Birmingham New Street the worst UK station?

[Kite159]

Actually Temple Meads is a wonderful place to catch a train.

Yes, the subway does get a bit crowded, however the platforms are open air, yet have plenty of rain cover. They also have toilets, cafe's and waiting rooms on the platform, making it easier to wait for a train in comfort.

I far prefer using Temple Meads than New Street (although it could do with a burger joint and ale bar).

Ah yes the cafes, where you need a mortgage to purchase anything.

At least Birmingham New Street has options close to the station to buy food & drink without paying the station premiums. Which you will probably need if changing at Bristol Temple Meads as connections are bad

 

[The exile]

If you think Birmingham New Street is bad, Bristol Temple Meads is by far worse. A station unfit for the modern era with stupidly narrow staircases and endless platform changes

Temple Meads certainly has its faults (those you’ve named being the main ones). However, merely being there doesn’t have the same effect as a Dementor’s Kiss.
On a practical note, isn’t there a second subway that, subject to spending money, could be brought into use?

 

[yorksrob]

Ah yes the cafes, where you need a mortgage to purchase anything.

At least Birmingham New Street has options close to the station to buy food & drink without paying the station premiums. Which you will probably need if changing at Bristol Temple Meads as connections are bad

I'd say that that was more an issue with Bristol, rather than the station per se.

It's a little surprising that no one seems to have opened a Greggs nearby.

 

[The exile]

I'd say that that was more an issue with Bristol, rather than the station per se.

It's a little surprising that no one seems to have opened a Greggs nearby.

I should imagine that the arrival of the University complex is going to be the catalyst for a lot of changes. More development coming as well. When I think how dead the area was when I first came to Bristol 40 years ago…

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'd say that that was more an issue with Bristol, rather than the station per se.

It's a little surprising that no one seems to have opened a Greggs nearby.

Personally I'd boot the cars out of the old trainshed (a very 1980s thing to do with it) and convert it into a food concourse with lots of options, a Greggs included. Leeds did a very good version of that. The facilities at Temple Meads are woeful - it's a nice trainshed but I'd rather New St's wide range.

 

[8ace]

There's is a greggs and a spoons if you go out the entrance pass the old trainshed. What more could you want in terms of food and drink offerings!
Sadly no pizza vending machine though.

 

[yorksrob]

I should imagine that the arrival of the University complex is going to be the catalyst for a lot of changes. More development coming as well. When I think how dead the area was when I first came to Bristol 40 years ago…

Personally I'd boot the cars out of the old trainshed (a very 1980s thing to do with it) and convert it into a food concourse with lots of options, a Greggs included. Leeds did a very good version of that. The facilities at Temple Meads are woeful - it's a nice trainshed but I'd rather New St's wide range.

Yes, using the old trainshed for some more substantial catering would be a good plan.

There's is a greggs and a spoons if you go out the entrance pass the old trainshed. What more could you want in terms of food and drink offerings!
Sadly no pizza vending machine though.

I've used the Spoons before, although its a bit far for a limited connection. Not noticed the Greggs

 

[zwk500]

Personally I'd boot the cars out of the old trainshed (a very 1980s thing to do with it) and convert it into a food concourse with lots of options, a Greggs included. Leeds did a very good version of that. The facilities at Temple Meads are woeful - it's a nice trainshed but I'd rather New St's wide range.

Yes - Converting the actual Brunel Shed into the main concourse (with a ticket office) and just making the current concourse a passageway to P3 would be a vast improvement. The existing gateline is woefully small for even a single XC train. Let alone if anything else arrives with it. I've had multiple occassions where the barriers have just been thrown open in the morning peak to clear a crowd from Platform 3.

While at it, they could also take the opportunity to improve the exit to Temple Square so it doesn't feel like you're sneaking out of the fire escape (given it's sizeable usage in the peaks).

There was an idea to put some more bays in there at one point, but I think the plan was for those to be used by direction Paddington-Parkway-Temple Meads trains which is back in the long grass.

 

[8ace]

Using the old trainshed as a carpark is such a waste - I'd go far as to say it's an insult to IKB.

 

[WillC]

Using the old trainshed as a carpark is such a waste - I'd go far as to say it's an insult to IKB.

Completely agree. Cars are old news. Space should be allocated to people.

 

[yorksrob]

Yes, the Wellington St Concourse at Leeds was used as such for many years, however since refurbishment it's one of the City's finest public spaces.

 

[edwin_m]

There was an idea to put some more bays in there at one point, but I think the plan was for those to be used by direction Paddington-Parkway-Temple Meads trains which is back in the long grass.

Indeed. There was a plan to access more space underneath the station (I assume it's sitting on arches of some sort) and move most of the facilities down there, with entrances into Temple Square and the new campus. I assume the more limited work to create the eastern entrance is the value-engineered version of that.

Using the old trainshed as a carpark is such a waste - I'd go far as to say it's an insult to IKB.

To be pedantic, nearly all of what is now the car park is the Digby Wyatt shed - the Brunel part is mostly behind the partition wall.

 

[8ace]

To be pedantic, nearly all of what is now the car park is the Digby Wyatt shed - the Brunel part is mostly behind the partition wall.

Fair enough, it's an insult to Digby Wyatt then .
Rather than all permanent shops like Greggs it could suit a variety of food stalls, outside Brighton there was a bratwurst van and artisan bakers for instance. A covered but open-air space would be ideal for this.
Picture from 2020 of foodstall on Brighton Station Forecourt from 2020 https://www.sussexlive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/you-can-rent-your-street-4367278

 

[yorksrob]

Fair enough, it's an insult to Digby Wyatt then .
Rather than all permanent shops like Greggs it could suit a variety of food stalls, outside Brighton there was a bratwurst van and artisan bakers for instance. A covered but open-air space would be ideal for this.
Picture from 2200 of foodstall on Brighton Station Forecourt from 2020 https://www.sussexlive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/you-can-rent-your-street-4367278

The problem with "street food" is that you tend to get street food portions with restaurant prices !

 

[Zamalek]

I'd say that that was more an issue with Bristol, rather than the station per se.

It's a little surprising that no one seems to have opened a Greggs nearby.

I'd say that that was more an issue with Bristol, rather than the station per se.

It's a little surprising that no one seems to have opened a Greggs nearby.

There are a Greggs and a Wetherspoons a two/three minute walk from the station ....

 

[xotGD]

The problem with "street food" is that you tend to get street food portions with restaurant prices !

A Greggs eaten out of the bag is the only street food worth having.

 

[yorksrob]

A Greggs eaten out of the bag is the only street food worth having.

Or a bag of chips !

 

[8ace]

The problem with "street food" is that you tend to get street food portions with restaurant prices !

Oh yes it can be, all depends on location and popularity.

There are a Greggs and a Wetherspoons a two/three minute walk from the station ....

as I mentioned in post #426 The Greggs is so close enough that you're only about two bites of your sausage/vegan roll before you are back in the station proper. The spoons is a bit further, but if you had an hours delay two pints should present no significant difficulty.

 

[Ballyheigue]

What's really needed at all stations are signs that you can see as soon as you get off the train pointing to where the toilets are, although at New Street it's a miracle you would be able to see them with all the darkness lol. I can also understand why people don't use toilets on trains, dirty most of the time for a start.

 

[edwin_m]

New Street lacks good information displays at platform level for people looking at connecting trains, placed to be visible when alighting and moving towards the exits from the platforms. Such a screen could also include a recommendation for connecting passengers to go straight to the relevant platform or wait in a lounge, and which platform exit to use. Temple Meads is similarly lacking - there are some screens but oriented to be visible for people entering the platform not leaving it.

 

[duffield]

I'd say that that was more an issue with Bristol, rather than the station per se.

It's a little surprising that no one seems to have opened a Greggs nearby.

Greggs is literally 1 minute away out of the side entrance!

 

[sh24]

I realise it's nearly heretic on this site, but please please please can we have food on or near stations that isn't Greggs, Wetherspoons, Costa or any of the SSP brands e.g Upper Crust. Brighton is a really nice contrast to the mass market "food" with a choice of tasty and often healthy food.

 

[yorksrob]

Greggs is literally 1 minute away out of the side entrance!

Well, if you don't see it, it's not there.

 

[Dr Hoo]

Well, if you don't see it, it's not there.

And the Greggs on Temple Quay in Bristol strangely doesn’t show up in the Greggs ‘Find store’ tab on their app or in their map.

It closes at 19:00 by the way.

 

[duffield]

And the Greggs on Temple Quay in Bristol strangely doesn’t show up in the Greggs ‘Find store’ tab on their app or in their map.
...

Strange, it's on Google Maps, but not their own map?

 

[Dr Hoo]

Strange, it's on Google Maps, but not their own map?

Yes. Most peculiar. You can find it by doing a search for ‘Greggs, Temple Quays’ (complete with opening hours, etc.) but not on their app!

Anyway, this is nothing to do with Birmingham New Street. Sorree!

 

[vic-rijrode]

I realise it's nearly heretic on this site, but please please please can we have food on or near stations that isn't Greggs, Wetherspoons, Costa or any of the SSP brands e.g Upper Crust. Brighton is a really nice contrast to the mass market "food" with a choice of tasty and often healthy food.

So Greggs "food" is not healthy or tasty? I have been eating and enjoying it for years, am 76 and in very good health. At least I know exactly what I'm going to get. I have been into some truly awful "niche" establishments purporting to serve local "healthy" stuff.

I wonder what the prices are like in Brighton for "tasty and often healthy" food there - often healthy but occasionally unhealthy or even lethal maybe?

 

[birchesgreen]

I suspect most travellers want something familiar and predictable rather than something novel and potentially disappointing especially if they need sustenance in a hurry. Hence, why most station catering is from a small number of chains.