Wakefield Kirkgate refurbishment

[yorksrob]

I'm aware of big aspirations for regenerating the area fronting Kirkgate, including finishing the emerald route/ring whatever, getting rid of the 70's style roundabout and old council office, open the frontage up to the station - it's a long term aspiration but there never the less. Look at how the Westgate area is transforming, think similar at Kirkgate.

I notice that Crown House, a building that could have inspired Prince Charles‘ phrase "monstrous carbunkle" disappeared a few months ago.

 

[AntoniC]

I visited Wakefield Kirkgate last Saturday while on the recent Pacer event.

They have put in new glass paneling on the island platform and it looks really nice !.

But the stench on the island platform was awful (is there a sewage works nearby ?) and the subway smelt just as bad !.

 

[uk_guy_1971]

concidering giving wakefield kirgate a new look is a great idea & needed it way befor now but the bridge with steps is not a good idea for mothers with push chairs or people who are in wheelchars & if the subway gets a real good clean maybe both will be used, just saying.

 

[lincolnshire]

I visited Wakefield Kirkgate last Saturday while on the recent Pacer event.

They have put in new glass paneling on the island platform and it looks really nice !.

But the stench on the island platform was awful (is there a sewage works nearby ?) and the subway smelt just as bad !.

When looking over to warehouses etc direction from platform towards rhe other side of the trangle is rhe said sewerage works . Warm weather = stink which you noted.

 

[AntoniC]

When looking over to warehouses etc direction from platform towards rhe other side of the trangle is rhe said sewerage works . Warm weather = stink which you noted.

Thanks for confirming what my nose smelt !.

 

[davetheguard]

Whenever i have been recently the ticket office was open... with a northern rail staff member inside.

Visited Wakefield Kirkgate last Friday (2nd August) on GC's 10.48 from Kings Cross.

First time I've ever got off there, and have to say it's looking slightly better than I expected (compared to photos in the railway press). A fair bit of work appears to have been done recently by Network Rail to tidy the place up, but there's still a long way to go. Poster cases and signage were clean and well-maintained. There were reasonable numbers of people around getting on and off trains, but this was early afternoon on a pleasant sunny day; not sure how it would feel late at night in midwinter....

There's a new steel & glass canopy on one platform, but the back of it doesn't yet meet up with the old station building, leaving a gap between the two; no doubt this will be addressed when work is carried on refurbishment of the main station building itself - which doesn't appear to have started yet.

And is there a ticket office? No, definitely not. Nothing. Zilch. Even the signage tells people to buy their tickets on the train.

So, sorry "armadillomaste" you've got confused here, somehow. The return of ticket office staff is still to come.

The area outside the station, and your first view of Wakefield (a derelict pub) is still pretty grim, and just shows how the railway can't do everything on its own; the local Council needs to be involved too.

Overall, then, the place is going the right way at last. Network Rail & Northern are doing their bit; what's needed now is the charity firm to start the major task of refurbishing the station building as promised; and for the Council to sort out the area outside.

 

[AndyHudds]

Was at Kirkgate last night catching the 20.56 service back to Huddersfield and was quite shocked to see no further work being in process. When is work starting on the main building? Even the work on platform 2 & 3, whilst ok, its improved the whole look of that platform, looks botched with Buddleias still growing out of the ramps at the end of the platforms. The electronic info boards are a welcome addition as the swapping of platforms for the Huddersfield service was a right pain, you never knew which platform it was going to come in on. Hopefully work will commence soon.

 

[yorksrob]

There's a new steel & glass canopy on one platform, but the back of it doesn't yet meet up with the old station building, leaving a gap between the two; no doubt this will be addressed when work is carried on refurbishment of the main station building itself - which doesn't appear to have started yet.

They have had panes going up to the wall before, but I think they've been removed temporarily for work on the walls.

 

[sheff1]

Passing though today I can report that work has finally started on the main buidling. The entrance 'hall' is closed and access and egress is now via a temporary route to the north of the building.

 

[Hebden Bridger]

WY Metro announced in November that work on the station buildings started in August (the delay about sums up Kirkgate) and that the works are due to take a year.

http://www.wymetro.com/news/projects/projectdetails/wakefieldkirkgate/