Trivia: The worst/most confusing stations to change trains at

[Purple Train]

For me:
1) Birmingham New Street Shopping Centre
2) Heathrow Terminal 4 - I tried changing from train to tube there to avoid a 15-minute wait for the 345 I had arrived on to come back out, wandered around looking a bit lost for a while, realised there was no signage and that it wasn't worth it, and wandered back to catch the 345.
3) Heathrow Terminal 5 - similarly, no signage. I did eventually see the tube station, but only because everything's done with transparent or translucent panelling - including the bridge that's used to gain access to the tube station, which made me feel sick.
4) London St Pancras International Shopping Centre
5) Changing between Canary Wharf, Canary Wharf, and Canary Wharf stations is a bit of a pain.

Any others?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Edinburgh Waverley if you arrive at one of the west-facing terminating platforms (12-18?) and your onward connection is from one of the relatively faraway so-called 'Suburban' platforms, say, platform 8.

 

[Sprinter107]

I dont find Birmingham New Street confusing as I work into it. I find it annoying and awkward. However, there are a great many passengers who get confused at New Street, and im asked multiple times daily about access to other platforms.

 

[Mikey C]

For me:
1) Birmingham New Street Shopping Centre
2) Heathrow Terminal 4 - I tried changing from train to tube there to avoid a 15-minute wait for the 345 I had arrived on to come back out, wandered around looking a bit lost for a while, realised there was no signage and that it wasn't worth it, and wandered back to catch the 345.
3) Heathrow Terminal 5 - similarly, no signage. I did eventually see the tube station, but only because everything's done with transparent or translucent panelling - including the bridge that's used to gain access to the tube station, which made me feel sick.
4) London St Pancras International Shopping Centre
5) Changing between Canary Wharf, Canary Wharf, and Canary Wharf stations is a bit of a pain.

Any others?

Agree with all of those except St Pancras, where as long as you stay in the "new" bit of the station, you have all the domestic services within a fairly short distance (even if the access the the MML platform is irritating!) plus access to the Tube and Kings Cross.

Stratford would be on my list, other then the cross platform interchange to and from the Central Line, as it's a mess and horribly overcrowded. Finsbury Park is a bit similar.

On the tube Bank/Monument, though the new passageways about to be opened should help a lot.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Tried Abbey Wood-Barking Riverside last week (2 miles as the seagull flies).
That meant negotiating Custom House (EL/DLR), Canning Town (DLR/Jub), West Ham (Jub/Dis) and Barking (Dis/LO).
Despite tapping every card reader I passed, I got a maximum fare charged on my contactless card.
Then decided to return to Euston on LO from Barking Riverside via Blackhorse Road and the Victoria line - another max fare charged.
Seamless it certainly isn't, and I should have stuck with an ancient paper Travelcard.

New St is still a shambles for casual users (multiple access routes with different gatelines).
Manchester Piccadilly P13/14 similar (red lines, much shouting etc), although I believe some superficial layout improvements are coming soon.

 

[43096]

For me:
1) Birmingham New Street Shopping Centre
2) Heathrow Terminal 4 - I tried changing from train to tube there to avoid a 15-minute wait for the 345 I had arrived on to come back out, wandered around looking a bit lost for a while, realised there was no signage and that it wasn't worth it, and wandered back to catch the 345.
3) Heathrow Terminal 5 - similarly, no signage. I did eventually see the tube station, but only because everything's done with transparent or translucent panelling - including the bridge that's used to gain access to the tube station, which made me feel sick.
4) London St Pancras International Shopping Centre
5) Changing between Canary Wharf, Canary Wharf, and Canary Wharf stations is a bit of a pain.

Any others?

New York Penn is utterly hateful. Trying to change between Amtrak, NJT and LIRR is a nightmare. It’s worse than New Street and I hate New Street.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I wouldn't say it was "confusing", but the narrow staircases, and the footbridge being cluttered with retail outlets make Leeds a real PITA to change at. It would obviously have cost more, but a true "mezzanine deck" above the central section of the through platforms would have at least "future-proofed" the station a bit better than the inadequate bridge we ended up with.

Sheffield also deserves a dishonourable mention, for the "heritage" tail wagging the "user-friendly" dog.

 

[CharlieSpotted]

It might be because I use it regularly, being local and travelling to Brum for work, but I'm not sure why people still struggle with New Street. It was definitely difficult when the new station first opened, but there have been numerous improvements to signage and information ever since, and I don't really see why people still struggle. In particular the addition of the coloured lines to the departure boards to indicate which area to go to, and the same colour coding being on signs and walls in those areas, is a significant improvement to my mind.

I wonder if the idea that New Street is difficult has just "stuck" from people's first experiences of it?


For what it's worth, I always find the layout of Crewe very confusing.

 

[43096]

It might be because I use it regularly, being local and travelling to Brum for work, but I'm not sure why people still struggle with New Street. It was definitely difficult when the new station first opened, but there have been numerous improvements to signage and information ever since, and I don't really see why people still struggle. In particular the addition of the coloured lines to the departure boards to indicate which area to go to, and the same colour coding being on signs and walls in those areas, is a significant improvement to my mind.

I wonder if the idea that New Street is difficult has just "stuck" from people's first experiences of it?

First impressions count. Such a major interchange - used by lots of occasional users as the XC hub, don’t forget - needs to be intuitive for those occasional users. The fact that by your own admission it was difficult to start with shows it is a massive fail as a design.

The whole place needs blowing up and starting again.

 

[Essan]

I don't have a problem at New Street - though can appreciate that those who haven't been there before may find it confusing.

Waverley is the one I have most problems with, with location of and access to some of the platforms not immediately obvious.

 

[Sprinter107]

These colour codes signs at New Street are obviously not working, judging by the amount of questions I get asked daily. So, there is obviously still a problem there. In contrast, while I still had passenger enquiries at the old New Street, they were no where near as many in number.

 

[duncanp]

Can we expand the scope of this question to stations overseas.

In which case I would nominate

• Penn Station - New York
• Brussels Midi/Zuid

I agree that Edinburgh Waverley is very confusing, as it has been totally remodelled since I was a student in Edinburgh in the Stone Age 1980s.

I accept that Birmingham New Street is confusing to those who are not familiar with it, but if you live in the area, you do get used to it eventually.

In some ways, Birmingham New Street is like the DLR station at Canary Wharf, where you exit the platforms into a shopping centre, and Heron Quays DLR is closer to the exit from Canary Wharf Jubilee line station.

And don't get me started about how far the Elizabeth Line station at Canary Wharf is from the DLR or Jubilee Line.

Kings Cross and St Pancras (main line) stations can be confusing for visitors because they share the same tube station. I have been at Kings Cross (main line station) and had people ask me why the train to Nottingham isn't on the departure board (five minutes before it is due to leave), and also where check in for Eurostar departures is.

 

[station_road]

For me:
1) Birmingham New Street Shopping Centre
2) Heathrow Terminal 4 - I tried changing from train to tube there to avoid a 15-minute wait for the 345 I had arrived on to come back out, wandered around looking a bit lost for a while, realised there was no signage and that it wasn't worth it, and wandered back to catch the 345.
3) Heathrow Terminal 5 - similarly, no signage. I did eventually see the tube station, but only because everything's done with transparent or translucent panelling - including the bridge that's used to gain access to the tube station, which made me feel sick.
4) London St Pancras International Shopping Centre
5) Changing between Canary Wharf, Canary Wharf, and Canary Wharf stations is a bit of a pain.

Any others?

Who is going to change train at either Heathrow Terminal 4 or 5? That is why there is no signage at platform level. Both NR and Underground stations are signed clearly from the airport terminal

 

[pdeaves]

For New St, I think it probably works OK if, and only if, it is an origin/destination. However, it is an interchange for people who don't even want to be there. Taking the 'wrong' staircase means having to pass out of a barrier and back in again, and it's not immediately obvious where to go to get around between the two halves. My most recent change here meant missing a train (major faff) and having only about 3 minutes to get to the 'other half' (even more major faff combined with big hurry) before a huge gap in trains.

 

[Purple Train]

Who is going to change train at either Heathrow Terminal 4 or 5? That is why there is no signage at platform level. Both NR and Underground stations are signed clearly from the airport terminal

Someone going from Hayes & Harlington to Hounslow, possibly?

 

[geoffk]

I had to find the South-Eastern platforms at St. Pancras for the first time earlier this year, with luggage, and should have realised they were on the "wrong" side of the Eurostar platforms so had a walk up to the EM platforms and down again. I expect there was signing but missed it.

Otherwise, Manors. OK two separate stations but when I was there I saw no signs at all from the Metro to the National Rail station and just made the Chathill train with seconds to spare! Perhaps it's better now.

 

[danielcanning]

Someone going from Hayes & Harlington to Hounslow, possibly?

Most people travelling between those two destinations would sensibly take the H98 bus…

 

[LickeyIncliner]

Can we expand the scope of this question to stations overseas.

In which case I would nominate

• Penn Station - New York
• Brussels Midi/Zuid

I agree that Edinburgh Waverley is very confusing, as it has been totally remodelled since I was a student in Edinburgh in the Stone Age 1980s.

I accept that Birmingham New Street is confusing to those who are not familiar with it, but if you live in the area, you do get used to it eventually.

In some ways, Birmingham New Street is like the DLR station at Canary Wharf, where you exit the platforms into a shopping centre, and Heron Quays DLR is closer to the exit from Canary Wharf Jubilee line station.

And don't get me started about how far the Elizabeth Line station at Canary Wharf is from the DLR or Jubilee Line.

Kings Cross and St Pancras (main line) stations can be confusing for visitors because they share the same tube station. I have been at Kings Cross (main line station) and had people ask me why the train to Nottingham isn't on the departure board (five minutes before it is due to leave), and also where check in for Eurostar departures is.

At Kings Cross there's the added source of confusion that the departure board does (sometimes) show through Thameslink departures to Cambridge, and shows them as "departing from St Pancras". On the international front I'd nominate Milan Porta Garibaldi - arriving from Bergamo a month ago it was a long walk to find any information at all about where to find my suburban connection, with a Birmingham New Street-like worry at one point that I'd left the station altogether and was in a shopping centre

 

[Taunton]

Canning Town, between the Jubilee line and the DLR. The latter to the two eastern branches can leave, alternately, from either of two widely separated platforms, one directly above and the other several minutes walk/stairs away, and there's no useful indication which is next.

 

[fandroid]

Out of the UK, Frankfurt Airport is fun. The local trains are one level below ground and the high speed trains are in another station with tracks at ground level, accessed from the level above that. Confounded by the signage not wanting you to cross the road (at ground level) between Terminal 1 and the two stations.

 

[Purple Train]

Most people travelling between those two destinations would sensibly take the H98 bus…

I know, I was being sarcastic (I believe the symbol acts as forum shorthand for sarcasm, though am happy to be corrected).

 

[steamybrian]

In my opinion-
1. Birmingham New Street. I now try to avoid changing trains there unless of absolute necessity.
2. Edinburgh Waverley. Initially I was confused when platforms 1 and 19 are opposite each other. But gradually understood that they are numbered clockwise.
3. Canning Town. I agree with "Taunton" see item 19 above

 

[Western Sunset]

Paddington mainline to the Hammersmith & City platforms. Maybe it's just me, but I usually take a wrong turn and have to double back.

 

[Llandudno]

Tamworth and Smethwick Galton Bridge although they shouldn’t be!

 

[Ken H]

Berlin Hauptbanhof. 3 levels. And the U-Bahn to Brandebburger Tor is well Hidden (Might be easier now its not just the U55 shuttle - not been for a while. I much prefer Alexanderplatz and Friedrichstraße, or one of the Kreuz stations on the ring.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Tamworth and Smethwick Galton Bridge although they shouldn’t be!

Liverpool South Parkway for similar reasons!

 

[jfollows]

For me:

1. Birmingham New Street is silly, and confusing, but I didn't get lost, I just got annoyed by the "coloured zones" and the need to go through multiple barriers. I use the new footbridge at the Wolverhampton end normally which circumvents the problem.
2. Edinburgh would probably be confusing but I don't go there often enough.
3. I got lost in Stratford.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Tamworth and Smethwick Galton Bridge although they shouldn’t be!

The only issue I had with Smethwick was that the stairs caused me to become a little bit disoriented, and I almost went in the wrong direction on the New Street lines!

For overseas stations, Paris Austerlitz was quite difficult to navigate, though mostly because it was a building site!

 

[CarrotPie]

I seem to remeber to find St. Pancras/King's Cross harder to navigate than most. Also Birmingham New Street, it's just so dingy.

For the overseas category, Pasila station in Finland had recently been integrated into a shopping centre which makes it hard to find the right track and Eno (one platform, four trains a day; I'll get my coat )

 

[duncanp]

Tamworth and Smethwick Galton Bridge although they shouldn’t be!

Smethwick Galton Bridge is a useful interchange, but you have to know which platform your train is leaving from.

And if want to go to the Birmingham New Street - Wolverhampton line (on the lower level) you have to get two lifts, and pass along the platform for the line to and from Snow Hill.

Also outside the UK, New York Grand Central can be confusing, because although it might say "Track 29" for your train, it is not immediately obvious how to get there.

And don't get me started on Chatelet - Les Halles in Paris. There are separate metro stations for Chatelet and Les Halles, but the associated RER station is called Chatelet - Les Halles