting that the extended platform 1 doesn’t seem to have required similar arrangements.

I may be wrong, but I am not sure that there will even be a full 20m overrun at the end before the eastbound Low Level stairwell is encountered. I don’t have access to the revised site stage plans but time will tell.
 

SteveP29

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I get you to a degree with the entrance to George Square . Central has more buzz and more characters hanging around. The approach to Central over the river , thats me back in Glasgow ! Queen St not really anything to see of note coming into Glasgow. All personal preference.

I think that's possibly because the last what is it, a mile or so? is in tunnels on approach to Queen Street, which obviously isn't the case at Central

Just thinking that it is a scotrail station, like haymarket rather than an NR station like waverley or central. I would think that scotrail assumption is that the vast majority of passengers are taking the Edinburgh or Stirling bound trains as commuters and require limited provisions. That said it could do with a small shop like the haymarket m&s (which is very popular for commuters) and given that it is the terminal for long distance trains (unlike haymarket) could do with a proper cafe. At least there is the space to the North Hanover side to develop something.

I would wait until the thing is completely finished before getting too excited about what’s not being provided. The priority is to keep the station running as smoothly as possible while the new parts are under construction. When the new entrances and the rest of the concourse open and when ScotRail staff are in the new Dundas Street building then attention will turn to facilities like retail outlets.

I could be wrong, but when I looked at the ongoing works each time I've been through the station, it looked to me like there's going to be space on a mezzanine type level between platform 1 and Dundas Street for shops etc, like Kings Cross

The most important facility is, of course, a bar. :)

There was always a bar inside Queen St called Bonapartes. Next door to Burger King.

Saved my life more than once on the way home after a gig in Glasgow (toilet facility I mean, as the station toilets used to be closed at half 10 IIRC), but the price of a drink was extortionate to the max, nearly £5 for a bottle of Becks
 

GrimShady

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Burger King, Boots and John Menzies were always popular. The pub not so much but it was nice to sit outside and watch the boards.
 
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swt_passenger

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I find it interesting that the extended platform 1 doesn’t seem to have required similar arrangements.

I may be wrong, but I am not sure that there will even be a full 20m overrun at the end before the eastbound Low Level stairwell is encountered. I don’t have access to the revised site stage plans but time will tell.
I guess there’s still exceptions can be made in extremis. Perhaps it has a restricted approach speed?
 

Gadget88

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Sick of the posts on twitter saying it’s gonna be gorgeous. It’s Glasgow and Glasgow is very run down. I seen Dundee had a damaged window won’t be long before Glasgow has graffiti and it’s dirty and unsightly. The bit under central station those pavements are horrible.

Haymaket and Edinburgh Gateway are much nicer developments.
 

Gadget88

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Also I wonder if they could have replaced the original railway shed. I am a fan of old stations but if they knocked it down in favour of a rebuild I don’t think that would have been too bad. Possibly better.
 

NotATrainspott

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Also I wonder if they could have replaced the original railway shed. I am a fan of old stations but if they knocked it down in favour of a rebuild I don’t think that would have been too bad. Possibly better.

It's Grade A listed, so it will not happen. It's fairly unclear why you'd want to do that anyway. There's plenty of development potential around the station, so any new high-rise tower blocks could just be built there instead.

Waverley has a case for the Victorian trainshed roof to be removed but only due to the requirement for a mezzanine. Even then it would need to be replaced by a modern glass roof structure of equivalent architectural merit that keeps within the fairly low legal limit of heights across the valley.
 

Rick1984

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Going from Pompey to Glasgow reminded me of just how grand Glasgow city centre is!
 

takno

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Also I wonder if they could have replaced the original railway shed. I am a fan of old stations but if they knocked it down in favour of a rebuild I don’t think that would have been too bad. Possibly better.
It's a solid, well-built and attractive overall roof that covers 80% of the area you want covered, and which is listed.

Obviously any other building in Glasgow meeting that criteria would have caught fire suspciously before the developer could even finish saying "I wish this building would just burn down so I can build a soulless glass cube on the site", but in this case it would actually be much harder to try and replace it than just keep it in place.
 

PaxVobiscum

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Sick of the posts on twitter saying it’s gonna be gorgeous.
Guilty as charged 8-). It’s Tw*tter and one shouldn’t perhaps have high expectations of the content.

It’s Glasgow and Glasgow is very run down. I seen Dundee had a damaged window won’t be long before Glasgow has graffiti and it’s dirty and unsightly.
It could be argued that it’s dirty and unsightly as it is, being a building site. ;) It will get better soon, for a while at least.

The bit under central station those pavements are horrible.
I might agree with that.

Haymaket and Edinburgh Gateway are much nicer developments.

I offer you this glimpse of the view passengers will have when heading out the George Square stairs:

FC806DD2-D0B2-42ED-A7C1-4B1132CEA0F2.jpeg
 

nlogax

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Seriously, I love Glasgow. Bloody fantastic. I'm here a lot (including right now) and it's a wonderful, proper big city with proper neighborhoods and architectural heft in the centre. Very pleased to see Queen Street station come on in the way it has.
 

Altnabreac

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Sick of the posts on twitter saying it’s gonna be gorgeous. It’s Glasgow and Glasgow is very run down. I seen Dundee had a damaged window won’t be long before Glasgow has graffiti and it’s dirty and unsightly. The bit under central station those pavements are horrible.

Haymaket and Edinburgh Gateway are much nicer developments.

I’ll withhold final judgment until we see it finished but I think it looks like it will be pretty gorgeous. The aspect onto George Square in particular is going to be so much better than the old taxi circle.

As for the idea of getting rid of the vaulted roof you’re completely wrong there. It’s lovely.
 
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