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Leeds station improvement updates
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YorksLad12
Established Member
A few changes round the back of the station this last week. A new compound has appeared on the bridge over the weir, pushing the taxis back four or five car lengths. Overnight, a low steel frame appeared on the exposed piers. I'd be surprised if the building that was there, decades ago, will make an appearance; it's more likely that they're doing some work on the exposed pipework, or even boxing it in again (the boxing got hit by debris 10 years ago and has been slowly falling away).
The Princes Exchange building now has no windows. This being a railway project, I expect that the desks won't line up with the new windows...
The Princes Exchange building now has no windows. This being a railway project, I expect that the desks won't line up with the new windows...
The new seating out front as suspected has become a nice hangout for the beggars, drunks, Big Issue sellers, pigeons because people can't use bins, and of course vapers and smokers dominating the seating
Shame, Leeds used to be so nice
Shame, Leeds used to be so nice
I've just been and it was clean and pleasant with a wide variety of people relaxing or having lunch, including children, the elderly and yes, one smoker.
Meanwhile the surrounding area was vibrant and bustling with people going about their business and spending money.
It is a vast improvement on the busy road and shoddy prefab entranceway which preceded the current work.
YorksLad12
Established Member
It depends on the time of day. Just passed by there on a bus, and someone was power-washing the bottom of the longer set of steps, paving was happening in the rubber setts area, paths were being swept. A hive of activity.
The other week after work I walked through the area, and three ne'er-do-wells were smoking and drinking on the other side of the Harris fencing (so in the work compound, but away from people) outside the Ballroom entrance to The Queens.
It does amaze me that British Transport Police don't move these people on, or turf them off the station when begging. But then, railway stations aren't 'transport'...
I just know when I started commuting via New Station Street nine years ago, I hated it. Especially compared with its immediate peer in Sheffield, which had a good entrance despite being an undersize station on the wrong side of the ring road of a city with an inferior job market.
If there were fewer 'characters' about then, it was only because it was inimical to all human life.
If there were fewer 'characters' about then, it was only because it was inimical to all human life.
The North concourse is still one of the finest public spaces in Leeds. I tend to go through there and across City square where possible.
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I've just noticed the new seating area outside the front for the first time. Looks rather good.
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I've just noticed the new seating area outside the front for the first time. Looks rather good.
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YorksLad12
Established Member
I don't have a YEP account, and I refuse point-blank to fall for the "accept cookies or pay" scam all newspaper sites do these days. But for those of you with a subscription (or who don't care about the cookies thing), there's a story about the £40m refurbishment of the office block at https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co...inces-exchange-building-leeds-station-8944840
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The Hoot reports that the "station could reopen" (meaning the front bit - lazy journalism there) in mid-October.
I did find the photo in the article elsewhere though. It seems to show a loading bay opposite the multi-storey, and the current surface car park entrance closed off (which will make it harder for the larger lorries to reverse in to the loading bay (unless there's a change there too)), so everything goes in and out via the current exit. New seating area will be interesting, if you like looking at cars. Not that there are any cars in this image!
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The Hoot reports that the "station could reopen" (meaning the front bit - lazy journalism there) in mid-October.
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YorksLad12
Established Member
For those who haven't had the pleasure, the escalator up from P16 is out. Everyone from P16 and P17 has to exit via the stairs, which doesn't make the people coming down the stairs too happy. Especially when they run into [expletive deleted]s with pushbikes.
Rikki Lamb
Member
- Joined
- 24 Jan 2019
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- 114
Must be recent, it was working at 1610 this afternoon.
YorksLad12
Established Member
Interesting, it wasn’t working yesterday or today around 1745. Fenced off at the bottom, taped off at the top.
It wasn’t working last Friday at evening peak
Yes, this has been noticed !
Or on Monday morning. I found the notice on the barrier re the steps amusing but I'm sure it would have angered some
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YorksLad12
Established Member
Two weeks on, it's still out... unless people are liking the steps. I've been at the rear of the train, and took the eastern footbridge, but it looked as if the escalator wasn't escalating.
In other news... I was talking with a neighbour earlier, as we've been having issues with rough sleepers in the area. He's been told by our friendly, neighbourhood Policeman that the Council is applying for a Public Spaces Protection Order for the station area, which will allow for more proactive enforcement to take place. Coming home from London on Friday, someone was rough sleeping in one of the doorways on the hotel side of the North Concourse, so either BTP can't do anything or they won't unless there's obvious aggression being shown.
He was also told that Network Rail don't own the bit of the station from Wetherspoons to the City Square entrance, which sounds unlikely to me! Unless one of you knows better...?
In other news... I was talking with a neighbour earlier, as we've been having issues with rough sleepers in the area. He's been told by our friendly, neighbourhood Policeman that the Council is applying for a Public Spaces Protection Order for the station area, which will allow for more proactive enforcement to take place. Coming home from London on Friday, someone was rough sleeping in one of the doorways on the hotel side of the North Concourse, so either BTP can't do anything or they won't unless there's obvious aggression being shown.
He was also told that Network Rail don't own the bit of the station from Wetherspoons to the City Square entrance, which sounds unlikely to me! Unless one of you knows better...?
It was working last Friday, was blocked off at each end & had been partially removed so repairs appeared to be underway
YorksLad12
Established Member
I managed a rare move on Wednesday... the gate on P8 behind the information kiosk was open, and people were using it. That saved me 5 seconds on my journey to P9d, and I avoided the gaggle gathered just where people want to turn the corner back towards the eastern footbridge. Just the Southern Entrance access off P17 (which is often open when the P16 lift is out, though I'm sure I did it during construction just before it opened) to go, and I've done all of the public areas of the station.
The P16 escalator, meanwhile, looks like it's dressed for Halloween with the white webbing/sheet covering it. There were people working on it yesterday around 6pm though, so it might rise from the dead before the 31st.
The P16 escalator, meanwhile, looks like it's dressed for Halloween with the white webbing/sheet covering it. There were people working on it yesterday around 6pm though, so it might rise from the dead before the 31st.
xotGD
Established Member
- Joined
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I got this in the book* on Tuesday morning. Maybe a new daily occurrence?
*I don't literally have a book for recording such trivia.
thejuggler
Established Member
- Joined
- 8 Jan 2016
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- 1,660
I was in the station on Thursday, first time for months and went out to look at the new steps area. It looked like they were relaying an area of the paving around the entrance to the new lift by the steps.
Ballyheigue
Member
An temporary safety improvement I'd like to see is for people wanting platform 17 to be held on Platform 16 by the wide bit until all passengers have cleared the throat bit between 16 and 17 as it's very dangerous when everyone getting off a train on 17 suddenly approaches round the corner.
Iskra
Established Member
The ‘wide bit’ is nowhere near wide enough for that kind of thing to happen.
Just come back off holiday and the platform 17 escalator is still out of use !
The station could also do with more cubicles in the gents toilets.
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Not really going to happen if people are hurrying to get the train on 17.
They could clear the pathway between the lift shaft and the wall if they want to improve access to 17.
The station could also do with more cubicles in the gents toilets.
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Not really going to happen if people are hurrying to get the train on 17.
They could clear the pathway between the lift shaft and the wall if they want to improve access to 17.
MrBeanie
Member
Also, there isn't realistically time to wait for everyone to clear before others can then be allowed onto platform 17. They would have to build in a longer turn around.
YorksLad12
Established Member
As I've mentioned before, railing along the platform edge would help (and it's not used for passenger access, as trains stop before the escalator), but it's been like that for over 25 years now.
ChrisC
Established Member
Platform 17 is a terrible place to have to wait for a train.
There's very little shelter from the wind and rain in winter and there is nowhere to sit down. Why are passengers waiting to board the Nottingham and Lincoln trains left to stand on this dreadful platform with no facilities when the train is there in the platform with the doors locked. Often the doors are not unlocked until only a couple of minutes before departure.
Is there any reason why passengers can’t board and sit in the relative comfort and warmth of the train rather than being left standing at the side of the train in the platform.
In comparison, at Nottingham both XC and EMR leave the doors unlocked and passengers can board and sit in the train sometimes up to 30 minutes before departure.
There's very little shelter from the wind and rain in winter and there is nowhere to sit down. Why are passengers waiting to board the Nottingham and Lincoln trains left to stand on this dreadful platform with no facilities when the train is there in the platform with the doors locked. Often the doors are not unlocked until only a couple of minutes before departure.
Is there any reason why passengers can’t board and sit in the relative comfort and warmth of the train rather than being left standing at the side of the train in the platform.
In comparison, at Nottingham both XC and EMR leave the doors unlocked and passengers can board and sit in the train sometimes up to 30 minutes before departure.
Iskra
Established Member
I agree it is a sub optimal environment.
The doors aren’t opened on the train at the buffers to reduce the number of people boarding the wrong train, which is a frequent occurrence on P17.
Iskra
Established Member
Unfortunately, it’s a regular issue. The same happens in the other bays at Leeds and at Manchester Piccadilly where trains are stacked on top of each other. No amount of passenger information seems to resolve it.
MrBeanie
Member
The display monitors are not always easy to find / read either, whether that's platform 17 or for some of the others where they run services from different parts of the platform at Leeds. It also seems to be a fairly common issue on platform 13 at Piccadilly where people end up on a stockport service instead of an airport one.
Why is that LNER booth there? It takes up space, particularly with those additional barriers. if it really has to stay couldn’t it be shifted over behind the escalators? No other TOC gets a booth!