Favourite and least favourite station

[trainophile]

That reminds me, at Chester they have now put what looks like combination keypad locks on both of the disabled toilets on Platform 4. That's fair enough, although when they have barriered the normal Ladies & Gents out of use due to plumbing problems or whatever you'd think they would unlock the disabled ones and let non-disabled passengers use them.

If I have to go over the bridge and through the barriers to the "main" toilets, it means missing my Liverpool connection and having to wait for the next one . Given there are no facilities onboard Merseyrail trains, it seems a bit mean to prevent people making use of the local ones on the station.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Favourites:
Perth - Stunning station, sadly left to rot in places.
Hebden Bridge - Wonderful character.
Manchester Victoria - I prefer it to Piccadilly, many hidden gems and it should be great once the new roof's up.
Marylebone - Easily London's nicest terminus.

Honorary mentions should also go to Stirling, Reading, Birmingham Moor St and Sheffield.

Dislikes:
St Pancras - what an awful, awful set up.
Newport (South Wales) - scarred by a horrific rebuild.
Wakefield Kirkgate - 'nuff said, should be better once the refurb's complete though.
Wigan NW - Showing the signs of years of neglect.

I do have to say, I can't understand all this hate of New St - it's not half as bad as some on here make out.

I also dislike stations where you have to walk up and down all over the place to get to some of the platforms, which is especially frustrating when they have a door or gate directly onto the street from said platforms that's kept locked; all so you can be funneled through a single gateline - e.g. Crystal Palace

The old Victorian booking office has just reopened after years of standing empty at Crystal Palace - it's situated atop the staircases leading to platforms 3-6, so that will remove the long walk from the old booking office to the London Bridge / LO platforms. It's a lot bigger too - the gateline's three times as long I think, and there's more TVMs and windows too. I trust you'll be pleased to hear that the old 1970s plastic booking office / entrance is being demolished.

 

[Blindtraveler]

are anotheq Hebdon bridge liker! Well done Mat. Gotta say Perth has some of Scotrails cleaner toilets and the new footbridge and lifts are coming on well enough which may generate further investment.

 

[12CSVT]

St Pancras is the most impractical transport interchange in my view.

It would have probably made sense if the EMT and SET platforms had been in the origional trainshed, with a separate station for Eurostar. With the current set up it can take 5 to 10 minutes just to walk to the Underground platforms.

 

[Manchester77]

St Pancras is the most impractical transport interchange in my view.

It would have probably made sense if the EMT and SET platforms had been in the origional trainshed, with a separate station for Eurostar. With the current set up it can take 5 to 10 minutes just to walk to the Underground platforms.

Unfortunately diesel trains aren't aloud in Barlow train shed and the length of eurostars means that they can't fit in just the extended train shed. I don't think there's any other space near such a big interchange.

 

[Drsatan]

Another problem I have with St Pancras is the champagne bar. I can imagine one at Paris Gare du Nord or Madrid Atocha, but highly inappropriate for St Pancras where champagne is hardly our national drink. I've always thought a real ale bar with about 20 regional ales on tap would be far more appropriate, and help to publicise to foreign nationals the existence of a thriving real ale industry.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

Favorite:

Manchester Piccadilly-Large but easy to get round
York-Nice design
Helsby-Well kept by the people who help keep it nice (Like myself at one point)

Least:
My local (Capenhurst)-Poor service, not much facilities, in the middle of a field pretty much with a thin footpath down a country lane which people think is good to be doing 70-80 down.
St Pancras: Easier and quicker to get to Everest from my house than from the EMT platforms to the tube.
Kings cross st pancras tube: Again, such a trek from the northern line to the Met/H&C/Circle lines. Out the barriers then in again, stupid idea.
Par: Not a nice place to be in the dark next train in two hours.
Retford: Same as above
Rugeley TV: Same as above

 

[Westboy]

Always liked Temple Meads. Once you get through the crush of the barriers it is really quite pleasant for a big station, especially if your train is due inside the old trainshed.

Always loathed Reading, which I confess is unfair but many unhappy memories of waiting for a connection freezing my balls off shuttling from home to University.

A more esoteric unpleasant one is Digby and Sowton. I only use it for Exeter Rugby games, but post match FGW seem to pick their most malicous, unhelpfull and rude staff to man the platform performing checks. Their people management skills leave a tremendous amount to be desired.

 

[yorksrob]

I don't seem to find St Pancreas as much of a hassle as others on here but then again, I only usually use the EMT part so it's straight between there and either the tube or the Betjamin.

 

[RichmondCommu]

St Pancras is the most impractical transport interchange in my view.

It would have probably made sense if the EMT and SET platforms had been in the origional trainshed, with a separate station for Eurostar. With the current set up it can take 5 to 10 minutes just to walk to the Underground platforms.

I really don't understand why people have a problem with having to walk somewhere. And given the length of the Eurostars, the current design was surely the only practical solution for St Pancras, especially with the cost of land in central London.

 

[172212]

Yardley Wood is a great little station, least favourite Worcester Shrub Hill, I assume platform 3 is unused and it's further away from the city centre

 

[Eagle]

Another problem I have with St Pancras is the champagne bar. I can imagine one at Paris Gare du Nord or Madrid Atocha, but highly inappropriate for St Pancras where champagne is hardly our national drink.

The British drink far more champagne than any other nation (including France). IIRC about 40% of champagne produced is for export to the UK.

So London's clearly more appropriate than Paris :P

 

[transmanche]

Another problem I have with St Pancras is the champagne bar.

"Other drinks are available..."

 

[Stephen55a1960]

Really? It's got 12 bay platforms in a line and a couple on through lines parallel to the other 12.

Having used it numerous times (on a regular basis) since September 2011, it ranks as one of my favourites. Least favourite would have to be Morecambe - just a bus shelter with absolutely nothing to recommend it.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

"Other drinks are available..."

Haha - very good !

 

[ValleyLines142]

Favourite Stations:
Bristol Temple Meads: as mentioned above, fabulous train shed, where platforms 3-6 are, and the sharp curvature is brilliant too! Also, the number of bikes parked up in the racks near platform 2 is brilliant!! :P rather funny
Newport: Newport is a nightmare to get in and out of, but the new footbridge, from the air, looks like the female reproductive system!
Manchester Piccadilly: Probably my favourite station in the country. Love how easy it is to get around, and the little shopping area. Manchester is my favourite city too.
York: Fabulous station building! Very grand
Blackpool North: I like all the trains lined up there, and the concourse says 'Welcome to Blackpool' with a huge picture of the Tower and the tourist attractions on offer, which gets me beyond excited. I love Blackpool too!
Birmingham: I actually like New Street! It's ideally located and has plenty of services. Concourse isn't too bad either!
Crewe: Lots of Pendolinos and Voyagers!

Least Favourites:
Filton Abbey Wood: The footbridge is an absolute bugger, and yesterday I entered the station via the platform 2/3 side (not the MoD side). That ramp takes forever!
Severn Tunnel Junction: FREEZING! And nothing nearby. I'm surprised by the 50+ people that get on the 0725 to Bristol every morning!
Bristol Parkway: Real bugger to get in and out of. Massive climb up to bridge, then through the barriers, down the stairs and out.

 

[AndyLandy]

Favourites? Not sure. I get the Piccadilly thing, it's a pretty reasonable station. I actually quite like Euston, it's functional and well laid out.

Dislikes? New Street. I've never liked the place. It's drab and dreary and I've had the misfortune of changing to/from packed XC trains there one time too many.

Oh, and Crewe. It might be an interesting junction, but it's an awful station! Maybe I'm just angry that the pub on Platform 6 is always just shutting as my train arrives. But still, it's grey, it's drab, it's dreary and it's draughty.

 

[Robinson]

Favourites:
Glasgow Central (range of facilities, pleasant place to spend some time, interesting range of rolling stock);
Marylebone (mainly for the architecture);
Southampton Central (unless you arrive on XC with a lot of luggage and get shunted into platform 3, which has happened to me a couple of times!).

Least Favourites:
Haymarket (pretty unpleasant at the best of times, much worse when trying to get back to Glasgow from a rugby match);
Manchester Victoria (sorry, but the place is a dump, the facilities are run-down, the trains aren't exactly brilliant and the renovation is badly needed!);
Warrington Central (might be different now but the last time I was there it was basically a construction site, with station entrances blocked off and/or very poorly signposted).

 

[Buttsy]

Favorites - Berney Arms - great sign & weird shelter
- Bridge Of Orchy - nice design and steps are great for a breather on the WHW

Least favourite - Birmingham New Street - dark dreary platforms, narrow stairways and all the a,b,cs...

 

[trainophile]

Oh, and Crewe. It might be an interesting junction, but it's an awful station! Maybe I'm just angry that the pub on Platform 6 is always just shutting as my train arrives. But still, it's grey, it's drab, it's dreary and it's draughty.

Is there such thing as a non-draughty station? I've yet to find one.

For real freezing-your-bits-off it's hard to beat the intercity platforms at Liverpool South Parkway. Even in June and July!

 

[12CSVT]

I really don't understand why people have a problem with having to walk somewhere. And given the length of the Eurostars, the current design was surely the only practical solution for St Pancras, especially with the cost of land in central London.

My particular dislike about St Pancras is how long it can take to get from one part of the station to another. Try getting from the EMT platforms to the Victoria line platforms in less than 10 minutes during the morning peak (or during the day on a Saturday) and you'll see what I mean.

 

[Starmill]

My particular dislike about St Pancras is how long it can take to get from one part of the station to another. Try getting from the EMT platforms to the Victoria line platforms in less than 10 minutes during the morning peak (or during the day on a Saturday) and you'll see what I mean.

One of the things I always fail to take into account when I visit are the comparatively monumental walking times platform to platform. If you are making a short journey with a change you seem to spend as much time walking through tunnels as you do on the train!

 

[yorksrob]

Since I feel rather sorry for St Pancreas and Manchester Vic (which I quite like) on this thread, Also - it might be nostalgia for my University days, but I have a soft spot for some of the tattier ones on the WCML. I thought I ought to come up with some stations I dislike.

Peterborough - certainly up until the recent changes. Nothing much architecturally and an inadequate layout.

Wakefield Westgate - (see Peterborough).

Bradford Interchange - It's not Bradford Exchange.

Southampton Central - Should be more impressive for a City that size (probably as it was overshadowed by Terminus until the sixties).

Barnsley - They've obviously made an effort, but there's something a bit soulless and Brookside-y about the architecture. Depressingly 80's.

Ashford International (domestic) - very showey in some ways but seems to age very quickly. I think I preferred the 1960's rebuild.

Plymouth - Sometimes the 60's architecture seemed to work (as in Coventry) but Plymouth always leaves me deflated.

Birmingham New Street - Much as I hate the underground car park look, most of them retain some charm somewhere (The Victoria's retain their Victorian buildings and concourses, Euston's Concourse works quite well in it's way). Birmingham New Street has no redeeming features.

Sevenoaks - Platforms too narrow. not very nice rebuild - ditto Dartford.

Oxford - Always underwhelming for a location of it's strategic and cultural importance.

Leicester Midland - a bit soulless - especially since it seems to have been detatched from its grandiose frontage.

Salford Crescent - small, inconvenient and a rubbish place to change trains (far prefer Victoria).

Hastings - demolition of the SR booking hall was nothing short of cultural vandalism.

Newquay - doesn't put me in the mood for a hedonistic beach party. they've ruined it.

Lowestoft - too open - it needs some platform cover.

Ely - too far from a pub.

 

[Eagle]

Birmingham New Street - Much as I hate the underground car park look, most of them retain some charm somewhere (The Victoria's retain their Victorian buildings and concourses, Euston's Concourse works quite well in it's way). Birmingham New Street has no redeeming features.

Wait till the rebuild's finished

 

[yorksrob]

Wait till the rebuild's finished

Yes, I'm hoping for an improvement !

 

[Ivo]

Favourite Stations:
Newport: Newport is a nightmare to get in and out of, but the new footbridge, from the air, looks like the female reproductive system!
Least Favourites:
Bristol Parkway: Real bugger to get in and out of. Massive climb up to bridge, then through the barriers, down the stairs and out.

So Newport's system, which is basically the same as Parkway but with about million times as much needless vacuum, is good (and looks like a what?!), but the latter is not. And this works how exactly?

Newport's rebuild was a ridiculous waste of money. Not to mention it doesn't fit in with the rest of the area.

 

[ValleyLines142]

So Newport's system, which is basically the same as Parkway but with about million times as much needless vacuum, is good (and looks like a what?!), but the latter is not. And this works how exactly?

Newport's rebuild was a ridiculous waste of money. Not to mention it doesn't fit in with the rest of the area.

No, you've misread my post slightly :P both stations aren't great, but Newport's footbridge is interesting! They're both a nightmare to get out of it.

 

[Eagle]

They're both a nightmare to get out of it.

Do you mean Newport and your aforementioned allegorical female reproductive system?

 

[maniacmartin]

Is there such thing as a non-draughty station? I've yet to find one.

Well that's when Birmingham New St makes it comeback, as it has no natural air at all (so it feels)

 

[Stephen55a1960]

Birkenhead Hamilton Square and every station on the Wirral Loop are pretty miserable stations to be on, although the works at Central have improved it somewhat, but, because I like to be able to see the light of day (assuming I'm not travelling at night) while at a station, these are never going to rank highly on my list of favourite stations.

I also don't like St Pancras - I find it far to difficult to get around - having gotten completely lost trying to get from the tube to the EMT platforms more times than I'd like to remember.


Stations that I do like include:
Handforth, for the wide range of signs visible on the platform
Twerp (or Thorpe Bay for those of you unfamiliar with my signature) because its good for Ivo baiting
Birmingham Moor Street - Aside from being a nice station to look at, the barrier staff are some of the friendliest that I've come across.
Helensburgh Upper. On my one visit there in July, it struck me as being an unusally pleasant station, especially when compared to Central.

Whilst in Scotrail territory - Kilmarnock I like - friendly and helpful staff there. Architecturally it's not great. Best Scotrail station of all - Glasgow Central. Friendly, easy to get around (High Level but not Low Level) and great architecture.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Well that's when Birmingham New St makes it comeback, as it has no natural air at all (so it feels)

I hail from the Midlands, originally, and have never liked New Street station. Customer service staff are very good though - to be fair.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Speaking of Scotland, I was pleasantly surprised by Paisley Gilmour St - it's a complex layout but architecturally very interesting - just a shame it's in Paisley

Of course, it's overshadowed completely by the glimpses you get of the Promised Land to the northside of the line between Shields Rd depot and Cardonald station.