When I first started using Chester the booking office, if I recall correctly, was directly opposite where WH Smith is now and thus "on the front door". Very convenient.
-
Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
Chester Station Upgrade
- Thread starter LNW-GW Joint
- Start date
- Status
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R
RailUK Forums
Preston
It probably looked like that the last time I was there, last July when my Euston-Holyhead was cancelled, resulting in 2x153 dropping a full train’s worth of people onto the platform.
However, it looks to me as if there are two crowds mixing together there - there are clearly quite a few of the bucket and spade brigade there, but there’s somebody wearing a yellow hi vis with STEWARD written above a picture of a steam train so there may also have been a charter due.
samrammstein
Member
Work is underway on the planned improvements at Chester station.
So far the ticket machines have been moved closer to the footbridge and the ticket barriers have been blocked off.
Access to the platforms is now from under the footbridge (as during COVID) and the exit is at the side of the Costa unit.
There is a locked thread about plans for these improvements so perhaps this post could be merged into that.
So far the ticket machines have been moved closer to the footbridge and the ticket barriers have been blocked off.
Access to the platforms is now from under the footbridge (as during COVID) and the exit is at the side of the Costa unit.
There is a locked thread about plans for these improvements so perhaps this post could be merged into that.
Attachments
childwallblues
Established Member
Lets hope that they do something positive like improve the toilet facilities on Platforms 4-7.
samrammstein
Member
samrammstein
Member
samrammstein
Member
rich.davies
Member
Used the station on friday morning. Lifts out of order, people less able to carry bags up/down the stairs were being helped by 1 member off staff(from what i saw anyway). I even had to help one lady myself with her bag.
People being pushed in Wheelchairs along the platforms and over the track level walk way by security, assited by TFW staff
Could have installed more barriers to be honest, same old congestion going in and out of them.
People being pushed in Wheelchairs along the platforms and over the track level walk way by security, assited by TFW staff
Could have installed more barriers to be honest, same old congestion going in and out of them.
markymark2000
On Moderation
The additional wide gate will help significantly as that was the original bottleneck. Everyone who needed the wide gate, whether going onto or off the platforms, had to go to one single gate. That will stop a lot of paths crossing. Plus there is an additional normal gate meaning 3 gates each way rather than 2 out, 1 in plus 1 wide which is basically bidirectional.
Speaking to TFW on twitter, they said they they have no intention of having a cash machine in the concourse. They are hoping that whoever takes on the new retail unit (the current ticket office) may put a cash point in there. TFW clearly in favour of a cashless society. Rather funny considering the Welsh government are supposedly committed to keeping cash accessible then their own train stations get rid of free cash points. As per though with TFW, left hand doesn't know what the right is doing.
TfW May struggle to get a tenant for the old booking office as it is tucked away from the main access points to/from the platforms and probably wouldn’t see much footfall.
Is anything happening to the closed down (awful cafe/bar) at the front of the station near the taxi rank?
It would make an excellent real ale bar like the ones in Sheffield, Huddersfield, Lancaster or York etc..!
Is anything happening to the closed down (awful cafe/bar) at the front of the station near the taxi rank?
It would make an excellent real ale bar like the ones in Sheffield, Huddersfield, Lancaster or York etc..!
Some congestion yesterday even though it wasn't a busy time. The right hand gates were in use for entry. As soon as passengers passed through they met passengers coming down the stairs. This slowed the flow through the gates. It should have been left hand gates in, which means left hand out also.
John Luxton
Established Member
I fell victim to the TfW cashless society in June. Had a nice day on the Vale of Rheidol. Boarded the 198 heading back to Shrewsbury. Soon after departure the refreshment trolley came round. I wanted a drink. However, the card payment machine was playing up and died. He fiddled with it quite a bit but gave up by Dovey Junction. Attendant couldn't take cash, I and other passengers couldn't buy anything, and the attendant sat in a seat all the way back to Shrewsbury with nothing to do. Pathetic!
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
markymark2000
On Moderation
Sadly I agree with you. Chester has such a poor offering with shops and so I really hope that a decent tenant in but I don't hold out much hope. A Tesco Express/CoOp/Sainsburys Local style store would be lovely in this area as with the growing amount of offices and houses in the area, a proper shop is needed, not one that is going to rip you off. The closest of them would be Morrisons Daily (formerly McColls) on Brook Street, a good 5 minute walk away.
I've just had the same. Who on earth decided this? Signs on the stairs saying keep left (to help the flow) and then make every single person coming down the stairs cross path with every single person who is entering the gateline onto the platforms.
I hope that someone has just made a silly decision and it will be sorted very quickly.
Yep, it’s easy to get to Morrison’s and all the various international takeaways on Broad Street, just turn right out of the station and follow the stench of weed…!
Agree about a convenience store near or in Chester station though!
DynamicSpirit
Established Member
My understanding is that would be a very expensive electrification due to the high number of bridges that would need to be rebuilt. Also, Avanti are getting bi-modes soon which removes the running-under-the-wires problem for London-Chester.
I also don’t see why they couldn’t have brought the gateline forward a bit to increase plinths. It’s a large concourse that’s underused and TfW don’t keep passengers waiting there for their trains. I don’t really see how this is going to drastically improve things.
I'm happy to report that these facilities are indeed now closed for refurbishment.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
In addition, a new fascia has been added above Costa:
Attachments
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Wow, that looks awful, why weren't they allowed to just put their own branding up (at their cost)? That will have cost at least several hundred quid for an enamel sign.
Unfortunately it’s plastered all around the station and it looks dreadful, tackiest cheapest job I’ve possibly seen with most of the text having gaps because of the paper they used to place it up.
Hopefully they get rid of the really high ceiling it was quite uncomfortable to use with how high it was.
Heavens only knows. Costa have a sign up inside the unit only, and in those A boards.
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
Still no sign of the new PIS.
Still the same weird way they show next trains on the dot-matrix panels.
The lift is currently hard to find on P3 as the construction barriers under the arch make it look there is no access to it.
Still the same weird way they show next trains on the dot-matrix panels.
The lift is currently hard to find on P3 as the construction barriers under the arch make it look there is no access to it.
Hopefully they’re making progress on the new ticket office so that will be sorted. I presume they’ll do the PIS last as it’s quite important and try do it as quick as possible. Looking forward though as the layout is really bizarre with the middle screen not even used…
The TfW webpage; "https://tfw.wales/chester-improvements" just refers to "a new customer service desk with ticket selling facilities, additional ticket vending machines.." so are they having an actual ticket office?
From what I heard a while back when it was originally being planned they are closing the ticket office in its current inconvenient place and moving it to under the PIS. I really do hope its an actual ticket office, I much prefer getting my tickets from an actual person than a machine..
Some of the old do-matrix screens are really showing their age. The yellow LEDs that are about 20 years old aren't the easiest to read at all. The main departure board above the ticket machines are also a bit small. Still, they're in better shape than Preston or Stockport were (the old VT ones were of the same style) the last time I saw them!
Wrexham General has all new screens and the colour-screen type are so much easier to read.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
I wonder if they'll abolish the excess fares window too? That would be a shame if so as it's a lot nicer than being sold a ticket on the gateline where there are never enough staff and they don't immediately have a machine to hand. Maybe they'll just start letting people out of the gates and asking them to go to the new desk. Or maybe everyone will have to use the machine.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
I believe one of the plans would have involved losing the unit Costa occupies and extending the gateline further west. I agree the new setup, though a big improvement, will still be congested in future.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Unfortunately I believe that the gateline had to be moved further away from the platforms because of the risk of crushing at the bottom of the stairs. There's now more circulating space where the stairs land which is safer.
Last edited:
It’s further down the platform as opposed to the current one. You can actually see it on platform 2 where the train stops now.
- Status