Dismal Stations Which Give A Poor First Impression Of The Town They Serve

[py_megapixel]

Cambridge North. You exit the station into a soulless plaza/bus-turnaround/car-park staring at the backside of a giant nudey statue! And if you do not know where to go for the river path, you will spend a long time walking through a bland industrial estate to get to average suburbia.

Never been there, but it seems like that bit could be fixed by means of a few signs!

 

[Mikey C]

Luton should be a top contender but the main issue is the fact that most of the station is actually listed so they can't just rebuild it.

In this case, surely the station does justice to the town

 

[MikeWM]

Cambridge North. You exit the station into a soulless plaza/bus-turnaround/car-park staring at the backside of a giant nudey statue! And if you do not know where to go for the river path, you will spend a long time walking through a bland industrial estate to get to average suburbia.

It is a new station. How did it go so wrong?

There are certainly some... issues, with Cambridge North, but the entire area is very much a work-in-progress. (Though I don't recall a giant nudey statue, is that new?!) It probably needs another good few years before it can be fairly judged.

Cambridge station itself, before they finally fixed the ticket hall, wasn't remotely a great introduction to Cambridge. It is mostly fine now though.

 

[Mikey C]

They're not "bad stations" but thanks to rationalisation the GWR branch lines terminuses, such as Marlow and Henley are pretty basic and unimpressive when compared to the towns they serve. Even Windsor and Eton Central is pretty unimpressive once you leave the shopping centre that is the former station

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Enjoyable walk yesterday on the scenic Macclesfield canal with some pals and used two of the stations on the route, Kidsgrove and Congleton to access the canal.

Kidsgrove station is a quite a large grotty station, with four platforms and a run down, rusty footbridge to access three of the platforms, there doesn’t appear to be any step free access to those platforms. The entrance area to the station is scruffy and generally unloved, mind you Kidsgrove town centre didn’t look any better, so perhaps the station is in keeping with its surroundings, and as for the adjacent Railway pub…

Fast forward to Congleton, a well heeled Cheshire town and the area surrounding the station ‘Hightown’ is very smart with a fantastic pub opposite the station, Queens Head, excellent food and local ales…but Congleton station is a dump, a tiny concrete overhang for a waiting area, the station is dreary, paint peeling off all the buildings and the even the electronic PIS display wasn’t showing train departure information, and the electronic clock on the display unit was 20 minutes fast!

If it's any comfort, Kidsgrove has been like that since I first used it in 1964!
It's worse now they make Crewe-Stoke trains stop at the far west end of the platform, making a long walk from the entrance.
The canal scenery at the end of Harecastle canal tunnel is impressive but ugly with brown water from the iron deposits hereabouts.
As a footnote, much of Congleton's growth and prosperity in the 1960s/70s was from employment at Kidsgrove (EE/ICL/GEC and successors).
When I worked at Kidsgrove in the 60s the pubs were full of unemployed miners; when I returned in the 90s they were full of unemployed IT folk!

The main buildings at Chester are fine, and there is nothing wrong with the surroundings although the city centre is a long walk or a bus ride away. But I don't like the rail side of the station: confusing layout and scruffy looking platforms. Arriving by Merseyrail you have to walk a fair way across a rather gloomy footbridge to get out.

A lot of money has been spent at Chester over a decade or so, and some of it is of a high quality and sympathetic to the original (eg re-glazing the roof and bridge, and the approach from the east car park).
But the new platform buildings (in sickly ATW green) are horrid, and they have not even begun to disguise the demolition work when the overall roof was dismantled, or fill the gaps in the platform awnings (one of them caused by a fire in the 1970s).
The concourse is sort of OK, and the eateries have improved, but the PIS (concourse and island) is one of the most user-unfriendly on the network.
The barrier line has reduced the circulating area and generates crowding at the bottom of the bridge steps, especially when a Merseyrail train arrives.

The mooted extra island platform for Merseyrail might be the opportunity to improve things elsewhere on the station.

 

[ashkeba]

Never been there, but it seems like that bit could be fixed by means of a few signs!

There are signs but there are lots and lots of signs, most of which point you along the long bland industrial estate road. I think the river ones say "Chesterton" not anything about the river and are right over by the bus road. I will pay more attention next time or maybe a commuter will confirm sooner.

There are certainly some... issues, with Cambridge North, but the entire area is very much a work-in-progress. (Though I don't recall a giant nudey statue, is that new?!)

It was not there in early 2020. Maybe it is temporary, I hope!

I agree that Cambridge Main is much improved. Its main problem now is the long walk or annoying bus transfer to the city centre.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Euston, close the thread.

Euston has always carried the excitement and bustle of a big city for me.

 

[py_megapixel]

Euston has always carried the excitement and bustle of a big city for me.

Most big cities I know have places for people to sit...

 

[Bletchleyite]

Most big cities I know have places for people to sit...

Why, on arrival, would you want to randomly sit on a station bench?

 

[MikeWM]

It was not there in early 2020. Maybe it is temporary, I hope!

I've not had the pleasure of Cambridge North since March 2020, indeed. Unless I'm going to the office I have zero reasons to go there.

Sounds like there is something... interesting (!) to see when I finally do return.

I agree that Cambridge Main is much improved. Its main problem now is the long walk or annoying bus transfer to the city centre.

As someone who has had to do that far too many times - yes And the bus transfer now involves a non-trivial trek to the bus station, previously it was far more convenient (though admittedly rather too congested).

 

[py_megapixel]

Why, on arrival, would you want to randomly sit on a station bench?

On arrival, fine. On departure, it's a pain. (Though I guess this thread is now focusing more on first impressions)

 

[JohnRegular]

I remember being extremely underwhelmed by Liverpool Street the first time I arrived there. The London terminals I had been to before then- Waterloo, Victoria, St Pancras, Paddington- were, if not all grand and beautiful, at least quite impressive. Rolling into Waterloo as a child really made me feel like I was approaching somewhere important, even if the station itself isn't as stunning as some others. But Liverpool Street just felt like a hole in the ground, bland and entirely unimpressive, and a pidgeon sh*t on me to top it off.

So while Euston may be rubbish for a whole bunch of reasons, Liverpool Street let me down the most. Hardly deserving of its position on the monopoly board!

 

[Ianno87]

As someone who has had to do that far too many times - yes And the bus transfer now involves a non-trivial trek to the bus station, previously it was far more convenient (though admittedly rather too congested).

At least the Babraham Road Park and Ride and the Busway services are arranged to use the nearest stops.

I've not had the pleasure of Cambridge North since March 2020, indeed. Unless I'm going to the office I have zero reasons to go there.

Sounds like there is something... interesting (!) to see when I finally do return.

The Novotel outside is now open...so a tiny bit more life, and construction has started on the rest of the station square development.

 

[Falcon1200]

Oxford station is decidedly underwhelming as an introduction to the city. Hopefully the full masterplan is eventually implemented to give something that can actually cope with the traffic it gets.

I live in hope of Oxford one day having a station worthy of the city.

You should have seen the old wooden horror that I had to use in 1967-70.

True, although the 1970 rebuild wasn't up to much either, so much so that BR had to rebuild it again !

Coventry and Harlow Town. And they look like they both came out of the same box. Coventry Station just seems like a larger version of Harlow.

Harlow Town was my first workplace and I loved the station; Mind you, that was 1978-80, and I haven't been back for a long time.

Edinburgh. Not so much dismal (pretty if you look up), but a bit sprawling, disorganised and slightly chaoitic when busy.

Is the sprawling and chaotic nature not part of the station's charm ?!! Although I do find the platform numbering odd, compared to before the great renumbering.
On the other hand, in the same city, Haymarket since its rebuilding has been transformed, very much for the better; The platforms could be wider but the site pretty much precludes that.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think Waverley is great - interesting and to me it actually does work quite well, and does to me serve as a decent introduction to the city.

 

[yorksrob]

I like Man Vic, Chester, Coventry and Euston I'm afraid.

Stations I do find a bit underwhelming are Salford Crescent. Not much in the way of platform facilities so best avoided. Salford central (a bit run down), Wakefield Kirkgate (they need to build the island platform facilities, Barnsley (architecture reminds me too much of Brookside) Birmingham New Street (still dingy in spite of the shopping centre). Reading (looks as though someones landed a space ship on it).

 

[Bletchleyite]

I like Man Vic, Chester and Euston I'm afraid.

Chester needs a bit of work, and to remove the 1990s additions which are really not in keeping with the rest of it. Otherwise I like it.

Man Vic has platforms like New St but with more stinking, filthy 1980s DMUs - it'd be OK if it was EMUs only - though I find very poor use is made of the space in the classic bit, and so it feels quite oppressive and doesn't have a decent concourse, just an oversized corridor. I seem to recall one of the major Paris stations having had a similar mess made of it when barriers were added.

 

[py_megapixel]

I like Man Vic, Chester, Coventry and Euston I'm afraid.

I'm interested to know what, if anything, you like about the underground section of Vic? Because the more open section where the bays and Metrolink are is actually quite nice.

Birmingham New Street (still dingy in spite of the shopping centre).

Dingy partially due to the shopping centre, I'd say. I can never get away from the feeling that it's some kind of massive machine that you're a cog trapped within.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm interested to know what, if anything, you like about the underground section of Vic? Because the more open section where the bays and Metrolink are is actually quite nice.

Could be nice, but makes very poor use of the space and doesn't feel friendly at all. You don't want the main feature of the station to be a giant set of ticket barriers with pig-ugly overhead billboards. And really the concourse was poorly used even before those were put in.

It'd not need many changes to make it nicer. And they should move the Arena entrance outside (with shelter) and get rid of the bridge while they're at it. Something used by a tiny minority of passengers dominates the station, and not in a nice way.

 

[The Planner]

Still don't get what people expected to happen with New St. The passenger handling aspect is wrong, but it was always going to stay an underground station.

 

[Journeyman]

Still don't get what people expected to happen with New St. The passenger handling aspect is wrong, but it was always going to stay an underground station.

It's vastly improved on what it was.

 

[yorksrob]

I'm interested to know what, if anything, you like about the underground section of Vic? Because the more open section where the bays and Metrolink are is actually quite nice.


Dingy partially due to the shopping centre, I'd say. I can never get away from the feeling that it's some kind of massive machine that you're a cog trapped within.

To be honest, theres nothing I like about the underground section. The whole complex is made bearable by the splendid Victorian architecture and the facilities therein.

 

[DB]

The refurbishment of New Street is miles better then the grotty concourse that existed prior, of course not much you can do at platform level but the concourse is much easier to navigate and a massive improvement on what was there before.

Hmm. Unless it's changed in the past eighteen months or so, I'd have said that it was still crap but in a different way! Used to be dingy and confusing to get to the platforms, Now it's a shopping centre with platforms beneath it, and that highly irritating / confusing system of different sets of ticket barriers depending on which platform you want.

 

[BrianW]

Oxford station is decidedly underwhelming as an introduction to the city. Hopefully the full masterplan is eventually implemented to give something that can actually cope with the traffic it gets.

I agree with you , but ...
Who's going to pay? You? Passengers in fares? Council-tax payers? Oxford University/ Said Business School Sponsorship?
It'll need to change radically if and when one or both of the 'Bicester platforms' are extended to create more 'through' platforms.
Maybe the proposed new western entrance will provide an entry worthy of the Botley Road, whether Waitrose or Wickes.

 

[RH Liner]

Chesterfield, anyone?

 

[gg1]

Still don't get what people expected to happen with New St. The passenger handling aspect is wrong, but it was always going to stay an underground station.

I've mentioned it before here, I was very taken with Arup's proposal from the late 00s to replace New Street with a completely new station adjacent to Moor Street, IIRC the proposal was for approximately 10 through platforms with a similar number of East facing terminus platforms. All this was a few years before HS2 was first mooted which would have course complicate things.

 

[43096]

The refurbishment of New Street is miles better then the grotty concourse that existed prior, of course not much you can do at platform level but the concourse is much easier to navigate and a massive improvement on what was there before.

I disagree. The concourse is now a stupid design where you can’t access some platforms from others if you’re at the wrong end of the station.

 

[6Gman]

Coventry and Harlow Town. And they look like they both came out of the same box. Coventry Station just seems like a larger version of Harlow.

Coventry is a larger version of Stafford!

Some of us can remember the goldfish.

 

[lxfe_mxtterz]

Newmarket. The town is of a decent size and holds a rather prestigious status as the "home of horse racing." On the other hand, the station is just a single, dismal and lonely platform with very few facilities, hidden down an alley on a residential street! At least they've tidied the station up and made it a bit more pleasant now...

Was once much grander in the past, though, as I understand it.

 

[6Gman]

Chester is a lovely city which has a very problematic station. The layout is not great for passenger flow at all.

The only station I know where access to a bookmaker is easier than access to the booking office!

Truly bizarre.