coventry

[387star]

Any plans to improve this dump
Seems virgin havent touched signage for starters
Place is grim
Guessing has changed little since intercity days...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Announcements are incoherent too

 

[The Planner]

Bog standard West Coast station from the 60s. Virgin wont touch it unless they get the next franchise and even then they would expect Cov council to fund a large amount of it if not all.

 

[gordonthemoron]

it don't seem that bad

 

[Eagle]

Guessing has changed little since intercity days...

Apart from the removal of ticket barriers.

I agree that most of the station isn't pretty, although the huge airy plate-glass concourse is quite nice (as are the insides of the shops :P)

 

[edwin_m]

Didn't it win some sort of design award in the 60s?

(which of course is usually an excellent prediction that it will be a total hole by the 70s!)

 

[another smith]

Coventry Station is a grade II listed building, therefore it's highly unlikely the station will see a drastic alteration in appearance anytime soon although London Bridge is a listed station and is in the middle of a transformation.

http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1242849

Network Rail and the TOC can replace material (windows, lighting, etc) on a like for like basis without having to obtain listed building consent and have a duty to maintain the station.

 

[Alistair G.]

Is it not having a bit of a revamp when they build the new station at the Ricoh arena and taking the Coventry - Nuneaton service to half hourly?

 

[Eagle]

(map) The plan is for a new bay platform, but being as it would have to be on the north side and the station is hemmed in by the Warwick Road overbridge I can't see how it would fit in. Unless it was on the other side of the bridge, taking a chunk of land from the Central Six car park, but then it would be ridiculously far away from the station building.

 

[pinguini]

I think it's quite a nice station compared to others.

My biggest gripe are the beggers there. I have wrote to Virgin Trains about it, but they don't stop. I was there on Monday for just a few minutes just to greet someone off the platform and I was asked for money.

 

[Eagle]

I'd say Leamington's station building is much better-looking than Coventry's. Hard to believe they were only opened 23 years apart (1939 and 1962).

 

[matt]

(map) The plan is for a new bay platform, but being as it would have to be on the north side and the station is hemmed in by the Warwick Road overbridge I can't see how it would fit in. Unless it was on the other side of the bridge, taking a chunk of land from the Central Six car park, but then it would be ridiculously far away from the station building.

I believe it was planned to be the other side of the bridge where the siding is currently

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I'll stick my neck out here and say I really like the building at Coventry - it's functional, large and airy. Probably the best example of 1960's Midland Region architecture about.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I'll stick my neck out here and say I really like the building at Coventry - it's functional, large and airy. Probably the best example of 1960's Midland Region architecture about.

Exactly - and in good condition too. Fit for purpose I say.

Ever been to Stevenage ?

 

[anti-pacer]

Any plans to improve this dump
Seems virgin havent touched signage for starters
Place is grim
Guessing has changed little since intercity days...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Announcements are incoherent too

Go to Carlisle, it seems Virgin haven't touched the trackbeds in the station for years, given the fact that they resemble landfill sites.

Or is it Network Rail's responsibility, despite it being inside the station? :roll:

 

[Mr Spock]

I think it's quite a nice station compared to others.

My biggest gripe are the beggers there. I have wrote to Virgin Trains about it, but they don't stop. I was there on Monday for just a few minutes just to greet someone off the platform and I was asked for money.

I regularly use Coventry and I have never seen anyone begging for money.

 

[The Planner]

Go to Carlisle, it seems Virgin haven't touched the trackbeds in the station for years, given the fact that they resemble landfill sites.

Or is it Network Rail's responsibility, despite it being inside the station? :roll:

Nothing to do with Virgin, that is NR, they are responsible for the track regardless of if it is in a station or not.

 

[anti-pacer]

Nothing to do with Virgin, that is NR, they are responsible for the track regardless of if it is in a station or not.

And will Virgin liaise with Notwork Rail and tell them the tracks need a good clean, just out of interest?

 

[pinguini]

I regularly use Coventry and I have never seen anyone begging for money.

Perhaps you don't look as though you have any

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Go to Carlisle, it seems Virgin haven't touched the trackbeds in the station for years, given the fact that they resemble landfill sites.

Or is it Network Rail's responsibility, despite it being inside the station? :roll:

Cleaning and de-weeding trackbeds for (I think) - a 200 meter area each side of the platforms is most certainly an NR job - this was overlooked at privatisation in 1994 -1996 and subsequently corrected.The TOC ought to follow this up - I certainly used to. (with vigour)

Crewe does not look good , in all fairness - for a 4 million a year interchange and originating / arriving station. (well it didn't last time I was there)

 

[387star]

Hmmm seems virgin don't do much to their stations interesting ticket barriers were actually removed
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Isn't a large part of crewe station fenced off

 

[L&Y Robert]

Does anybody know why four lengthy curved sidings were laid down on the north side of the Leamington branch a few years ago? I pass by now and then (Banbury to Newcastle) and I've never seen anything on them.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

It's where LM stable units overnight, isn't it?

 

[ChiefPlanner]

It's where LM stable units overnight, isn't it?

Indeed - and there is a train crew point there also. (Warwick Road sidings?)

 

[Eagle]

It's where LM stable units overnight, isn't it?

Indeed - and there is a train crew point there also. (Warwick Road sidings?)

No, LM's stabling sidings are on the Nuneaton branch, out towards Albany Road. He's talking about the unelectrified sidings on the bend adjacent to Quinton Road. I've seen Network Rail locos and tampers there a few times, but never any passenger units.

 

[jsimpson]

My biggest gripe are the beggers there. I have wrote to Virgin Trains about it, but they don't stop. I was there on Monday for just a few minutes just to greet someone off the platform and I was asked for money.

I was there on Tuesday and had them asking me for change too!

With regards to the station though I quite like it and don't see the fuss with wanting to make everything plasticy and shiny with blinding lights! but that's just personal preference

 

[387star]

regarding ther announcements they are too soft in my opinion almost inaudible and the platform change wasn't even on the speakers just a member of staff speaking to those who could hear

 

[paddy1]

Any plans to improve this dump
Seems virgin havent touched signage for starters
Place is grim
Guessing has changed little since intercity days...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Announcements are incoherent too

Always wondered why the station signage at Coventry has not been updated when the signage at far less busy and less important Virgin managed (and former Inter City sector) stations at, for example, Rugby, Stafford, Stoke on Trent and (I think) Runcorn have had updated station signage applied to them several years ago?

 

[OwlMan]

We the area outside the station due for redevelopment as Friargate I expect the beggars will be romoved then
see http://www.friargatecoventry.co.uk/what-is-proposed/ for details of the Friargate project

 

[Mr Spock]

Perhaps you don't look as though you have any

Cheeky git

 

[pt_mad]

Coventry Station is a grade II listed building, therefore it's highly unlikely the station will see a drastic alteration in appearance anytime soon although London Bridge is a listed station and is in the middle of a transformation.

http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1242849

Network Rail and the TOC can replace material (windows, lighting, etc) on a like for like basis without having to obtain listed building consent and have a duty to maintain the station.

Could do with a minor facelift.