Grimmest, most dismal approach to a station?

[tigerroar]

I vote Wolverhampton, especially from the Birmingham direction. Stuck there yesterday, endless unloved waste land, little industrial units, dank looking canals and very little sign of life. Must be awful working there.

 

[chris89]

I vote Wolverhampton, especially from the Birmingham direction. Stuck there yesterday, endless unloved waste land, little industrial units, dank looking canals and very little sign of life. Must be awful working there.

Got to sort of disgree/ agree on that myself.

I love the canals, disused industry areas. But on various points of that route it is rather dank and depressing.

Also have to say the bit around Smethwick Galton Bridge is as well (Towards Snow hill high level) both sides on the line between Wolves/ Bham. The section south from Snow hill is nice.

Chris

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Ardwick despite its proximity to Manchester Piccadilly has nothing whatsoever in its environs to call a redeeming grace....and it has a "dodgy" station footbridge as well....

 

[dosxuk]

St. Pancras has got to be up there, from all routes.

 

[alwaystouchout]

Liverpool Lime Street

 

[40129]

On the basis of Dudley Port being roughly mid way between the two, I nominate Wolverhampton and New Street

 

[merlodlliw]

I vote Wolverhampton, especially from the Birmingham direction. Stuck there yesterday, endless unloved waste land, little industrial units, dank looking canals and very little sign of life. Must be awful working there.

I agree a tad last century, but the Black Horses made up for it.

 

[SS4]

St Pancras International. A tunnel is very dismal to me, even industry has it's charms

 

[ValleyLines142]

Just Birmingham in general from any direction, loads of tunnels on the approach.

Newport from the Cardiff direction is a bit dull too.

 

[jopsuk]

Cambridge, from the south. The final approaches sandwiched between ever more blocks of flats.

 

[Jona26]

Into Manchester Victoria going through the old Exchange platforms

 

[Johnuk123]

St. Pancras - horrible.

 

[Strathclyder]

Carntyne, from the south.

 

[Andyh82]

Most urban stations where you are in a cutting surrounded by graffiti and household waste that people have chucked down the side.

All the approaches to London from the north where you leave the stations via tunnels and then reappear in the heavilly built up urban areas that could be anywhere. You don't have the wide open approaches with the London Eye/Shard etc visible like they do for the south stations.

The approach to Sheffield from the north under all the endless dank bridges, especially when you have to wait at the signals within them, is quite horrible.

 

[hassaanhc]

London Liverpool Street, another long tunnel/cutting and generally run down areas on approach.

 

[Darren R]

London Euston - from round about Willesden Junction all the way until you are out of the station!

 

[LewFinnis]

How about Stratford International - out of a hole into a concrete box then back into a hole?

 

[Silv1983]

I'll second Liverpool Lime Street. Damp, dank, murky, litter-strewn - with age old looking signalling covered in moss and grime. The steady descent when you arrive, and the climb out towards the 'light at the end of the tunnel' when leaving are only too apt - in a metaphorical sense.

I love it though - it makes me feel like im driving a train into a Victorian back street. A real slice of 'old railway'.

 

[Oswyntail]

I think approaching a station through a brick-lined cutting gives it a sense of mystery - so I love St Pancras, Sheffield, Lime Street.
On the other hand, approaching Wakefield Westgate past a mountain of old tyres just screams "Welcome to Yorkshire"

 

[northern156]

Glasgow Queen Street... just meh!

One of the best must be Newcastle from the south (King Edward bridge) though.

 

[chris89]

Glasgow Queen Street... just meh!

One of the best must be Newcastle from the south (King Edward bridge) though.

Which bit for Queen Street :P High Level is a lot better then Low Level.

 

[northern156]

Which bit for Queen Street :P High Level is a lot better then Low Level.

I personally would have said Cowlairs bank! (Shudder)...

 

[LowLevel]

I'll second Liverpool Lime Street. Damp, dank, murky, litter-strewn - with age old looking signalling covered in moss and grime. The steady descent when you arrive, and the climb out towards the 'light at the end of the tunnel' when leaving are only too apt - in a metaphorical sense.

I love it though - it makes me feel like im driving a train into a Victorian back street. A real slice of 'old railway'.

It's one of the few places left on the modern railway that I feel I wouldn't be surprised to have a steam engine on 12 coaches come blasting out as I arrive, completely timeless. It would look no different now to how it looked in the 60s. One of my favourite stretches of railway.

 

[FQ]

Glasgow Queen Street low level.

 

[Hyphen]

My vote is Birmingham New St from the Five Ways direction. Although it's very picturesque between Bourneville and Five Ways, so maybe that balances out.

 

[hassaanhc]

Also never liked the approach to London Paddington, from after Acton Main Line it just passes loads of tower blocks next to the line and in the last few years the Crossrail works. The station itself isn't particularly passenger friendly either but that's off topic

 

[BestWestern]

The curves approaching Gloucester, from both the Bristol direction and Cheltenham directions. A grim approach to a truly grotty station, and often made worse by being held just outside and having to gorp at it.

 

[tigerroar]

Tunnels and cuttings are easy to nominate but entering Wolves is on an embankment and it's dreary as far as the eye can see.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

The curves approaching Gloucester, from both the Bristol direction and Cheltenham directions. A grim approach to a truly grotty station, and often made worse by being held just outside and having to gorp at it.

Really? Housing to the south and a nice new Morrisons to the north?

Your lucky that no-one wants to stop here
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Also never liked the approach to London Paddington, from after Acton Main Line it just passes loads of tower blocks next to the line and in the last few years the Crossrail works. The station itself isn't particularly passenger friendly either but that's off topic

There's one superb tower block there though. Might even be listed, with it's own lift shaft tower linked by bridges.

 

[londiscape]

Definitely Birmingham New St, approaching from the south east WCML from London. A horrible view of a derelict former stronghold of West Midlands industrial manufacturing.

 

[WestCoast]

My vote is Birmingham New St from the Five Ways direction. Although it's very picturesque between Bourneville and Five Ways, so maybe that balances out.

l Definitely Birmingham New St, approaching from the south east WCML from London. A horrible view of a derelict former stronghold of West Midlands industrial manufacturing.

To be fair all approaches to Birmingham New Street are less than picturesque (Brum's nicest patches are IMO not in the City Centre) but at least coming in from the south of the Cross City Line you have the nice green stretch up to Five Ways and then just tunnels. Worse definitely coming in from Wolverhampton/Smethwick Galton Bridge, Adderley Park/Birmingham Int, but I'd say inbound from Aston and Duddeston on the north Cross City/Walsall Line is perhaps the worst if you dislike hardcore industrial 'ruin'.