Glasgow Queen Street refurbishment and remodelling

[PaxVobiscum]

There was a Bonapartes on the station concourse, roughly where the frangible decking for P2/3 is now. Sorry can’t access the original right now - took this from RailScot:

 

[Scotrail314209]

There was a Bonapartes on the station concourse, roughly where the frangible decking for P2/3 is now. Sorry can’t access the original right now - took this from RailScot:

View attachment 100626

Are we ever going to get that tiled flooring back? I think it'd fit well with the new station.

 

[thetangoman]

As was said upthread it was latterly called Camperdown Court before the start of the works.

Originally it was Berlin, but had a number of names over the years.

Sorry but you are wrong. The Clyde was actually in the station whereas Berlin/Camperdown is located under the station with its entrance on West George Street

 

[92002]

Sorry but you are wrong. The Clyde was actually in the station whereas Berlin/Camperdown is located under the station with its entrance on West George Street

However we were actually talking about the larger Camperdown place. Till somebody threw in a wobbly of the much smaller Clyde bar. Or was it latterly Bonaparts.

Either way there currently is no bars in the place for now, but plenty of others around.

Never mind any outlets for anything for now.

 

[Scotrail314209]

I've always wondered why there was a Wetherspoons underneath Queen Street, when theres one directly across the road (Counting House)

Overspill perhaps?

 

[Rick1984]

Did find that a bit odd. Especially with the counting house being quite impressive inside

 

[route101]

I've always wondered why there was a Wetherspoons underneath Queen Street, when theres one directly across the road (Counting House)

Overspill perhaps?

Yes, only about 100 metres or so between them. The spoons was not there long.

 

[najaB]

Yes, only about 100 metres or so between them. The spoons was not there long.

It says a lot about us that in America it's coffee shops that are chocablock, and in the UK you can stumble out of one pub and land in the next.

 

[Meerkat]

It says a lot about us that in America it's coffee shops that are chocablock, and in the UK you can stumble out of one pub and land in the next.

To be fair there are billions of coffee shops too!
Though I’m thinking that WFH and the end of Eastern Europe near slave labour will thin them out quite a bit.

 

[och aye]

I've always wondered why there was a Wetherspoons underneath Queen Street, when theres one directly across the road (Counting House)

Overspill perhaps?

The Counting House is the only Wetherspoons I've ever experienced being able to make a table reservation in pre-Covid times!

 

[och aye]

Is the project now "complete" if not, what works are remaining? Also, will there be a formal opening of the new station?

 

[InOban]

Complete, I think, apart from the redevelopment of the car park for which plans have been published. Personally, and I've said this before, the double arrows, which I think are just vinyl, need to be replaced with internally lit fittings.

 

[Rick1984]

I've noticed there is now a coffee vender on the concourse. A wee van thing. The queue was quite long last time

 

[PaxVobiscum]

What’s with the very low profile of the Official opening yesterday by the First Minister (no, they didn’t invite me )? Hardly mentioned at all in the media, and relatively restrained on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/networkrailscot/status/1445311296031707140

 

[oldman]

Maybe it's me, but the 'In case you somehow missed it' sounds a bit sarcastic - Network Rail would have hoped for a bigger fanfare. Given the strikes, NS's low profile is not surprising.

 

[och aye]

The redevelopment is a real game changer for capacity a Queen Street. While it has been completed and open for a while, I say congratulations to all those involved in the project for delivering it while keeping the station operating at the same time. That in itself is pretty impressive given the transformation of the place. While maybe not visually a "stunning" building, its certainly a lot better than what was there before. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long for the next stage of the development next door to begin and we watch @PaxVobiscum and his seagull's video updates again.

Here's the NR press release:

First Minister marks completion of £120m Glasgow Queen Street rebuild

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited Glasgow Queen Street station today (Monday, October 4) to join Scotland’s Railway in marking the official completion of the station’s £120m Scottish Government-funded transformation.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited Glasgow Queen Street station today (Monday, October 4) to join Scotland’s Railway in marking the official completion of the station’s £120m Scottish Government-funded transformation.


The first minister helped to unveil two plaques at the event, the first a replica of the station plate from 1881 celebrating the completion of the station’s Victorian barrelled roof and the second to celebrate the current redevelopment.


The First Minister said: “With just a month until world leaders arrive in Glasgow to address the growing climate crisis, Scotland’s Railway is on well on track in its journey towards full decarbonisation of passenger services.


“This new Glasgow Queen Street, delivered as part of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme, is a shining example of how we can modernise historic and iconic stations, offering greener transport hubs that are more attractive to commuter, business and leisure markets alike.


“This station led the city through industrialisation and it now stands out as an example of what we can achieve as we navigate our way towards net-zero.


“Since 2007, we have invested over £9 billion in rail infrastructure, including electrification to enable greener trains to run on those routes. We are committed to continued electrification, and the use of alternative traction technology, if we are to address the challenges facing this planet. Scotland, as a responsible global citizen, will do everything we can to play our part.”


Alex Hynes, managing director of Scotland’s Railway, said: “As Scotland continues to recover from the impact of the pandemic, and as Glasgow prepares to host COP26, we are incredibly proud of this new station and the modern, green railway it symbolises.


“The extended and electrified platforms at Glasgow Queen Street and the faster, longer, greener trains they support will make sure our railway is ready to play a role in combatting the challenge of climate change and its impact on how we live and work in the future.


“Our engineers, contractors and station teams have worked tirelessly to create an iconic new station for Glasgow and should be commended for completing such a complex job without having to close Queen Street to its passengers.”


For the last four years, teams from across Transport Scotland, Network Rail, ScotRail and main contractor Balfour Beatty have been working to redevelop Scotland’s third busiest station.


The extended station boasts a larger concourse than before with double the circulation space for passengers and it is also fully accessible with lifts into the new building from Queen Street and step-free access from Dundas and North Hanover Streets.


The facilities for customers have also been improved with a new travel centre, toilets and Changing Place.


Work on redevelopment began in 2017 when engineers started to demolish the 1970s buildings in front of the Victorian station to clear the space for the new expanded concourse.


Over the course of a year, more than 14,000 tonnes of material was removed from the site as mini-diggers were used to demolish the buildings piece by piece from the top down.


Around 94 percent of the demolition material was recycled – some of it even returned to the station to be used in the foundations of the new concourse.


In December 2018 the expanded station’s steel frame began to go up, and Queen Street truly took on its distinctive new shape in September 2019 when the last of the 310 glass panels on the station frontage was installed.


Inside, the station’s old travel centre and staff accommodation block on Dundas Street gave way to a lengthened platform 1. Platforms 2, 3, 4 and 5 were all extended by 26m and all platforms electrified to accommodate ScotRail’s new, longer Class-385 electric trains.


The redevelopment project also gave a boost to the local economy with 70 percent of its budget being spent with suppliers within a 40-mile radius of the station.


Hector MacAulay MBE, managing director of Balfour Beatty, said: We are delighted to have been partnered with Network Rail for this award-winning transformational project, which has seen the original Queen Street Station brought back to life and now offers an enhanced passenger experience. I am delighted to say that during the four-year construction period there were no delays in operations or performance within the station.”


Bruce Kennedy, architect director BDP’s Glasgow studio, said: “BDP was privileged to lead the design for the redevelopment of Glasgow Queen Street Station, which has transformed the passenger experience. Enabling fantastic views of Glasgow city centre and celebrating James Carswell’s train shed, the station is now a fitting gateway to Glasgow and the rail network.


“Transport Scotland’s investment has allowed us to make a contemporary addition to the country’s rich cultural heritage of rail architecture, which is a highly visible sign of the continuing investment in the decarbonisation of Scotland’s Railway.”


Gerry Bradley, partner IDP Architects, said: “IDP Architects feels privileged to have held a key role in the delivery of such an iconic building, at the heart of the city centre. Network Rail’s bold vision for the station has now been realised, leaving Glasgow Queen Street as a modern terminus station that we should all to be proud of.”

 

[takno]

The redevelopment is a real game changer for capacity a Queen Street. While it has been completed and open for a while, I say congratulations to all those involved in the project for delivering it while keeping the station operating at the same time. That in itself is pretty impressive given the transformation of the place. While maybe not visually a "stunning" building, its certainly a lot better than what was there before. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long for the next stage of the development next door to begin and we watch @PaxVobiscum and his seagull's video updates again.

Here's the NR press release:

First Minister marks completion of £120m Glasgow Queen Street rebuild

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited Glasgow Queen Street station today (Monday, October 4) to join Scotland’s Railway in marking the official completion of the station’s £120m Scottish Government-funded transformation.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

It's a lovely job - huge improvement on the old station. Just a shame that Scotrail and Scotgov have decided to celebrate the ability to use longer trains by explicitly using it as a justification for halving the frequency. Makes me slightly wish it had never happened.

 

[waverley47]

The frequency will be back at some point hough. In all honesty it's probably a blessing in disguise that the time overruns were hidden by covid, and it's better to have it done now than to realise you should have built it twenty years ago

 

[Rab Smith]

The redevelopment is a real game changer for capacity a Queen Street. While it has been completed and open for a while, I say congratulations to all those involved in the project for delivering it while keeping the station operating at the same time. That in itself is pretty impressive given the transformation of the place. While maybe not visually a "stunning" building, its certainly a lot better than what was there before. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long for the next stage of the development next door to begin and we watch @PaxVobiscum and his seagull's video updates again.

Here's the NR press release:

First Minister marks completion of £120m Glasgow Queen Street rebuild

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited Glasgow Queen Street station today (Monday, October 4) to join Scotland’s Railway in marking the official completion of the station’s £120m Scottish Government-funded transformation.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

I second that. I passed through today and am utterly gobsmacked on how much Queen Street has changed. I've worked around the old station for years and passed through it in the various stages of refurbishment.
Network Rail, Scotrail and every other associated contractor have done an amazing transformation.

 

[Carntyne]

It's a lovely job - huge improvement on the old station. Just a shame that Scotrail and Scotgov have decided to celebrate the ability to use longer trains by explicitly using it as a justification for halving the frequency. Makes me slightly wish it had never happened.

There was a pandemic that saw passenger numbers drop like a stone to be fair. 8 cars carrying air every 15 minutes costs lots of money and isn't necessary right now. There are pay rises to fund after all.

 

[trebor79]

I used the station last week returning from a business trip to Glasgow and have to say they have done a remarkably good job. I was familiar with it in the 1980's as a pretty dingy and cramped building with an unprepossessing entrance off a side street. Last used on a trip to a family friends funeral 5 or so years ago and it hadn't changed at all - even still had the 1980's red circular seating.

I could scarcely believe it was the same station this time. Although I did kind of miss the retro seating .

Astonishing to pass Lenzie in 5 minutes too. I can still remember the interminable crawl through Queen Street tunnel and up Cowlairs bank in a 101, sometimes at barely more than a fast walking pace. Utter transformation of station, trains and service.

 

[greyman42]

I second that. I passed through today and am utterly gobsmacked on how much Queen Street has changed. I've worked around the old station for years and passed through it in the various stages of refurbishment.
Network Rail, Scotrail and every other associated contractor have done an amazing transformation.

I agree but do wonder why the official opening was such low key considering the project has been such a great success.

 

[adrock1976]

I've seen some posts above referring the rebuild of Glasgow Queen Street as a new station.

Is it actually a new station, as it is still in the exact same location, the tracks to the tunnel are in the exact same location, the low level station is still in the exact same location?

All in all, it is a brighter station compared with the 1960s/70s add ons at the George Square side.

 

[paul1609]

I passed through last Friday. Immediate impressions:
The low level station now feels better integrated but it's still rather disappointing the low level platforms and the narrow stairs seem unimproved, where are the escalators?
The George Square glass front already gives the impression of needing a visit from the window cleaners.
Not sure why the toilets were put downstairs on George Square and 50p for a piss? really.

 

[greyman42]

Not sure why the toilets were put downstairs on George Square and 50p for a piss? really.

I thought stations had stopped charging for toilets. Obviously not. Is it just in Scotland?

 

[takno]

I thought stations had stopped charging for toilets. Obviously not. Is it just in Scotland?

Network Rail stations stopped charging. Queen Street is managed by Scotrail. Disappointing nonetheless.

 

[najaB]

I thought stations had stopped charging for toilets. Obviously not. Is it just in Scotland?

Without wanting to sound too snootish, a nominal charge for toilets in Glasgow is probably not a terrible idea if you want to avoid jakies using them to shoot up. And I say this as someone who's lived in Dundee!

 

[swt_passenger]

I've seen some posts above referring the rebuild of Glasgow Queen Street as a new station.

Is it actually a new station, as it is still in the exact same location, the tracks to the tunnel are in the exact same location, the low level station is still in the exact same location?

All in all, it is a brighter station compared with the 1960s/70s add ons at the George Square side.

It’s effectively a rebuilt and expanded concourse on the front of the original trainshed, but with the platforms extended into the much larger space. I think it would possibly have been better for people to have referred to the “old layout” rather than the “old station”…

 

[fgwrich]

Without wanting to sound too snootish, a nominal charge for toilets in Glasgow is probably not a terrible idea if you want to avoid jakies using them to shoot up. And I say this as someone who's lived in Dundee!

It is this reason along with vandalism unfortunately. ScotRail have made a mention of this on twitter a few times recently - it seems that, no matter how much money you spend to improve the facilities, there is still a certain element of society with an intent to misuse and damage it.

 

[hwl]

Network Rail stations stopped charging. Queen Street is managed by Scotrail. Disappointing nonetheless.

Scotrail had to start charging again to prevent massive drug use issues.