Newport Station fails to impress passengers

[merlodlliw]

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/w...n-fails-to-impress-passengers-91466-27786753/ £22M covered doughnut comes to mind

No further comment from a Gog

 

[Dai.]

You know - I actually quite like the station.. I've used it a couple of times and think it's stylish and modern.

 

[Oswyntail]

So, should the new building have included the cafe? If her takings are down, presumably this means that either fewer breakfasts are being bought, or they are being bought in the new facility. This is called commercial competition!

 

[Striker]

£5,000 per week takings running a cafe?! I'm in the wrong business!

 

[Waddon]

Some marvellous buck-passing in that article! Everyone says its down to someone else!

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I think the primary reason (or one of them) is the loss of the Travel Centre, and reduction in the number of ticket windows, which, being fair, is now a standard across the board: how many new/refurbished stations and projects leave the station with less customer services (for example, Lincoln), but then again places like Gourock benefit from such, but, seriously, why go most new buildings (Newport and Smitham) have nothing for passengers? (I know Uckfield has an unoccupied, I think, cafe, but a fully-functional and waiting room!)

Still, suppose I can't complain, East Midlands Parkway has seven ticket windows, and when I went in August, four were staffed during evening peak!

 

[mumrar]

It's hardly surprising that people don't like it. It is a new entrance and bridge/lifts bolted on to an ugly turd of an old station. Things like the pedestrian crossing still being in place for the old entrance don't help either.

 

[richw]

£5,000 per week takings running a cafe?! I'm in the wrong business!

thas not a lot for a cafe business. especially in such a location

 

[moonrakerz]

I used to work in Newport and recently went down there for a pie and a pint with an old workmate who lives locally.

He said another big complaint (doesn't seem to be mentioned in the report) is that the new foot bridge can only be accessed by ticket holders. The old footbridge allowed people living on the north side of the tracks to cross over to get to the town centre. Now these people have walk a considerable distance to cross the railway tracks elsewhere.
When I was there only one gate was not taped off, this one was locked open with one man manually trying to check tickets to both arriving and departing passengers. Eventually he gave that up, but of course there was still chaos as people tried to pass each other through the only gate.
I certainly wasn't impressed. The old station was a bit run-down (left to rot, I suppose) but at least everything worked.

 

[embers25]

The remodelling is a mess. You get soaked walking from train to the bridge, the steps on the bridge are slippy which given given it's in Wales and so very wet is a safety issue and the exit used to be a stright walk into town now the most direct route is through the back of the Travelodge carpark. The signs in the town centre still direct people to the old station entrance which is then a bit of a trek to the new entrance and surely someone should have put up new signs? The platforms are now more spacious (if miles from the entrance) but changing trains normally used to be cross platform or a short walk across the bridge whereas now it can be a hike down to the bridge and back again often resulting in missed trains that previously would have been caught. Finally the entrance itself is very cramped and not spacious at all leading to crowding on rugby days and the barrier staff there seem to spend all their time talking to each other rather than assisting people with the barriers which seem to hate most tickets. All in all a complete disaster and waste of money which has made journeys worse for almost everyone and also for locals as previously mentioned. The cafe before was central and so got lots of passing trade now it gets nothing as it is all alone and most people don't have time to negociate the long walks to and across the bridge to get to it. Notwork Fail should be made to rebuild it from scratch with actual passengers in mind. If they'd done this sort of rebuild at a major station in the SouthEast of England they'd have been forced into a rebuild it is a scandal. Oh wait it's Notwork Fail so why am I not surprised they are allowed to get away with this!

 

[RP]

I had to meet an incoming visitor on 10.12.10 and I spent an hour or so awaiting a very late running service from London, consequently having ample time to consider the shortcomings of the new buildings and bridge. In addition to comments already posted some of these were:
- Little evidence of heating apart from a portable radiant heater. Metal surfaces were very damp and repairs were underway on the footbridge decking.
- There is no clock in either booking hall and the arrivals and departure screens are the only train service information in the booking hall and in a station that sees few terminating trains the information is vitually duplicated but does not anyway give the actual time.
- There are hardly any publicity frames (one of the two there was a Plusbus poster displaying Newport Bus routes at least two years out of date).
- The changes to the station seem incomplete - part of Platform 4 is missing (presumably because of current signalling cabinets which will be removed), some lamp standards not painted, temporary barriers around the foot of the old footbridge staircases, etc. - two months after opening, will the contractors be brought back to complete?
- To my mind the lack of a covered plaform from the booking hall to the existing awning on Platform 1 seems a serious error.
- the whole project seems poor value for money (£22m) when you consider that the proposed multi storey car park and new public footbridge were dropped before work started and the proposed small bus station seems to have been replaced by a large and relatively little used taxi rank.
On another note a notice stated that Platform 4 will be used by most Manchester, Holyhead and Portsmouth trains from Monday 13 December, presumably in addition to Taunton trains.

 

[Nevasleep]

Uppercrust is still in the original position, so out of the way and unknown to anyone who hadn't used the old station.
WHSmith has been moved to the rear entrance building, without any signs.
I'd rather Uppercrust to be on the 2nd floor (like Bristol Parkway), and WHSmith to be in the main entrance building.

Also, no more information/booking office(just ticket windows), which is a surprise, considering it always seemed to have customers in there.
Plus it could do with more ticket barriers.

Despite all that I do prefer the new station

 

[tbtc]

To be fair, it was opened in a rush to suit the golf. Things like clocks and signs can be sorted out relatively simply; the important thing was that the place "functioned" - imagine the headlines if the station wasn't ready for all these tourists and their money?

 

[Greenback]

You are right, the pressure to complete the station in time for the Ryder Cup was huge. However, I have concerns about the suitability of the plans in the first place. I must admit, I was under the impression that the new footbridge and buildings would be used in addition to the old buildings, and that the original entrance would remain in use. It appears I was wrong!

 

[Mojo]

Can someone point me in the direction of a detailed photo album showing all aspects of the new station, especially ones from the inside; all I can find are a few pics of the outside.

 

[danfitz123]

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/w...n-fails-to-impress-passengers-91466-27786753/ £22M covered doughnut comes to mind

No further comment from a Gog

To be honest Newport fails to impress most people. Sorry if anyone lives there.

 

[LE Greys]

First thought was "Ugh, it's another Stevenage"
They've gone and built a structure that everyone will think is hideous in twenty years' time. It's probably going to get pulled down by 2050, to be replaced with something that will also go out of fashion in twenty years.

 

[merlodlliw]

To be honest Newport fails to impress most people. Sorry if anyone lives there.

Agree, went there for a meeting a couple of years ago, prefer to pass through on the rattler

 

[Skimble19]

First thought was "Ugh, it's another Stevenage"
They've gone and built a structure that everyone will think is hideous in twenty years' time. It's probably going to get pulled down by 2050, to be replaced with something that will also go out of fashion in twenty years.

If only Stevenage would get pulled down..! Mind you, having said that it'd probably get replaced with something even more ghastly with no facilities for passengers and just a couple of bus shelters on the platforms! :roll:

If only common sense would prevail, and they'd just build stations with a ticket office (and travel info at larger stations), covered footbridge and decent length canopies on the platforms.. No need for fancy designs that everyone will hate 10 years later either.

 

[oglord]

You are right, the pressure to complete the station in time for the Ryder Cup was huge. However, I have concerns about the suitability of the plans in the first place. I must admit, I was under the impression that the new footbridge and buildings would be used in addition to the old buildings, and that the original entrance would remain in use. It appears I was wrong!

So did I. It seems ludicrous that the original entrance/exit couldn't be retained if only with simple ticket barriers. Plus there's no reason why the existing Victorian footbridge couldn't be used in addition to the modern one.

 

[Greenback]

Yes, Iw as disappointed with the fact that the old station has been 'closed'.

At least the Swansea improvements currently underway utilise the existing entrance rather than creating a whole new eyesore at the other end of the station!

 

[jon0844]

thas not a lot for a cafe business. especially in such a location

And it's nearly all cash, so HMRC must be wondering why they only claim to make £5 a week.

 

[merlodlliw]

And it's nearly all cash, so HMRC must be wondering why they only claim to make £5 a week.

this probably applies to Virgin trains then, there's is all cash for food.