Which stations are most in need of work?

Bloxwich, Bloxwich North, Landywood, Cannock, Hednesford and Rugeley Town all need re-building.

The old wooden platforms need to be replaced with concreat ones, there needs to be new fences, lighting, signage, resurfaced car parks and self service ticket machines. The platforms can also be extended to four car length in anticiplation of extra rolling stock becoming available.

There was a modernisation project compleated only recently, but that fell far short of expectations. The only things that were replaced were the bus shelters, and the new information screens don't work.

Also, the footbridge at Rugeley Town needs to be re-built so that it is DDA compiant.

Can't believe no one has suggested New St. I know the works are in progress but I really wish they hadn't taken the cheap option. They are basically doing nothing to relieve the massive bottleneck and just building shops. IMHO they have missed a wonderful opportunity to knock the place down and start with a blank piece of paper. Expensive. Yes. Worth it. Definitely

I was waiting for someone to say New St., I wish they would just knock down the building; it would have been nice to see the vaulted glass roof of the pre-1950s station. Just look at Moor St., it may be in a different style but it goes to show what can be successfully done.

Wolverhampton. Small, dirty hole of a mainline station that with the new footbridge makes no sense at all really. 1960's modernist crap of the highest order. Should dig out the old LNWR plans and rebuild it that way.

Same could apply to EVERY WCML station that was rebuilt in the 1960's electrification, including New Street.

Llandudno was a travesty when I was last there for the first time in forty years. Badly needs to be brought back to its former glory.

XCDriver said:

Can't believe no one has suggested New St. I know the works are in progress but I really wish they hadn't taken the cheap option. They are basically doing nothing to relieve the massive bottleneck and just building shops. IMHO they have missed a wonderful opportunity to knock the place down and start with a blank piece of paper. Expensive. Yes. Worth it. Definitely

Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more. It had been a few years since I'd last visited when I went there in June. The weather was lovely, and after wandering around Birmingham for an hour or so (on my way from Moor Street) I decided to head over to New Street to catch my next train onto Bristol. I'd forgotten how cold and dark the platforms were on a warm summers day. Don't get me started on the awful architecture :roll:

Wigan NW will have new platform surfaces / copers - work is to start late October 2011. Will be similar to the work currently taking place at Warrington Bank Quay.

Parts of Tynemouth station were badly in need of work. They are about halfway through restoring it at the moment.

Greenbank
Northwich
Padgate
Navigation Road
Marsden (West Yorkshire)
Preston
Crewe
Deansgate
Rotherham Central

jcollins said:

Navigation Road
Marsden (West Yorkshire)

Click to expand...

What's wrong with those two? Navigation Road looked fine last time I was there (about five weeks ago).

jcollins said:

Rotherham Central

Click to expand...

Which is currently undergoing complete rebuilding

bluenoxid said:

What doesn't need work in Yorkshire and Humber?

Click to expand...

Yorkshire and Humber stations seem better than equivalents on the other side of the Pennines.

In another thread everyone was saying how Adwick (South Yorkshire) was one of the best unstaffed stations in the country.

Hull, Sheffield, Huddersfield, York and Bradford Interchange all seem in good condition, while Leeds is in excellent condition.

Even Marsden which needs quite a bit of work doing to it has a PA system, which most village stations don't have.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

MattE2010 said:

What's wrong with those two? Navigation Road looked fine last time I was there (about five weeks ago).

Click to expand...

Unless they've changed it at Marsden station the steps down to the Huddersfield platform from the road were in a very bad state the last time I was there. Also there were no clear signs telling you how to get between the two platforms, which isn't obvious if you don't know the station, only ones telling you not to cross the line. However, it was a while ago when I was last there and as I commented in my second post Marsden is lucky to have a PA system as it's only a village station.

At Navigation Road trains stop at different ends of the platform depending which direction they are going on but there are no clear signage indicating exactly where they've stop. The shelters are also poorly positioned and the lack of a footbridge and frequent trams means sometimes the level crossing goes down more than 5 minutes before the train arrives, so if you are arriving the Metrolink side and want the train you face a high risk of missing your train unless you're there very early, despite it being a one platform rail station. Navigation Road, like most stations on the Mid Cheshire line, lacks a PIS, despite the Metrolink side having one.

Proud Salopian said:

Shrewsbury, although not a complete disaster, could do with some work - the main platform toilets should be completely overhauled for starters.

There were plans only a couple of years ago to re-do the entrance area (ticketing hall) but nothing seems to have happened. Any update on this?

Click to expand...

I read in the Shropshire Star, before moving to Plymouth two months ago, that many Shropshire stations were to receive improvements, in particular Shrewsbury and Telford Central.

I was impressed at the re-opening of Platform 3, but I think the roof of the station over the main island of platforms needs some attention, due to leaks and missing panels. The Dana bridge could also do with a lick of paint.

Maybe in the future re-openings of platforms one and two are on the cards. Wishful thinking perhaps.

You would think that as Shrewsbury is one of the major stations on the ATW network that more would have been done before now.

Coventry could do with a bit of sprucing up, but then again so does the rest of the WCML.

Sutton Coldfield is one where I'm never sure if it needs total redevelopment or not.

Redevelopment would certainly make the place look a lot more modern.

But the current building does retain a lot of charictor and the buildings are functional, especially now that the footbridge has been re-built.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
But then again, you can say the same about Four Oaks, Shenstone and Lichfield City.

To be fair, the only work that needs to be done at stations on the Cross City North line, is to replace the steps leading down to both platforms at Buttlers Lane with ramps.

Quote:- "In another thread everyone was saying how Adwick (South Yorkshire) was one of the best unstaffed stations in the country".

Adwick station is staffed! I believe South Yorkshire PTE paid for the new ticket office / waiting room and pay for staffing. They also doubled the size of the car park a year or so ago - it is still free (like all other SYPTE stations are, except perhaps Barnsley) too. Yes I know Doncaster and Sheffield aren't free, indeed expensive, but they are operated by East Coast and East Midlands Trains respectively.

158_Sprinter said:

Maybe in the future re-openings of platforms one and two are on the cards. Wishful thinking perhaps.

Click to expand...

I'd love that but considering their position (with regards to the track layout at the Severn Bridge/English Bridge junctions) and their short lengths, I doubt it. Also the 2/3 platform is far too narrow for modern day use.

Surely another possibility would be a "platform 8" on the other side of the station, though that would require a new way of accessing it... either by extending the tunnel or using the Dana footbridge to access the platforms?

It's not in a bad state but Worcester Shrub Hill could benefit from having it's roof restored.

XCDriver said:

Can't believe no one has suggested New St. I know the works are in progress but I really wish they hadn't taken the cheap option. They are basically doing nothing to relieve the massive bottleneck and just building shops. IMHO they have missed a wonderful opportunity to knock the place down and start with a blank piece of paper. Expensive. Yes. Worth it. Definitely

Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly, I posted much the same on another thread a few months ago.

What they really should have done is gone with Arup's Grand Central station, with a downsized New Street for commuter services only.

http://www.arup.com/_assets/_download/download488.pdf

I'm sure I read more detailed info of the proposal online a few years ago which went into the platform layout in greater depth, but I can't find it now. I think the plan was for around 20 platforms split roughly 50/50 between through and bay platforms.