Leeds station improvement updates

[yorksrob]

I believe theres a reason for the planned lack of shelter. It's a common reason why less and less establishments have any such shelter / canopy infront of bulldings these days. So that people don't gather/hangaround under it. Begging has become a huge problem in Leeds. Having somewhere outside but undercover, unfortunately encourages the presence.

Its the unfortunate easy option of making everything less convenient/worse for everyone, rather than actually addressing the underlying problem.

 

[YorksLad12]

I spotted that one a re-look. I think they should really consider protection from the main entrance to that point. It is quite a big walk and you could get quite wet even heading to the old rank. Most big stations I can think of have weather protection from station to taxi rank.

I would say the same for the walk to City Square. I haven’t quite figured out in my mind where the new bus stops are but better protection to the Square would at least give some cover.

If you walk out of the station down the side of The Queens (which you can't do at the moment), there are two stops on Boar Lane to your right, westbound. Technically, north, south and westbound as city Square is closed off now on the Wellington Street side. There's a Thor's Tipi drinking tent there at the moment... Service 19/19A i on Infirmary Street.

Services that used to call at the stop on Bishopsgate street are now on the north side of Boar Lane (they turn right at that junction), except the 1/1B which are now on Infirmary Street (again, they were there until Infirmary Street was reversed in the 1990s) - same stop at the 19/19A. I think some of the Arriva services do the full loop along Infirmary Street, East Parade, South Parade and back down Park Row to Boar Lane.

 

[johntea]

Not sure of the ‘official’ terminology but new white text matrix displays seem to be going up at Leeds

 

[htafc]

View attachment 163058

Not sure of the ‘official’ terminology but new white text matrix displays seem to be going up at Leeds

Third one looks a bit dodgy

Also, everything's on time?!

 

[GoneSouth]

Third one looks a bit dodgy

Also, everything's on time?!

Yes, phone camera and LED display not quite in sync on that third one, probably looks fine when you’re there though.

 

[skyhigh]

Third one looks a bit dodgy

Also, everything's on time?!

It's a camera thing unless it's broken since lunchtime. All the screens in the closed(!) travel centre are changed, as are a couple on platforms. The rest are being done overnight over the next few weeks.

 

[GoneSouth]

It's a camera thing unless it's broken since lunchtime. All the screens in the closed(!) travel centre are changed, as are a couple on platforms. The rest are being done overnight over the next few weeks.

Why have they changed the ones in the travel centre if it’s no longer used?

 

[xotGD]

Why have they changed the ones in the travel centre if it’s no longer used?

Perhaps the scope of the project was fixed prior to the closure, and nobody bothered to update it?

 

[YorksLad12]

Why have they changed the ones in the travel centre if it’s no longer used?

Perhaps the scope of the project was fixed prior to the closure, and nobody bothered to update it?

I think it's only closed while the work takes place outside; the only way in wouldn't be step free otherwise. That said, there were usually more staff than customers when I used to go in to renew my season ticket last year, so perhaps it is for the chop.

 

[Andyh82]

The ticket windows are in a very busy very noisy corridor, now anyone is heard if they are trying to do a complex transaction is beyond me.

When the works outside are done, if they can only afford to run one location, I’d reopen the travel centre and close the ticket windows, rather than the other way round

 

[WAB]

The ticket windows are in a very busy very noisy corridor, now anyone is heard if they are trying to do a complex transaction is beyond me.

When the works outside are done, if they can only afford to run one location, I’d reopen the travel centre and close the ticket windows, rather than the other way round

Not to mention the queues impinging on the corridor. If we were doing it properly, I'd rip out the windows and replace them with a glass partition. The new desks (most without glass) could be placed against what I presume is the PayTrain lobby and the rest of the space could be used as a passenger assistance and general waiting area. It would make that busy area less congested and claustrophobic, as well as provide better waiting facilities.

 

[yorksrob]

I don't see a problem with the current booking office layout at Leeds. It certainly beats the situation a couple of years ago where people couldn't buy AP tickets when the travel centre was closed.

 

[Halifaxlad]

I don't see a problem with the current booking office layout at Leeds. It certainly beats the situation a couple of years ago where people couldn't buy AP tickets when the travel centre was closed.

For one the que lanes obstructs foot flow between the North & South concourse.

The Ticket Office takes up what used to be concourse space and what used to be access between North & South concourse.

The Ticket machines arnt much better occuppying space that also used to be access between North & South too.

It all wants moving to one convient central location!

 

[CaptainHaddock]

One thing that urgently needs inproving at Leeds station is the Southern entrance escalators. The up ones appear to be fenced off and out of service virtually every other day and this morning the down escalators had been fenced off out of use as well!

I'm quite fit so can race up the stairs quite easily but for less able passengers there's just one tiny lift, which at busy times may mean people missing their trains.

 

[YorksLad12]

One thing that urgently needs inproving at Leeds station is the Southern entrance escalators. The up ones appear to be fenced off and out of service virtually every other day and this morning the down escalators had been fenced off out of use as well!

I'm quite fit so can race up the stairs quite easily but for less able passengers there's just one tiny lift, which at busy times may mean people missing their trains.

Two tiny lifts - one on either side. Unless one of them has been closed off since it opened. From memory, as you walk in there's one on the right flush with the wall, and one on the left beyond the escalators, which you have to double-back to enter.

Wondering if the issue with the escalators is due to them being steeper than recommended; a derogation was needed for at least one of them.

 

[reecestrains]

View attachment 163058

Not sure of the ‘official’ terminology but new white text matrix displays seem to be going up at Leeds

Yeah I was in Leeds station the other day, and I've noticed they're currently in the process of changing all the orange screens to the new displays.

 

[Ken H]

Yeah I was in Leeds station the other day, and I've noticed they're currently in the process of changing all the orange screens to the new displays.

Why? What was up with the old ones?

 

[xotGD]

I can report that all escalators at the Southern Entrance were in working order this evening.

 

[D6130]

I can report that all escalators at the Southern Entrance were in working order this evening.

Is that the first time this year?

 

[reecestrains]

Why? What was up with the old ones?

They're replacing them all for better and clearer passenger information.

 

[HarryL]

Surprised that they're going for white LED displays and not the fancier LCD screen ones that other Network Rail stations have recently been given. Is there any logic behind which they choose at any given time?

 

[YorksLad12]

They might be more energy efficient as well.

What I'd really like to see returning are clocks. Big, accurate clocks. Clocks you can see from the footbridge or concourses, without having to stop at the foot of a screen and hope.

 

[takno]

Surprised that they're going for white LED displays and not the fancier LCD screen ones that other Network Rail stations have recently been given. Is there any logic behind which they choose at any given time?

Railtrack originally installed fancy LCD panels at Leeds along with Waterloo and a number of other stations. They were all replaced within about a year by the orange yellow LED displays because they were completely unreadable under most light conditions.

Admittedly the panels at Waterloo were the least readable, and LCD technology has come on a long way in the intervening 25 years, but they will almost certainly still prefer LED screens where they need to be read from a distance, or there is any risk of sunlight shining on the screens.

 

[xotGD]

They might be more energy efficient as well.

What I'd really like to see returning are clocks. Big, accurate clocks. Clocks you can see from the footbridge or concourses, without having to stop at the foot of a screen and hope.

You can have big clocks. You can have accurate clocks. But big AND accurate? That's a bit of a stretch. At least it appears to be at Leeds.

 

[reecestrains]

Edinburgh Waverley, Glasgow Central and Glasgow Queen Street are all fully white LED.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 11 Aug 2024 ==

I mean it would look good if they replaced the screens just above the ticket barriers in the main entrance with those big screens like at London Victoria and London Waterloo Station, would look better in my opinion.

 

[Andyh82]

Edinburgh Waverley, Glasgow Central and Glasgow Queen Street are all fully white LED.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 11 Aug 2024 ==

I mean it would look good if they replaced the screens just above the ticket barriers in the main entrance with those big screens like at London Victoria and London Waterloo Station, would look better in my opinion.

Might that red/green wait/go sort of thing not work at Leeds?

Besides LNER services, the platforms are mostly big enough with seating and waiting areas that there is no issue with going through the barriers for a service that isn’t departing for half an hour

At stations like Euston or Waterloo it’s either barely allowed or not really the done thing to go through and wait on the platform

 

[91130nut]

View attachment 163058

Not sure of the ‘official’ terminology but new white text matrix displays seem to be going up at Leeds

Has somebody miscounted how many stations needed to be displayed ? York seems to have fallen off the edge.

 

[skyhigh]

Has somebody miscounted how many stations needed to be displayed ? York seems to have fallen off the edge.

It's just a like for like replacement in terms of screen capacity, and the stations shown are dynamic.

 

[YorksLad12]

Might that red/green wait/go sort of thing not work at Leeds?

Besides LNER services, the platforms are mostly big enough with seating and waiting areas that there is no issue with going through the barriers for a service that isn’t departing for half an hour

At stations like Euston or Waterloo it’s either barely allowed or not really the done thing to go through and wait on the platform

Don't get me started.

On Mondays I start work at home, then get the 0911 XC to Sheffield. It goes from P12, double set, so it makes sense to go through the gate and turn left, along P8 and up the steps instead of taking the escalators as the rear set is quieter.

The gate line is always a slalom course while you try and get round people waiting for the LNER 0915 departure to be called (it's almost always P8). Or, they're all hanging around the information pod on P8, which the point at which you turn left to reach the eastern footbridge; as well as getting in my way they're also in the way of anyone coming off P7, P14 or anyone else using the eastern footbridge.

The ideal solution is to move the pod nearer P6, possibly underneath the escalators, so that that mass of people and luggage aren't blocking the way. The only consolation is that it must have been way worse when the first gate line was installed!

 

[reecestrains]

Platform 5c and 6a displays have now been changed from when I last checked.