Stations with poor facilities of an evening

[styles]

Would that be a case of two "happy endings" ?

Not at all. The owner assured the newspaper that all of their staff were either qualified masseuses... or beauty therapists or hair dressers... so it's a totally professional affair.

 

[Bishops]

There are always going to be many people waiting late on Sunday evenings at stations like Peterborough though.

but for how long though? And please quantify 'Many'? 5, 10, 25 maybe? Show me some examples of long connections late at night on a sunday and then tell me how people are going to pay for having a station cafe open to satisfy their needs without beign subsidised?

 

[yorksrob]

but for how long though? And please quantify 'Many'? 5, 10, 25 maybe? Show me some examples of long connections late at night on a sunday and then tell me how people are going to pay for having a station cafe open to satisfy their needs without beign subsidised?

If you're between trains and there are no catering facilities on the trains, you could need refreshments on a short interchange.

 

[dgl]

Weymouth has toilets which are locked at 1800, earlier when the ticket office is short staffed. That's just before the peak time when families return from the beach. The big series of Summer Saturday extras back to Westbury and Bristol depart hourly from 1830 to 2030, and the numbers going to the facilities and finding them locked is considerable..

Then again they've been locked for years due to vandalism and drug taking so it's not like them being closed early is that bad. Plus the garage does have toilets I believe.

 

[Bishops]

If you're between trains and there are no catering facilities on the trains, you could need refreshments on a short interchange.

This is now becoming a very niche problem now. If you have a short connection time would you have enough time to pop to the station cafe anyway? if you're travelling late on a Sunday and may be in need of some refreshment then get some before you travel.

 

[lowe1409]

This is now becoming a very niche problem now. If you have a short connection time would you have enough time to pop to the station cafe anyway? if you're travelling late on a Sunday and may be in need of some refreshment then get some before you travel.

A ten/fifteen minutes change is plenty of time to get something. Also a much better reason to look into expanding what vending machine offerings there are. Something more substantial than a twix and a pepsi would be nice.

 

[styles]

A ten/fifteen minutes change is plenty of time to get something. Also a much better reason to look into expanding what vending machine offerings there are. Something more substantial than a twix and a pepsi would be nice.

Indeed. That pizza vending machine mentioned further up dispenses a hot pizza in 3-4 minutes.

 

[Haywain]

Indeed. That pizza vending machine mentioned further up dispenses a hot pizza in 3-4 minutes.

And has the footfall to support it. Stations like Oxenholme are unlikely to have that sort of footfall.

 

[Bletchleyite]

And has the footfall to support it. Stations like Oxenholme are unlikely to have that sort of footfall.

Oxenholme, unlike Liverpool Central where they actually did it, is the sort of station where the "M to go" concept might work, of having a booking office that also sells snacks, drinks etc rather than two separate outlets with two separate staff which keep short hours (though the booking office hours aren't terrible) due to the cost and low turnover.

 

[yorksrob]

I quite like the idea of the pizza vending machine, although the drawback is that they seem to have a tendancy to chuck mushrooms/sweetcorn on all the non-meat options, neither of which are fit for human consumption.

 

[stuartn]

At Oxenholme I'm sure the new Coffee Cart (Ramble and Roast) on the up platform would keep longer hours, if they thought that the footfall was there. They are entrepreneurs after all, who have quickly grown what seems to be quite a thriving business. Likewise the coffee cart or Pie Demand at Carlisle.

 

[lowe1409]

Oxenholme, unlike Liverpool Central where they actually did it, is the sort of station where the "M to go" concept might work, of having a booking office that also sells snacks, drinks etc rather than two separate outlets with two separate staff which keep short hours (though the booking office hours aren't terrible) due to the cost and low turnover.

I think a lot of medium sized stations could. I think any station in the 0.5-1.5 million range in footfall could work.

And has the footfall to support it. Stations like Oxenholme are unlikely to have that sort of footfall.

Surely you wouldn't need massive footfall to support it?

 

[Haywain]

Surely you wouldn't need massive footfall to support it?

If the products have a short shelf life, you need sufficient footfall to avoid wastage. A vending machine selling chocolate and soft drinks doesn't need huge footfall because those products last a long time.

Brighton has over 15 million entries and exits a year, Oxenholme has 675,000. That's a very significant difference.

 

[Bishops]

I quite like the idea of the pizza vending machine, although the drawback is that they seem to have a tendancy to chuck mushrooms/sweetcorn on all the non-meat options, neither of which are fit for human consumption.

Doesn't look like they do that - but are you happy to pay £10.95 for your pizza on a Sunday evening

I think a lot of medium sized stations could. I think any station in the 0.5-1.5 million range in footfall could work.

Really? thats about 4000 people per day and most of them will be doing the commute soo you really are looking at tiny numbers - are you will to pay £10.95 for a pizza on a sunday evening?

 

[yorksrob]

Doesn't look like they do that - but are you happy to pay £10.95 for your pizza on a Sunday evening

Domino's is still in business, so there are clearly plenty who are !

 

[Trackman]

I don't know about Travellers fare (I wasn't out that late in BR days), however I dis spend the night at Manchester Piccadilly some years ago, owing to oversleeping on the train and having a big gap to the morning train.

To its credit, it had a tea/coffee kiosk open all night.

I think you are talking about the Café which was 30 seconds away from the main entrance, it lasted from the early 80s to about 1996.

A haunt of cranks and railwaymen alike in the early hours.

The name escapes me.

 

[Russel]

Oxenholme can be an example depending on where you're connecting from and to. The north WCML timetable is a bit messy to be able to do the connections totally consistently, sadly. There is a great little coffee place next to it but it doesn't keep long hours.

I know what you mean, the last time I visited the Lakes I missed the Windermere train by about 2 minutes (thanks Avanti) and had around an hour to wait, with virtually nothing at the station or the surrounding area I actually walked to Kendal and picked the train up there.

I much prefer to change at Penrith and bus it into the Lake District these days, at least Penrith has plenty of options within a couple of minutes of the station.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I think you are talking about the Café which was 30 seconds away from the main entrance, it lasted from the early 80s to about 1996.

A haunt of cranks and railwaymen alike in the early hours.

The name escapes me.

Might just have been Antonio's cafe, towards the top of the station approach at Manchester Piccadilly. No longer there.

 

[yorksrob]

I think you are talking about the Café which was 30 seconds away from the main entrance, it lasted from the early 80s to about 1996.

A haunt of cranks and railwaymen alike in the early hours.

The name escapes me.

This was much later than that (a small kiosk on the concourse) however, I did use the cafe to which you allude on a few occasions - must have made it to the early noughties.

 

[Bishops]

Domino's is still in business, so there are clearly plenty who are !

Dominos also has a delivery service to get the pizza to where they need to be however that wasnt the question posed - are YOU happy to pay that from the vending machine on a sunday night in oxenholme?

 

[yorksrob]

[

Dominos also has a delivery service to get the pizza to where they need to be however that wasnt the question posed - are YOU happy to pay that from the vending machine on a sunday night in oxenholme?

I haven't really been discussing Oxenholme in this thread - Peterborough is my example as I started the thread about fairly major interchange stations.

With that in mind, my answer would be possibly. It would probably depend on how much beer I'd consumed.

 

[Trackman]

Might just have been Antonio's cafe, towards the top of the station approach at Manchester Piccadilly. No longer there.

That's the one !!!!!
Couldnt think of the name

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

This was much later than that (a small kiosk on the concourse) however, I did use the cafe to which you allude on a few occasions - must have made it to the early noughties.

The kiosk was a Costa (and still is until their new shop opens just along the concourse), although as I said up thread it now closes at 2300.
Antonio's was still trading until c.2007/8, the last time I went in was around then before catching a train to Buxton for a disastrous walk to Cromford, but that's another story!

 

[Trackman]

Antonio's was still trading until c.2007/8, the last time I went in was around then before catching a train to Buxton for a disastrous walk to Cromford, but that's another story!

Antonio's was 24/7 back in the 80s but changed opening times.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Antonio's was still trading until c.2007/8, the last time I went in was around then before catching a train to Buxton for a disastrous walk to Cromford, but that's another story!

Think Antonio's was where the Co-op convenience store now is.

 

[Parallel]

Reading has terrible facilities during the daytime given it's the 9th busiest station outside London. These are wound down to virtually nothing from around 18:30 onwards.

Each to their own but I don’t find Reading bad, at least in the daytime. It has a Starbucks, a Cafe Local, a WHSmiths, a pasty shop, Upper Crust, Fullers Coffee shop, a Delice de France, a caffe Ritazza, a Burger King, a Subway, a Costa, another WHSmiths, another Starbucks, a convenience store and possibly even a Hotel Chocolate. Plus a pub in part of the main station building, and a short walk to Pret. I think that’s a solid offering, personally!

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

Antonio's was 24/7 back in the 80s but changed opening times.

I went in it at around 5 in the morning one day in 2002. If memory serves it was a Saturday morning, but I don't know if it had opened early or been open all night.

 

[Trackman]

Think Antonio's was where the Co-op convenience store now is.

It was, next to Greggs.

I went in it at around 5 in the morning one day in 2002. If memory serves it was a Saturday morning, but I don't know if it had opened early or been open all night.

Right up to it it closed (2009ish?) it had a serving hatch for the dead of night, I think the main doors were closed from midnight to 5am to keep undesirables out, plus they have to clean the floors etc..

 

[sharpener]

I ask this with genuine curiosity but where are these places in the middle of nowhere with long connections?

Have just been planning a trip which involves a 53 min connection at Castle Cary, I would say that counts, pretty windswept too.