Euston overcrowding

[Bletchleyite]

So I'm guessing the thinking would have been, to allow access to the night tube while the NR station is closed at night. But if so, a much more passenger-friendly solution would have been, to keep both entrances to the escalators: So if you're coming up the escalators out of the tube, you have a choice of turning left into the station concourse or right to go outside.But with both entrances independently lockable, so that at night when the concourse is closed, you have no choice but to turn right and go outside.

The problem with that is that you create congestion and collisions as flows meet from both directions including those exiting (and those who stop as they're confused which way to exit - a bit like you get after the gateline due to the 8-11 exit). It'd have to be either-or.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Also if you are using platforms 8-11, which more than a third of passengers do (my estimate), there is still the direct access.

It can be quicker to go that way and turn up the ramp to get to the concourse than to go up the main escalators and outside as well...

 

[RailWonderer]

The problem with that is that you create congestion and collisions as flows meet from both directions including those exiting (and those who stop as they're confused which way to exit - a bit like you get after the gateline due to the 8-11 exit). It'd have to be either-or.

Is congestion really a problem that late at night?

As for the departure boards up above, they are so comically large you could easily have the deaprtures across the top two thirds of the board and adverts in the bottom third across and they would still collect revenue, no side boards needed.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Is congestion really a problem that late at night?

We were talking opening both sides of the Tube access at all times, weren't we? Not just late at night?

As for the departure boards up above, they are so comically large you could easily have the deaprtures across the top two thirds of the board and adverts in the bottom third across and they would still collect revenue, no side boards needed.

There's room for ads at the sides anyway.

 

[sprunt]

Is congestion really a problem that late at night?

The congestion would be during the day, when both entrances are open. There'd be no congestion late at night when the entrance into the main station was closed.

 

[bramling]

It was 6 years ago, and done in relation to the night tube, AIUI.

My understanding is it wasn’t just for night tube. There was also the issue that the LU station was often having to close whenever there were problems on the mainline, simply because of crowding in the mainline concourse then causing backing up of people down the escalators and through the LU booking hall.

What has been done essentially separates out the two in a way which presumably reduces the likelihood of this happening, and so means the LU station can remain open in situations where it previously might not have been able to.

Whether this happens in practice you probably have more experience of using the place!

As an aside, I’m unsure if the changes have allowed any changes to the fire safety arrangements. I’m guessing probably not, as if the two could be properly separated out then a fire alarm evacuation in the mainline part could allow the LU station to remain open. But I’m not sure what has been done is enough separation for that to be the case.

You don’t have to go that way. Many people use the internal stairs by the ticket office, no need to go outside.

Which is something of a nuisance. Hitherto these stairs were fairly lightly used, which provided a conveniently quick way of getting in and out of the LU station. Now they’re quite busy, which can be irritating if one is in a hurry.

 

[Bald Rick]

Based on how quiet those stairs are, most people clearly don't know about them.

Hitherto these stairs were fairly lightly used, which provided a conveniently quick way of getting in and out of the LU station. Now they’re quite busy, which can be irritating if one is in a hurry.

My experience is that they are quite busy too, obviously only for short perids of time - although that seems to correspond with when I’m walking past them!

My understanding is it wasn’t just for night tube. There was also the issue that the LU station was often having to close whenever there were problems on the mainline, simply because of crowding in the mainline concourse then causing backing up of people down the escalators and through the LU booking hall.

That makes sense.

 

[Russel]

You don’t have to go that way. Many people use the internal stairs by the ticket office, no need to go outside.
Also if you are using platforms 8-11, which more than a third of oassengers do (my estimate), there is still the direct access.

The stairs do provide quick access from the Underground to the little Sainsburys, quicker than coming up the escalators, leaving the Underground, heading into the NR station to come back out again to get to Sainsburys!

 

[sprunt]

The stairs do provide quick access from the Underground to the little Sainsburys, quicker than coming up the escalators, leaving the Underground, heading into the NR station to come back out again to get to Sainsburys!

Why would you have to go into the station then come out again to get to Sainsburys from the escalators? You'd just walk along the front of the station wouldn't you?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Why would you have to go into the station then come out again to get to Sainsburys from the escalators? You'd just walk along the front of the station wouldn't you?

You could do either, I guess depending on whether it was raining or not (it being raining being one of the main objections to the layout as it is).

Personally I find the 180 degree turn more of an issue, it's a blind corner and people keep walking into people, particularly mobile phone zombies. There must have been a better way, though I'm struggling to think of exactly what that would be.

One thing I am noticing is increased numbers of people using the stairs creating yet another set of conflicting flows which risks backing people up onto the escalators at busy times. I can't see that staircase being able to stay open if it gets any worse.

 

[Bald Rick]

Why would you have to go into the station then come out again to get to Sainsburys from the escalators? You'd just walk along the front of the station wouldn't you?

IIRC the hoarding for the HS2 works means you do have to enter the station briefly - right by the stairs - to get to Sainsburys.

 

[bramling]

IIRC the hoarding for the HS2 works means you do have to enter the station briefly - right by the stairs - to get to Sainsburys.

You’re correct. It wouldn’t have been the case before HS2, but it is at the moment.

 

[350401]

Slightly off topic, but having spent a couple of hours catching up with a friend in the Signal Box pub terrace, I’ve concluded they really need to do something about the inanely excessive announcements at Euston. There is barely 30 seconds of quiet before the next announcement. They all blend into one. The actual platform announcements are fair enough, but then add in “see it, say it, sorted”, a Samaritan’s announcement, information on the weekend engineering works and the fact the station has CCTV, it’s just far, far, too much. It needs paring way, way back. Announce the Avanti Trains, LNWR trains and the platform of the next Lioness line train, and that’s it. There is no need for every single station the lioness line calls at to be announced every 5 minutes. </rant>

 

[bramling]

Slightly off topic, but having spent a couple of hours catching up with a friend in the Signal Box pub terrace, I’ve concluded they really need to do something about the inanely excessive announcements at Euston. There is barely 30 seconds of quiet before the next announcement. They all blend into one. The actual platform announcements are fair enough, but then add in “see it, say it, sorted”, a Samaritan’s announcement, information on the weekend engineering works and the fact the station has CCTV, it’s just far, far, too much. It needs paring way, way back. Announce the Avanti Trains, LNWR trains and the platform of the next Lioness line train, and that’s it. There is no need for every single station the lioness line calls at to be announced every 5 minutes. </rant>

Yes the engineering work announcement in particular is quite excessive.

 

[Russel]

Why would you have to go into the station then come out again to get to Sainsburys from the escalators? You'd just walk along the front of the station wouldn't you?

Before the HS2 work blocked the route along the front of the station, yes...

 

[SCDR_WMR]

Yes the engineering work announcement in particular is quite excessive.

Let's see how many people turn up at the weekend expecting normal timetables/services.

 

[Class15]

Slightly off topic, but having spent a couple of hours catching up with a friend in the Signal Box pub terrace, I’ve concluded they really need to do something about the inanely excessive announcements at Euston. There is barely 30 seconds of quiet before the next announcement. They all blend into one. The actual platform announcements are fair enough, but then add in “see it, say it, sorted”, a Samaritan’s announcement, information on the weekend engineering works and the fact the station has CCTV, it’s just far, far, too much. It needs paring way, way back. Announce the Avanti Trains, LNWR trains and the platform of the next Lioness line train, and that’s it. There is no need for every single station the lioness line calls at to be announced every 5 minutes. </rant>

Referencing your point about the DC lines - “all stations to Watford” would likely do the job.

 

[takno]

Let's see how many people turn up at the weekend expecting normal timetables/services.

Why would people wanting to use the service at the weekend be there during the week?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Why would people wanting to use the service at the weekend be there during the week?

Why wouldn't they? It's not either or.

 

[urbophile]

The problem with that is that you create congestion and collisions as flows meet from both directions including those exiting (and those who stop as they're confused which way to exit - a bit like you get after the gateline due to the 8-11 exit). It'd have to be either-or.

Well easy then. Have just one or the other open, never both together.

 

[moogal]

It can be quicker to go that way and turn up the ramp to get to the concourse than to go up the main escalators and outside as well...

I do this a lot of the time, especially while one of the main escalators up to surface level is out of action. It's where the new sideways departure boards are very useful, as I can come out of the 8-11 ramp and immediately confirm which platform I *do* want, without having to walk right into the middle of the concourse.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I do this a lot of the time, especially while one of the main escalators up to surface level is out of action. It's where the new sideways departure boards are very useful, as I can come out of the 8-11 ramp and immediately confirm which platform I *do* want, without having to walk right into the middle of the concourse.

There used to be one by the Tube gateline, that could do with coming back.

 

[Wolfie]

There used to be one by the Tube gateline, that could do with coming back.

It was very useful. The problem was it was right on the corner and caused it's own small bottlenecks.

 

[bramling]

Let's see how many people turn up at the weekend expecting normal timetables/services.

One of life’s little lessons then. There’s numerous other, much better and more effective, ways of passing over the information in any case.

 

[SCDR_WMR]

One of life’s little lessons then. There’s numerous other, much better and more effective, ways of passing over the information in any case.

Well yes, but that doesn't mean you make announcements at the most used station on the route. Major announcements should be made across the entire spectrum to ensure the message is picked up by the most amount of people.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Well yes, but that doesn't mean you make announcements at the most used station on the route. Major announcements should be made across the entire spectrum to ensure the message is picked up by the most amount of people.

Engineering works announcements about Easter (not this weekend!) are being made, and displayed on the station displays, throughout at least the LNR part of the WMT operation. There are also paper posters on platforms at a number of LNR stations including Bletchley. There is plenty of publicity.

 

[SCDR_WMR]

Engineering works announcements about Easter (not this weekend!) are being made, and displayed on the station displays, throughout at least the LNR part of the WMT operation. There are also paper posters on platforms at a number of LNR stations including Bletchley. There is plenty of publicity.

Indeed, something that I think should always be the case.