What's the plan? Reworked Birmingham New Street

[orpine]

So, I had the misfortune of passing through New Street recently. I know they're still working on it, but I was on one of the new platforms and couldn't help but notice the lack of seating. There's also a dearth of it up on the concourse level - there may be waiting areas somewhere but they're well hidden (I've never conciously searched for them). Are people really meant to be standing around for an hour waiting for their train (missed connection in my case)?

I also couldn't help noticing it *still* stinks of diesel fumes. Aren't there some air-quality laws that place fails? Diesel fumes are a known carcinogen - I dread to think what it's doing to the staff there. You can smell them on the new concourse too. Are there any mitigation strategies that are on the cards for that?

And the final thing - There are three "concourses" - two of them don't seem to have much in the way of passenger information (the one's they're reworking). One has none beyond a screen that says "see timetable" - which is helpful because I want a platform number and they're not on timetables; I missed my short connection because of that.

Are these things they're going to be resolving with the finished version?

 

[SephenWorceste]

At the moment things are a bit of a mess. It should all be sorted by the reopening soon. There does seem to be a shortage of departure boards. The concourse I came up on, which has only opened recently, seemed to have none. Loads of people seemed lost.

My platform involved going down to a different platform, along, up on to a bridge, across and down to my platform. By the time I got to my platform I had missed my train.

I noticed the lack of seating. I think the plan is to have seating in the atrium area which has not yet opened. At least eight that will be away from the diesel fumes.

 

[Hyphen]

couldn't help but notice the lack of seating.

Funnily enough, I had a 55 minute connection to make through New Street recently. The weather was nice, and decided to have a wander outside.

There's not much seating outside the station either, but I did find a moderately-comfy grit bin in a small triangle of land in an area which appears to be the CrossCountry booking-on point. It's most easily accessed from the B-end bridge, the old Navigation Street entrance/exit.

 

[baz52]

Hi all, well NS is going to be a brand new stn , and great when it opens very soon , not sure if the poster has seen how it will look but I would like to say if the poster has a look at the info about , im sure will quite pleased to see how it will look, and this is my first post on here as just joined this website.

 

[SephenWorceste]

Welcome. I am only an occasional and novice poster but there lot of interesting and useful information here. Also if you need help with a ticket, station or train query people are usually very helpful. Best wishes, Stephen.

 

[baz52]

Thanks for the welcome sephen , very kind, anyway from what I was reading only today that NS wont be fully completed for quite a while, but it will be open come next month, but theres lots of what you could say is secondary type work like platform improvments etc , but it will look great so much better, there was a bit about it on the local tv the other week, going to be fantasic once all complete.

 

[SephenWorceste]

It should be a vast improvement. It is already difficult to remember how bad the old station had become. I am not sure when it is all due to be finished versus when it will open. I guess it will open with some work still to do. Despite my odd complaint the work has been completed with very little disruption. Trains and passengers have been able to use the station despite the work.

 

[12guard4]

Due to platform width being restricted due to the works taking place a decision was made to take out seating at platform level. Slowly seating is going back in and when all the platforms are done there should be seating. Apparently it opens in 27 days but working in the station I'm not optimistic

 

[SephenWorceste]

I think the plan is optimistic. There still seems so much to do. I don't think the plan is to have the platform level complete quite a while.

 

[XCTurbostar]

Ticket Gates are also now in place in the new concourse but are covered up, presumably until the new building opens..

Thanks,
Ross

 

[johntea]

So ending up in Birmingham today with my last visit probably back in 2007/2008 I was surprised that our train pulled into a platform that looked more like a bomb site than a railway station - in some ways I think I've found the answer to 'worse place to be than Wakefield Kirkgate'

After a very confusing walk / detour I somehow managed to escape the station straight onto a street. Then I noticed half of Birmingham barriered off due to tram lines going down!

Soooo back in 2007/2008 I clearly remember a big thing about the redevelopment of New Street station with a little scale model - surely in 2015 this should have been more than complete?!

How long until the trams are up and running too? These questions might make local residents think 'newbie' but as I mentioned it isn't somewhere I visit too often but I was quite surprised to find construction wise nothing much seemed to have changed from my last visit and that a CrossCountry service was dropping people off at such a derelict platform!

 

[najaB]

Soooo back in 2007/2008 I clearly remember a big thing about the redevelopment of New Street station with a little scale model - surely in 2015 this should have been more than complete?!

I think it's supposed to be substantially complete in the next couple of months. It takes a lot longer to rebuild a station when you have to keep it open for business.

 

[Kettledrum]

At the start of the project to revamp New Street, I was very sceptical. All that money, for questionable extra capacity. I also recognise the description about platforms looking derelict. So much of the improvements are at concourse level.

However, above the platforms, it is so much better than before - which probably says a lot about just how bad New Street was.

As for the trams - well this should really have been done 25 years ago. It's such a short extension, but the bureaucratic challenges of getting it approved and to this stage are eye watering.

There must be a way of getting this sort of infrastructure speeded up.

 

[Cletus]

Passed through New Street Saturday for the 1st time since July and it seemed to be opening out a bit.

And then saw this today that it is re-opening on Sunday:-
http://www.networkrailmediacentre.c...le-as-station-transformation-nears-completion

With less than a week to go until the stunning Birmingham New Street station is unveiled, a further 18 retailers have been confirmed.

From Sunday (20 September) a number of exciting new shops and restaurants will begin to open including three brands new to the Network Rail estate – Moleskin, Joe’s Coffee House and Five Guys.

Dutch retailer Hema, will also open its first store outside of London while other brands including Hotel Chocolat, Oliver Bonas, Leon, Benugo and All Bar One will help reinforce the station’s appeal as a destination in its own right.

With a new Doddle store at the station - the second in the city - it will now be easier to collect, send or return parcels, removing the hassle from online shopping and giving more choice to passengers. Other stores such as JOY, The Body Shop and Paper & Script will complement this new offer which will provide opportunities to buy stationary, gifts and fashion.

Hamish Kiernan, retail director at Network Rail said: “We want to create truly exceptional places for passengers and visitors, and are pleased to introduce these exciting new brands to Birmingham New Street station. They will not only cater for over 72 million travelers who use the station every year, but will also provide more choice for the thousands of office workers and local people who use the station but are not travelling.”

A spokesman for All Bar One said: “All Bar One are very excited to be part of Birmingham New Street station. We already have four bars in Birmingham, two in the city centre and two at Birmingham International Airport, and opening this fifth site, in a travel hub completes the set.”

Tim Robinson, chief executive of Doddle said: “Opening a new Doddle store at Birmingham New Street is a really exciting moment for us. Missing a delivery is a real pain and costs the industry up to £3/4 billion a year, a cost which is inevitably passed onto consumers. We’re looking forward to doing our bit to help the people of Birmingham make online shopping a doddle by providing a convenient place for commuters and people working and living nearby to receive their deliveries and return unwanted items.”

Network Rail wants to create truly exceptional places for the 170,000 passengers and visitors who pass through New Street station every single day. Recent footfall studies have shown that up to 25% of people who use stations are not actually travelling but instead come to visit shops and food outlets. As a result station-based retail businesses are now significantly outperforming high street shops.

The station will open on 20 September, while Grand Central and the new John Lewis store open on Thursday 24 September.

The end of September will be a busy time for Birmingham with the new shopping centre opening, Rugby World Cup matches at Villa Park and the fan zone at Millennium Point, the Birmingham Weekender and events at the Barclaycard Arena and NEC. As a result, passengers are being advised to allow extra time for their journeys, be prepared for a busy station and city centre and to know their last three to four trains and not rely on the last one.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

The full list of new retailers includes:
• Moleskin
• Joe’s Coffee House
• Five Guys
• Hema
• Bodyshop
• Benugo
• Oliver Bonas
• Wasabi
• JOY
• Leon
• Paper & Script
• Doddle
• Upper Crust
• All Bar One
• Pret-A-Manger
• Hotel Chocolat

https://twitter.com/NetworkRailBHM

 

[Philip Elliott]

It is nowhere near finished though, the mayor will be announcing 'I declare New Street dusty building site now open'...

 

[Blindtraveler]

And Im sorry, persooal opinion only here, but who wants or needs all that crap? Im afraid I liked and will continue to prefer the old New Street as it looks as if all this ponsy rubbish will put an end to good things like burger king. Grrr.

 

[plastictaffy]

Pah, remodelling New Street?? You can't polish a turd.

 

[The Planner]

I'm not sure how it can be any worse than before? and Burger King? Good? I hope there is some sarcasm there!

 

[Philip Phlopp]

I'm not sure how it can be any worse than before? and Burger King? Good? I hope there is some sarcasm there!

It could be Casey Jones making a return if Corbyn wins in 2020.

 

[HowardGWR]

Pah, remodelling New Street?? You can't polish a ****.

I prefer 'you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear'. I hate these expressions involving ****, especially after dinner, and the Germans and others now use 'sh*tstorm' which is an even worse expression, probably from America. Getting old I suppose.

I am looking forward to visiting the new New St.

 

[azz7008]

I prefer 'you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear'. I hate these expressions involving ****, especially after dinner, and the Germans and others now use 'sh*tstorm' which is an even worse expression, probably from America. Getting old I suppose.

I am looking forward to visiting the new New St.

Surely you have been outside before? Why join a forum if you are so sensitive to swear words? :roll:

 

[CharlieSpotted]

I'm not sure how it can be any worse than before? and Burger King? Good? I hope there is some sarcasm there!

Burger King may be gone, but there's a ****-tonne of other food establishments coming your way at the new 'shiny silver butterfly' New Street Station.

Burger King is dead, long live Five Guys!

 

[sprinterguy]

And Im sorry, persooal opinion only here, but who wants or needs all that crap? Im afraid I liked and will continue to prefer the old New Street as it looks as if all this ponsy rubbish will put an end to good things like burger king. Grrr.

I'm astonished that anyone can express a preference for the old, dingy New Street when compared to the light, airy (at concourse level, and there will be some natural light filtering down to platform level too) and spacious station it looks like we are going to receive. You don't have to feel obliged to step into every retail outlet on the station, either, if you don't want to.

I certainly don't view the loss of a Burger King as a negative and, while I balk at their prices, you'll be able to get a far better quality burger from the new Five Guys.

I'm surprised that there will be an All Bar One on the new station. Within my social circle we had been wondering whether Network Rail were going to permit a bar to operate on the new New Street. While the prices will no doubt be a bit higher it should be a darn sight better than the old bar (The Shakespeare) that was formerly located on the link bridge.

 

[rdeez]

Passed through this morning and clearly in the final stages, glimpses of the atrium roof visible over the fences and a lot of 'last minute' work going on - painters everywhere! You can already get a feel for how the space will open out and how much lighter it will be.

I don't honestly see how anyone could express a preference for the old New Street, whether they like the overall style / retail provision of the new station or not. The old station was dark, gloomy, cramped and no longer fit for purpose. I think it's a huge credit to the construction team that have worked on the station that it's finishing on time given that they've been working around a fully operating station the entire time. The way it has been managed has been excellent IMO, and whether you use any of the new shops or not, waiting for trains will be far more pleasant in future.

 

[CharlieSpotted]

I really suspect that what's going on is a transition from a "railway station with shops" to a "shopping centre with platforms"

I hope to be proven wrong.

 

[DarloRich]

I do like the eye of Sauron on the exterior - the eye sees all!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Passed through this morning and clearly in the final stages, glimpses of the atrium roof visible over the fences and a lot of 'last minute' work going on - painters everywhere! You can already get a feel for how the space will open out and how much lighter it will be.

I saw it over the top of the hoardings the other week, and I genuinely thought it was breathtakingly impressive.

 

[sprinterguy]

I also noticed yesterday that, finally, some of the construction hoardings have been removed from the platforms and their full width is usable again: Not only that, but new benches have also been installed!

Though presumably they're going to have to close all these sections off again at a future date to finish off the roof and install the lighting, if the finished product is going to look anything like the flythrough video. Currently there's just a lot of exposed concrete and dangling cables, which is quite fashionable in trendy bars these days, for reasons I cannot comprehend, but hardly fitting for a major transport interchange!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I really suspect that what's going on is a transition from a "railway station with shops" to a "shopping centre with platforms"

That seems to be pretty much the case, but in the main it looks like the shops will be grade separated from the main concourse: Of course, there has always been a shopping centre over the sixties rebuild of New Street, so this is hardly a dramatic change. It is in fact an improvement in that daylight can actually reach down to the concourse now, when before the concourse was entirely buried beneath the shopping complex.

 

[HowardGWR]

Surely you have been outside before? Why join a forum if you are so sensitive to swear words? :roll:

I an not actually. Just the er, body functions I mentioned. In fact, the poster was not swearing, as it happens.

I would like to see retail activity in and over every station, as this cements the societal value of them. It also increases footfall and makes stations safer for vulnerable people, chiefly women. My own favourite big station, Temple Meads, is gradually acquiring a retail value and the basements are opening up to new uses. When I was a boy in the 1950s, it was remote from city life and was a long hike up an incline to reach it. This is now about to change radically there.

The challenge for central Brum, is to integrate the three stations so that moving between them is a site more pleasant than what I see on the maps and plans at present.

 

[WesternS]

The challenge for central Brum, is to integrate the three stations so that moving between them is a site more pleasant than what I see on the maps and plans at present.

Not sure quite what is the problem with the walk from New St to Snow Hill - as long as you go via Temple St and then across past the Cathedral. Possibly about as nice as it gets in central Brum. The walk to Moor St is a lot better than it was now the Moor St link is there, although the walk under the Bull Ring could be have been much better.

By far the best thing about the new New St (as a regular user of it to cross the city) is the large increase in exits/entries (from 2 or 3) to ones onto Stephenson St, Smallbrook Queensway, Southside/Hill St, Navigation St and into the shopping centre above. Takes way/much reduces the station as a barrier between the two halves of the city centre. Pity there's still the back of the Odeon cinema to look at though.

Think it will be a major improvement (a) on what was at concourse and shopping centre level previously and (b) in time at platform level. Looking forward to it.