Leeds station is looking a mess

[anti-pacer]

Leeds station is becoming a right mess!

The tracks and the end of Platform 13 (bay platform) are covered in all manner of litter, especially newspaper. This is behind the buffers, so could easily be cleaned at any time (in my opinion). I reported this to the Network Rail reception on the station and was told that it could only be cleaned by someone who was "qualified" as it was on the tracks! Qualified in what? Litter picking? It's behind the buffers, and could easily be done in the early hours when the platform isn't in use!

Also, the number of cleaners in Leeds station seems too low for the size of the station. Both the north and main concourse seating area often have seats with McDonald's bags and the like on them. Off-putting to anyone who wishes to sit on them. The waiting room on Platform 12 where Pumpkin is situated, is a disgrace.

This in my opinion is a negative first impression of Leeds, given the station is a major gateway to the city.

They either need to step up cleaning or provide clear bin liners for people to dispose of their litter properly.

This has been reported to Network Rail on their website, so hopefully things will improve soon.

 

[sprinterguy]

I reported this to the Network Rail reception on the station and was told that it could only be cleaned by someone who was "qualified" as it was on the tracks! Qualified in what?

Personal Track Safety (PTS) for starters.

 

[anti-pacer]

Personal Track Safety (PTS) for starters.

So what's stopping them getting down on the tracks in the middle of the night when the platform is not being used, or do they need 6 months training to climb down 3 feet to the track? :roll:

 

[talltim]

behind the buffer stops
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
The design of the station is poor from a maintenance point of view, the beams get dusty and sooty and there is no easy way to clean them

 

[anti-pacer]

behind the buffer stops
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
The design of the station is poor from a maintenance point of view, the beams get dusty and sooty and there is no easy way to clean them

They could get down on the tracks and clear all that litter away. That would be a start.

 

[t_star2001uk]

I reported this to the Network Rail reception on the station and was told that it could only be cleaned by someone who was "qualified" as it was on the tracks! Qualified in what? Litter picking? It's behind the buffers, and could easily be done in the early hours when the platform isn't in use!

Hows about 'personal track safety'. It doesnt matter if its behind the buffers on a bay platform. A 'PTS' certificate would be needed.

 

[anti-pacer]

Hows about 'personal track safety'. It doesnt matter if its behind the buffers on a bay platform. A 'PTS' certificate would be needed.

So, again, after the trains have stopped running? You can't tell me that nobody is "qualified" to clean it?

 

[YorkshireBear]

Leeds station is a mess from the day it was built. The design is horrendous and i look forward to the day it needs renewing again!

Well to be honest, they probably have bigger fish to fry, and if people didn't drop litter we wouldnt have a problem. Or even if some clear plastic bag bins were installed.

 

[northwichcat]

The rubbish left lying around is due to Network Rail not having bins at major stations which is a result of IRA bomb threats in the 1990s.

Leeds is hardly a bad station. It got a full major refurbishment about 10 years ago while stations like Liverpool Lime Street have only had a partial refurbishment due to there being insufficient funds to fully refurbish the station.

 

[anti-pacer]

Well to be honest, they probably have bigger fish to fry, and if people didn't drop litter we wouldnt have a problem. Or even if some clear plastic bag bins were installed.

Well tell that to a business person travelling to Leeds with a view to invest here, who takes one look at his first impression of the city and thinks "Hmmmmm".

Don't tell me it wouldn't happen as "image" is a major factor of inward investment.

Also, tell that to tourists coming to Leeds for a weekend for the first time.

Can you imagine if the council had that attitude? The streets would be filthy!

 

[northwichcat]

anti-pacer: Have you arrived in Paris by Eurostar? Unless you close your eyes for the 10 minutes prior to arrival at Gare Du Nord you hardly are given a good first impression of the city and yet it doesn't seem to stop people going to Paris.

 

[YorkshireBear]

anti-pacer: Have you arrived in Paris by Eurostar? Unless you close your eyes for the 10 minutes prior to arrival at Gare Du Nord you hardly are given a good first impression of the city and yet it doesn't seem to stop people going to Paris.

Exactly... Same with London and man other cities.

 

[anti-pacer]

Quote from Network Rail's website on the subject...

Litter and fly-tipping on the railway

Find out how we’re removing litter and tackling fly-tipping on the railway to make it safe and your journey more pleasant

We’re committed to cleaning litter and preventing fly-tipping on the railway. It’s a serious problem that not only looks bad, but also affects your safety on the railway.

Litter can attract rats which can chew on signal cables, leading to signal failures, delays and even accidents.

As for first impressions on the city, well the inside of the railway station is often the first impression!

 

[northwichcat]

As for first impressions on the city, well the inside of the railway station is often the first impression!

If you're arriving at Manchester from the west, you get to see a skyline view of the city centre. If alighting at Deansgate (or Oxford Rd on the CLC stopper) then you're near the station exit when you step off the train so if you head straight for the exit then you don't have much time to form an impression of the station, so the view you get approaching Manchester is probably the first impression.

If you're arriving from the Warrington Central direction and are a Man United fan then seeing Old Trafford is probably the first thing you would note, while if you're a Man City fan and arriving from the east then the Eithad Stadium is probably the first thing you'd note.

When you're leaving the city or interchanging you're more likely to get a positive or negative impression of the station as you may be in the station for 20 minutes or more but if you're leaving the city then you've already got an impression of the city.

 

[Gwenllian2001]

anti-pacer: Have you arrived in Paris by Eurostar? Unless you close your eyes for the 10 minutes prior to arrival at Gare Du Nord you hardly are given a good first impression of the city and yet it doesn't seem to stop people going to Paris.

How about Schipol Airport to Amsterdam Central? Everything that's nailed down is covered with graffiti and gives a truly horrendous impression.

 

[northwichcat]

How about Schipol Airport to Amsterdam Central? Everything that's nailed down is covered with graffiti and gives a truly horrendous impression.

There's probably thousands of cities with graffiti problems but maintain a healthy number of tourists. In some cases it's not just what you see out of the train that's covered in graffiti - the exterior of the very train you're on is covered in graffiti
e.g. http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/h...-bahn-passenger-car-sprayed-with-graffiti.jpg
or
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6191/6027047623_0ef009a803.jpg

 

[anti-pacer]

How about Schipol Airport to Amsterdam Central? Everything that's nailed down is covered with graffiti and gives a truly horrendous impression.

Yes but if that graffiti was in a station, it would be cleaned pretty quickly, so I don't understand why track litter isn't.

Unless people up here actually like litter?

 

[Oswyntail]

Exactly... Same with London and man other cities.

London and Paris do have many reasons for going there - business, culture, tourism etc. Leeds actually has very little going for it, and the council seems to want to make it the world capital for 15-year-old-girlie culture. There is no history, no decent architecture, the Playhouse and the occasional Town Hall concert the main cultural attractions. The usual shops, but nothing interesting. And the station fits in exactly - poorly designed, gloomy, overall drab grey, filthy for the most part. A very disappointing gateway to a very disappointing city.

 

[anti-pacer]

London and Paris do have many reasons for going there - business, culture, tourism etc. Leeds actually has very little going for it, and the council seems to want to make it the world capital for 15-year-old-girlie culture. There is no history, no decent architecture, the Playhouse and the occasional Town Hall concert the main cultural attractions. The usual shops, but nothing interesting. And the station fits in exactly - poorly designed, gloomy, overall drab grey, filthy for the most part. A very disappointing gateway to a very disappointing city.

What utter garbage!

 

[northwichcat]

London and Paris do have many reasons for going there - business, culture, tourism etc. Leeds actually has very little going for it, and the council seems to want to make it the world capital for 15-year-old-girlie culture. There is no history, no decent architecture, the Playhouse and the occasional Town Hall concert the main cultural attractions. The usual shops, but nothing interesting. And the station fits in exactly - poorly designed, gloomy, overall drab grey, filthy for the most part. A very disappointing gateway to a very disappointing city.

OK Jimmy Carr.

 

[Oswyntail]

What utter garbage!

OK - show where I'm wrong.

 

[anti-pacer]

OK Jimmy Carr.

Perhaps Oswyntail should actually walk around Leeds with his eyes open.

Victoria Quarter and the arcades are full of shops that many other cities could only dream of.

Architecture? Leeds is full of Victorian and Georgian buildings. Leeds Town Hall is a beautiful building for a start. Look at the Corn Exchange, the Markets building. Modern architecture may not to be your taste, but Bridgewater Place is an iconic building, as is the new arena and many others. The art-deco Queens Hotel is another fine example.

As for culture? Leeds Art Gallery, Henry Moore Institute, 3 theatres, home of Opera North, Leeds International Pianoforte, Opera in the Park, a thriving music scene, the largest Caribbean Carnival outside London.

Places to visit? Royal Armouries, Kirkstall Abbey, Temple Newsam, Harewood House, Lotherton Hall, Thackray Medical Museum. And if you have kids, Tropical World.

The only thing I agree with you on, to a point, is the station.

 

[Mugby]

Quote from Network Rail's website on the subject...

Litter and fly-tipping on the railway

Find out how we’re removing litter and tackling fly-tipping on the railway to make it safe and your journey more pleasant

We’re committed to cleaning litter and preventing fly-tipping on the railway. It’s a serious problem that not only looks bad, but also affects your safety on the railway.

That's an absolute joke from Network Rail when you see the hundreds of miles of scrap rail which they've left lying around for years!

 

[Condor7]

behind the buffer stops
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
The design of the station is poor from a maintenance point of view, the beams get dusty and sooty and there is no easy way to clean them

I could not agree more.
From the first time I saw the new station I knew all the beams, angles, nooks and crannies, girders etc would attract dirt and be difficult to keep clean, and that has proved to be the case.

 

[AndyHudds]

Must say away from the concourse the station is a bit of a dingy hole, but the concourse areas are adequate.

As for Leeds having no decent architecture, I take it you've never been or your standards in architecture are extremely high, the Corn Exchange, Town Hall and as pointed out the Queens Hotel is a great example of art deco style. Even the station concourse is a good example of art deco design.

 

[D365]

That's an absolute joke from Network Rail when you see the hundreds of miles of scrap rail which they've left lying around for years!

[Hypothetical] It's an absolute joke how NR are losing money retrieving scrap rail that aren't worth their metal. They should be spending it where it matters; i.e. the working rails.

 

[WestRiding]

Leeds station is a disgrace for a major station.
1, the roof is filthy, look at the once white roof beams, never been cleaned.
2, platform surface is cracked and filled with polly-filla
3, litter as stated
4, no warming features such as a plant on platforms

To say it cost £millions, it looks appalling, compare it to Manchester Piccadilly done about the same time.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Perhaps someone should have asked the guys in this video to pick up some of the litter as they pass.

 

[JGR]

That's an absolute joke from Network Rail when you see the hundreds of miles of scrap rail which they've left lying around for years!

Those miles of scrap metal aren't going to suddenly become a safety hazard, or start attracting metal-eating rats.

Litter on the other hand can blow about (and get stuck in all manner of things), decompose in stations, attract unwanted wildlife, etc.

 

[Darren R]

Leeds station is a disgrace for a major station.
1, the roof is filthy, look at the once white roof beams, never been cleaned.
2, platform surface is cracked and filled with polly-filla
3, litter as stated
4, no warming features such as a plant on platforms

To say it cost £millions, it looks appalling, compare it to Manchester Piccadilly done about the same time.

Manchester Piccadilly might have been refurbished at around the same time, but the stations being refurbed were built a century apart. Apples and oranges. And besides, Leeds is a damn site busier!

So the roof beams are dirty - well so what? In all my use of the station I've never noticed once. And given the number of diesels stood beneath it any roof is gonna end up a bit dirty!

No plant pots? Well, again - so what? If I wanted palm trees I'd go to Kew! I don't rate a railway station of the magnitude of Leeds by the number of potted plants it has!

The facilities are good, information is good and trains are plentiful - what else do you need!

(That said....
The abscence of anywhere that sells hot food on the station at night often irritates me!)