Leeds Station Improvement

[endofthetunnel]

Saturday nights are different to the rest of the week, with most of the route under possessions. The airport TPE services and late night LNERs run the rest of the week.

 

[yorksrob]

The new information office looks very snazzy and businesslike.

On another matter, the hands from the clock overlooking the Wellington Street concourse have been missing for some time. Does anyone know when these are planned to come back ?

 

[Triang Hornby]

The new information office looks very snazzy and businesslike.

On another matter, the hands from the clock overlooking the Wellington Street concourse have been missing for some time. Does anyone know when these are planned to come back ?

Is the Travel Centre part of the station complex? It's looking rundown in comparison to the rest of the fascade.

 

[yorksrob]

Is the Travel Centre part of the station complex? It's looking rundown in comparison to the rest of the fascade.

Yes, although it hasn't changed since they did the station out at the turn of the century.

 

[thomalex]

The new information office looks very snazzy and businesslike.

On another matter, the hands from the clock overlooking the Wellington Street concourse have been missing for some time. Does anyone know when these are planned to come back ?

The hands being removed doesn't fill me with confidence that it will be coming back

 

[Ken H]

The hands being removed doesn't fill me with confidence that it will be coming back

Its a listed building. That would be a non-compliance

 

[yorksrob]

The hands being removed doesn't fill me with confidence that it will be coming back

Sometimes these things do take a while to repair, but yes, hopefully it will be back as it finishes off the art deco concourse nicely.

 

[Starmill]

I've seen on LinkedIn that the clock has been taken out of service for repair. I'm afraid I can't remember who posted it unfortunately so I can't link to it or give it a source. I think it's very unlikely that it would be removed permanently.

I'll try and find the post so I can link to it, if someone else doesn't have a source.

 

[yorksrob]

I've seen on LinkedIn that the clock has been taken out of service for repair. I'm afraid I can't remember who posted it unfortunately so I can't link to it or give it a source. I think it's very unlikely that it would be removed permanently.

I'll try and find the post so I can link to it, if someone else doesn't have a source.

Thanks for the info - I thought that might be the case.

 

[YorksLad12]

Paint tins went up. Cloths covered the hands. Then the hands came down. I'm assuming the actual wall painting was done... Aesthetics notwithstanding, it's the first clue of the time when you walk in, long before you reach the screen - I hope it comes back soon.

I'm sure there's a good reason why the information kiosk is so huge. Probably to funnel people towards one of the exits, instead of letting us wander willy-nilly. It's not the greatest view when you arrive though, a dirty great black wall.

 

[johntea]

Feels like the longest project ever getting that new information kiosk built!

 

[Halifaxlad]

Sometimes these things do take a while to repair, but yes, hopefully it will be back as it finishes off the art deco concourse nicely.

Ironically I believe the clock is a modern addition, its certainly fixed to a wall that wasn't built along with the rest of the art deco concourse.

 

[yorksrob]

Ironically I believe the clock is a modern addition, its certainly fixed to a wall that wasn't built along with the rest of the art deco concourse.

Yes, I did wonder whether there was ever something similar on the original end wall.

 

[skyhigh]

I'm sure there's a good reason why the information kiosk is so huge.

It has an assisted travel waiting room inside.

 

[Ken H]

Ironically I believe the clock is a modern addition, its certainly fixed to a wall that wasn't built along with the rest of the art deco concourse.

Of course. They shortened the concourse during the 1960's rebuild. Then they turned it into a car park.

 

[Halifaxlad]

Yes, I did wonder whether there was ever something similar on the original end wall.

Ive also wondered that.

I did once come across a book in the shop at Haworth station with a picture looking in that direction during the 1930s that showed it fully opened out although I can't remember if there was a clock.

 

[YorksLad12]

It has an assisted travel waiting room inside.

Ah! That makes sense then. Odd place for it, but I guess there's nowhere better (at the moment).

 

[class 9]

Not odd at all, bang in the middle of the concourse, easy to find.

 

[Halifaxlad]

Not odd at all, bang in the middle of the concourse, easy to find.

Also blooming hard to miss!

I do question whenever we can still refer to that area as a concourse ?

 

[YorksLad12]

Not odd at all, bang in the middle of the concourse, easy to find.

I get that's it's easy to find, and in the best place to get people through the gateline. But the whole pod is an odd thing in an odd place. Walking routes have been narrowed, especially with the new (but welcome) seating on either side of it but not alongside it. People also stand on the gate-side of it, making it difficult to cross the concourse (south circulation area ) because anyone waiting for a train there is standing out of the way - they think.

During Covid, the gateline was altered so that all of the gates are on the left side as you approach from either side rather than the previous split of gates in down the middle, gates out down the sides. If you come up from the Northern Concourse you either have to cut through those people hanging around under the screens or go past the front of the pod and bump into people walking out that way - you don't see them until you hit them (and their suitcases). It just feels as if a good thing has been done, but not done very well.

 

[ASharpe]

Going in from the main entrance you can head straight through to the platforms along the left hand side no bother. But it is a pain crossing though everybody if I've stopped for a pint at Spoons on the south concourse.

Ideally those screens above the gate line would show platform numbers in an obvious way, loads of people stop dead once they are close enough and can't immediately spot it.

 

[xotGD]

Going in from the main entrance you can head straight through to the platforms along the left hand side no bother. But it is a pain crossing though everybody if I've stopped for a pint at Spoons on the south concourse.

Ideally those screens above the gate line would show platform numbers in an obvious way, loads of people stop dead once they are close enough and can't immediately spot it.

Yes, heading in from the Spoons direction there is no clear route to the ticket barrier. Right of the seats or left of the seats? Cut across all the folk leaving the station. And then stop to check on your train.

 

[YorksLad12]

I've nothing against Millie's Cookies, but if they cut the corner off that unit so it wasn't a right angle, you wouldn't have so many people bumping into each other there as well because people, in general, can't see around right-angles.

 

[Halifaxlad]

I've nothing against Millie's Cookies, but if they cut the corner off that unit so it wasn't a right angle, you wouldn't have so many people bumping into each other there as well because people, in general, can't see around right-angles.

They could just get rid of it since it did used to be a thoroughfare through it!

 

[Cowley]

Thread reopened for @YorksLad12 to provide an update.

 

[YorksLad12]

Thanks @Cowley

Those in the area will be aware of the changes being wrought by the Council outside the Station. As part of this, the stretch of New Station Street from the ticket office area to City Square is being closed for pedestrianisation; you'll be able to use the exit but will have to turn right to reach Boar Lane.

The taxi rank will be relocated from 7pm on the 18th to the short-stay car park, which closed overnight. Some work has been taking place; some of the kerbing has been removed, so it looks as if it will be reconfigured somehow. Short stays now have a reserved section in the multi-storey. Not a problem, as the short stay car park was mostly used by Private Hire Vehicles.

PHVs are mostly queuing on the road outside the car park at the moment...

Some of the notices say that the short-stay car park is *permanently* closed, some say closed until further notice. There's not indication of how long the Bishopgate Street work (where the new taxi rank will be) will take, but New Station Street has to be closed so that remedial work can take place at Mill Goit, the bit that holds the station up! There's a release from Leeds City Council as well.

 

[Ken H]

Thanks @Cowley

Those in the area will be aware of the changes being wrought by the Council outside the Station. As part of this, the stretch of New Station Street from the ticket office area to City Square is being closed for pedestrianisation; you'll be able to use the exit but will have to turn right to reach Boar Lane.

The taxi rank will be relocated from 7pm on the 18th to the short-stay car park, which closed overnight. Some work has been taking place; some of the kerbing has been removed, so it looks as if it will be reconfigured somehow. Short stays now have a reserved section in the multi-storey. Not a problem, as the short stay car park was mostly used by Private Hire Vehicles.

PHVs are mostly queuing on the road outside the car park at the moment...

Some of the notices say that the short-stay car park is *permanently* closed, some say closed until further notice. There's not indication of how long the Bishopgate Street work (where the new taxi rank will be) will take, but New Station Street has to be closed so that remedial work can take place at Mill Goit, the bit that holds the station up! There's a release from Leeds City Council as well.

Lets move bus stops and taxi rank and short stay further from the trains. Thats going to get people of reduced mobility and those with luggage onto public transport.

 

[modernrail]

I see they are expecting all traffic other than taxis to approach using Northern Street. Good luck with that. It is already the only artery for the whole of north of the river traffic to get south of the river and was overloaded when I moved out of Leeds over 15 years ago.

New Station Street has needed sprucing up ever since I first visited Leeds as a child 40 years ago. They have always done these silly piece meal improvements that miss opportunities. Meanwhile the whole thing sits on a massive pile of arches with loads of space underneath connected to a road with direct access to the motorway network. I really understand why that is not the logical drop off and pick up area for all type of traffic. Instead, it is a crappy underground car park.

 

[Spartacus]

That's going to be a swine, particularly for anyone approaching from the South unaware of the changes. Motorists will find they can't get to the station by either of the previous routes, and once they're in the loop they can't easily take the natural route out via Water Lane and Globe Road, if they even know it, which there's a good chance they wouldn't, and would have to go round the gyratory outside the Asda head offices and come back on themselves again, if they knew to do it. Guessing there'll be no drop of point on Bishopgate which would have negated the impact.

This just feels like a huge backward step to me. How many times has City Square been messed with over the years, I wonder?

 

[modernrail]

If they are seriously suggesting all private hire traffic can only use Northern Street they have just enshrined Leeds gridlock for years to come as everything will back up to the inner ring road (it does anyway). There is a lot of private hire traffic to the station in terms of volume and I would guess proportionately way more than taxi. They pretended it didn’t exist on the last remodelling in terms of the actual drop off and now they are pretending it doesn’t need to get there either.

All of this might be fine if Leeds had any sort of urban transport system. It doesn’t.