The worst Network Rail station?

[HowardGWR]

Perth station seems to be fairly run down certainly one half of the roof area etc seems worse than the other which is a shame cos Bournemouth's roof was really decayed a while back but looks smart now so it proves what can be achieved given the funds I guess

We are supposed to be discussing NR managed stations. I wrote i thought BRI (BTM) should be so that was rather naughty, I suppose.
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You're seriously counting Bury as worse than Newmarket? The former has well-sheltered platforms with big canopies and the buildings, while mostly boarded up, are in reasonable shape. Newmarket has one uncovered platform, heavily overgrown for most of its length, with a couple of bus shelters. :roll:

We really are supposed to be................

 

[gordonthemoron]

my main gripe about Euston is similar to moggie's, during rush hour, the concourse is like the black hole of calcutta, it sometimes feels like you need to fight your way out of the station due to retail obstructions, narrow access ramps from platforms and the mass of people waiting for their platform to be announced

 

[Butts]

Which would you say was the worst NR managed station and why?

Think of things like design, layout, user friendliness, cleanliness, etc.

All of them in Scotland , as at all the other Scottish Stations you can smoke on the open platforms

 

[Quakers Yard]

Agree about Newport.
A lot of money was spent making it an eyesore and ruining it!

 

[Tetchytyke]

Euston is dreadful. Sure they can't do much about the architecture, but there is nowhere to wait on the main concourse. They've squeezed too many shops in too, especially down by platforms 1-3, making the whole thing cramped and crowded.

But the worst NR managed station, by a very long way, is London Bridge. I know it's going to be redeveloped (and some of the work has started) but that doesn't excuse the revolting toilets and the general shabbiness, especially on the through platforms.

I can only assume the Leeds haters never had the pleasure of the old Leeds station, with that old subway that smelled even worse than the underground gents toilets leading off it.

 

[HowardGWR]

There's an article in the press today which says that NR have an 'aspiration' to take over management of Reading and Bristol TM next Spring. Funny, as I only just suggested that on this thread. Sensible though, given the multiplicity of operators and connections.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

NR taking over Reading has been spoken about for a long time. I was of the understanding it was a done deal.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Leeds for me use it 4 times a week always as an interchange and I cannot stant it. It is cold, dark and the flow of passengers around the station is not efficient. The south entrance should hopefully help.

 

[trainophile]

I was always under the impression that under the Waterloo clock was a favourite meeting place for blind dates?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J3gX47rHGg

Takes you back (well those of us old enough anyway ).

 

[johntea]

This is a rather random observation but after travelling to Leeds from Manchester just now on a rail replacement bus there are no vending machines on the concourse and at 3am in the morning none of the 100 coffee shops are open

I was gagging for a drink of water or something after a 1 hour 30 minute coach trip! Couldn't Sainsburys open 24 hours? Especially considering Leeds has York and Manchester arrivals and departures through the night!

 

[yorksrob]

I did notice in Leeds that the booking office seems to have instituted the very worst queuing system imaginable - i.e. one where you have to choose a window before you know which queue is going to go down first. Perhaps they don't have the room for a proper post office type queue, but either way, I always manage to get stuck behind the person who has a problem whilst the vendor disappears for fifteen minutes.

On the subject of NR stations in general, isn't it about time we got rid of the separate travel centre/booking office for travel today situation. I've always found it odd that at a station like Leeds, you can't buy an AP if you turn up when the travel centre was closed, whereas somewhere like Bradford Exchange you can buy any ticket any time of the day. This wasn't so much of a problem when the travel centre had generous opening times, however since these have been restricted to hours that, frankly, aren't convenient, it's time Leeds moved to a system like at York where there is one ticket office with perhaps separate windows for AP and tickets for today.

 

[306024]

Strange that Fenchurch St is NR managed but not Marylebone, especially seeing that they both run self contained services. This is presumably why both TOCs are able to achieve the performance they do, because there are few conflicting services?

Having said that, I suppose gigantic Waterloo has one customer TOC but there are of course many conflicting services further down the line.

Won't be strange much longer. Fenchurch Street is to be transferred to the new franchisee according to the DfT invitation to tender.

 

[CalderRail]

As many people have already said, Leeds. The station is like a suburb of hell. Or possibly London. The main bridge is always overcrowded, you get looked at like you're a terrorist if you use the other bridge (if you even know where the other bridge is, or that it exists), it has ticket barriers at a station where large numbers of valid passes don't work in them, the escalators are London-style, the shops are all outside the ticket gateline, which makes getting to them with the room-temperature IQs of the gateline staff difficult, and getting back from them if you are using a zone 2-5 metrocard next to impossible even though the barriers are supposed to be at the boundary of railway property so that you can get refreshments while waiting for a connection (seriously, whose idea was it to put all the major shops outside the gateline at the biggest interchange station in Yorkshire?), it's cold, the roof leaks (notably, right above the escalator from platform 9), it's dark, I'm almost always arriving at or leaving from there on a pacer and worst of all it's in Leeds.

 

[balne-wonderer]

Leeds is bad, without a doubt. Another point of shambles for what should be a great city in so many ways.

Like has been mentioned, the ticket office is laughable, especially at peak times.

 

[Starmill]

As many people have already said, Leeds. The station is like a suburb of hell. Or possibly London. The main bridge is always overcrowded, you get looked at like you're a terrorist if you use the other bridge (if you even know where the other bridge is, or that it exists), it has ticket barriers at a station where large numbers of valid passes don't work in them, the escalators are London-style, the shops are all outside the ticket gateline, which makes getting to them with the room-temperature IQs of the gateline staff difficult, and getting back from them if you are using a zone 2-5 metrocard next to impossible even though the barriers are supposed to be at the boundary of railway property so that you can get refreshments while waiting for a connection (seriously, whose idea was it to put all the major shops outside the gateline at the biggest interchange station in Yorkshire?), it's cold, the roof leaks (notably, right above the escalator from platform 9), it's dark, I'm almost always arriving at or leaving from there on a pacer and worst of all it's in Leeds.

This again about the boundary of property? How would you get to the ticket office?

 

[Deerfold]

As many people have already said, Leeds. The station is like a suburb of hell. Or possibly London. The main bridge is always overcrowded, you get looked at like you're a terrorist if you use the other bridge (if you even know where the other bridge is, or that it exists), it has ticket barriers at a station where large numbers of valid passes don't work in them, the escalators are London-style, the shops are all outside the ticket gateline, which makes getting to them with the room-temperature IQs of the gateline staff difficult, and getting back from them if you are using a zone 2-5 metrocard next to impossible even though the barriers are supposed to be at the boundary of railway property so that you can get refreshments while waiting for a connection (seriously, whose idea was it to put all the major shops outside the gateline at the biggest interchange station in Yorkshire?), it's cold, the roof leaks (notably, right above the escalator from platform 9), it's dark, I'm almost always arriving at or leaving from there on a pacer and worst of all it's in Leeds.

Given Leeds is the only station in Zone 1, I'm struggling to understand how a Zone 2-5 ticket would be valid there at all?

 

[CalderRail]

Given Leeds is the only station in Zone 1, I'm struggling to understand how a Zone 2-5 ticket would be valid there at all?

You can legally go through Leeds on a zone 2-5, you just can't depart or end your journey there.

But the station facilities should still be available.

 

[dvboy]

You can legally go through Leeds on a zone 2-5, you just can't depart or end your journey there.

But the station facilities should still be available.

If you travel into, or through Leeds station regularly, the location of your home station on the map will show you which card you should buy.
If your regular train journey does not go to or through Leeds station, you will need a Zones 2-5 MetroCard.

http://www.wymetro.com/TicketsAndPasses/MetroCards/

My bold.

 

[CalderRail]

http://www.wymetro.com/TicketsAndPasses/MetroCards/

My bold.

Interesting. I specifically asked that question when I purchased mine and was told a 2-5 was fine for Halifax to Crossgates, and have travelled through Leeds station showing a zone 2-5 at least once a week for months and never been called on it.

 

[johnnychips]

Interesting. I specifically asked that question when I purchased mine and was told a 2-5 was fine for Halifax to Crossgates, and have travelled through Leeds station showing a zone 2-5 at least once a week for months and never been called on it.

But did you try and exit and re-enter at Leeds to use the facilities, which is the point being made?

And yes, it is bl**dy cold.

 

[CalderRail]

But did you try and exit and re-enter at Leeds to use the facilities, which is the point being made?

And yes, it is bl**dy cold.

Not only tried, but succeeded. Never left the station though; I've no desire to actually be in Leeds.

 

[johntea]

Another thing just struck me about Leeds.

Which genius decided automatic doors for the waiting areas on platforms would be a good idea? They never get warm because the door opens and closes 100 times a minute with people walking past!

 

[edwin_m]

Another thing just struck me about Leeds.

Which genius decided automatic doors for the waiting areas on platforms would be a good idea? They never get warm because the door opens and closes 100 times a minute with people walking past!

Not confined to Leeds - I've seen (and felt the draughts from) this recently at Sheffield and Stockport for example. Unfortunately I think automatic doors tend to be provided to assist wheelchair users but in most cases the type with a large metal button would be better.

 

[Deerfold]

Interesting. I specifically asked that question when I purchased mine and was told a 2-5 was fine for Halifax to Crossgates, and have travelled through Leeds station showing a zone 2-5 at least once a week for months and never been called on it.

You appear to have been misadvised.

I have to say, having looked on the Metro website it's not half as clear as it used to be - the map you got if looking at a Zones 2-5 used to have Leeds clearly missing (in the same way the Zones 1-4 map does not show Zone 5) and a reminder that it was not valid to/from/through Leeds.

I'd recommend seeing if you can change it - and if it is spotted, don't admit you've been doing that for months!

 

[Harlesden]

I would have thought you would have to ticket valid for all zones that you pass through.
On London's Metropolitan Line, a journey from King's Cross St Pancras (Zone 1) to Uxbridge Zone 6) requires a ticket valid for Zones 1-6 ticket even though there is no Metropolitan Line station in Zone 3. Finchley Road (Zone 2) is followed by Wembley Park (Zone 4)

 

[fairysdad]

I would have thought you would have to ticket valid for all zones that you pass through.
On London's Metropolitan Line, a journey from King's Cross St Pancras (Zone 1) to Uxbridge Zone 6) requires a ticket valid for Zones 1-6 ticket even though there is no Metropolitan Line station in Zone 3.

Would that be an apt comparison? As the journey starts in Z1 and ends in Z6, it makes sense to have a Z1-6 ticket. A probable better comparison would be, say, a journey on the District Line between Ealing Broadway (Z3) to Upminster (Z6) where I'd imagine a Z3-6 ticket wouldn't be valid.

 

[Ministry Man]

Leeds isn't the worse station I use, but that Rotunda(?) staircase onto Neville Street has to be one of the worst entrances to any station. Roll on a new rear exit.

 

[nrturner]

Leeds isn't too bad but:

1. The roof needs a damn good clean - so much soot and dust.
2. The ticket office layout is poor and the area is too small. York has a much bigger travel centre and is a quieter station.
3. Some of the ticket barriers refuse to take paper tickets from time to time (i.e. they only accept ITSO smartcards) and this needs to be more obvious. Right now, with M-Cards only just beginning to be rolled out, this is a big problem.

I don't agree with the comment about the shops. On the platforms/footbridge, there's a Starbucks, an Upper Crust, a Pumpkin Cafe, a Journey's Friend, a cash machine and numerous vending machines, plus two sets of free-to-use toilets. Okay, so you don't have the same selection as you would do on the concourses but it's not bad.

Of NR's managed stations, I think Euston is the worst I've encountered.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

I dislike Milton Keynes Central. Unfriendly staff, a horrible souless town which steals other people's football teams, and nowhere to drink apart from Wetherspoons. And MK commuters grab many of the limited number of few seats in First Class when I want to get back from Euston to Chester.

Virgin should not carry MK commuters on their trains. It should be a set down and pick up only stop like Watford Junction.

Another desolate looking station on another line is Pontypool. I've never got off there but it looks awful from a train window. Are there any facilities bewol the barren platform?

 

[GatwickDepress]

Leeds, in my humble opinion, is the worst kept Network Rail station. It really is very dire...

I dislike Milton Keynes Central. Unfriendly staff, a horrible souless town which steals other people's football teams, and nowhere to drink apart from Wetherspoons. And MK commuters grab many of the limited number of few seats in First Class when I want to get back from Euston to Chester.

Virgin should not carry MK commuters on their trains. It should be a set down and pick up only stop like Watford Junction.

Another desolate looking station on another line is Pontypool. I've never got off there but it looks awful from a train window. Are there any facilities bewol the barren platform?

Milton Keynes Central is London Midland managed, not Network Rail, plus Pontypool and New Inn is managed by Arriva Trains Wales. The thread is on those managed by Network Rail.

I agree with your comments on Pontypool and New Inn, but since it's a minor station with very little commuter use, it's hardly going to be chockablock with facilities. It has a shelter and a telephone...I think it has a help point as well.

As for the comments about Milton Keynes Central, the staff have been wonderful in my experience; with ticket office staff who knew how to excess, a platform assistant who volunteered to help me with my luggage, and gateline staff who let my friend through the barrier to meet me on the platform.

Really, your post isn't complaining about the station, it's you complaining that commuters use a train you wish they didn't. They've paid for a first class season ticket and are just are entitled to use a first class seat as you are. Perhaps you should move up north and catch a train that doesn't stop at MKC?