Poor Access to National Railway Museum

[LNW-GW Joint]

I spent some time at the NRM today, and the pedestrian access from York station was truly miserable and third world.

You are penned into a narrow zig-zag and uneven pedestrian route past muddy and noisy road work, and have to use what I think is the back/side entrance to the museum.

Some major road reconstruction is going on, with heavy traffic using single-lane operation right outside the museum.

The museum itself is undergoing major refurbishment, I don't know whether the works are connected.
Either way, not a world class experience today. Maybe it will be better when the tourist season starts.
There is some kind of shuttle bus in operation, every 30 minutes I think, but not sure what its route is.
The exhibits are as wondrous as ever, of course.

 

[WibbleWobble]

Not only is the museum being refurbished and expanded, it will fill the gap currently occupied by Leeman Road, along with a large public realm area at the front. It is part of a much bigger regeneration project called York Central.

The bus - well land train - runs from the museum to the Minster.

 

[DarloRich]

Some major road reconstruction is going on, with heavy traffic using single-lane operation right outside the museum.

it has been going on for a long time - it is part of a major redevelopment of the area around the museum - an explains why access is so difficult at present.

The museum itself is undergoing major refurbishment, I don't know whether the works are connected.

they are not connected irc

and have to use what I think is the back/side entrance to the museum.

in the olden days the entrance you used was the main entrance. It has come back into use as the station hall part of the museum is being redeveloped. The main entrance was connected to that part of the museum so has been demolished

Not only is the museum being refurbished and expanded, it will fill the gap currently occupied by Leeman Road, along with a large public realm area at the front. It is part of a much bigger regeneration project called York Central.

irc the Museum work is separate to the redevelopment of the area.

There is some kind of shuttle bus in operation, every 30 minutes I think, but not sure what its route is.

The land train thing runs to near the minster. Walking access is easy from the station via the dedicated path and footbridge

 

[DerekC]

Will all this be finished in time for Rail 200?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Will all this be finished in time for Rail 200?

"Railway 200"? That's late September, isn't it?

 

[WibbleWobble]

irc the Museum work is separate to the redevelopment of the area.

There's two separate projects: the renovation of the Station Hall, and the new entrance building and public realm. The latter is being delivered as a part of the redevelopment of the area, but was planned way before the scheme was established.

 

[DarloRich]

There's two separate projects: the renovation of the Station Hall, and the new entrance building and public realm. The latter is being delivered as a part of the redevelopment of the area, but was planned way before the scheme was established.

Brilliant - that's it - thank you!

 

[Spartacus]

Try getting stuck at the lights there, you can be stood for four minutes if you time it wrong.

 

[lauderlight]

The whole York Central teardrop area has been a mess for a couple of years, with little signs of progress until recently.

There is another set of temporary lights further up Leeman Road as it turns to dive under the ECML. It'll be interesting to see what happens when a third track is put in next to the ECML for the Harrogate line - the bridge has a low clearance already. The Leeman Road area residents have lost their regular bus service(number 10) as FirstYork's electric buses are too big to fit under it. When Leeman Road is shut, residents will have to walk around the NRM to get into town.

The company doing the works are the same company doing the York station gateway improvements in Queen Street. Another eyesore - the Queen Street bridge was removed pretty quickly but the works seems to have slowed down since then.

The new road from Water End (Severus Curve - where the ECML meets the avoiding lines) to the new public square in front of Station Hall - was meant to be built by December 2023, so I can't see the new NRM bit being built by September 2025. If they shut Leeman Road before the new road is built the residents in that part of York will riot.

 

[IanXC]

The whole York Central teardrop area has been a mess for a couple of years, with little signs of progress until recently.

There is another set of temporary lights further up Leeman Road as it turns to dive under the ECML. It'll be interesting to see what happens when a third track is put in next to the ECML for the Harrogate line - the bridge has a low clearance already. The Leeman Road area residents have lost their regular bus service(number 10) as FirstYork's electric buses are too big to fit under it. When Leeman Road is shut, residents will have to walk around the NRM to get into town.

The company doing the works are the same company doing the York station gateway improvements in Queen Street. Another eyesore - the Queen Street bridge was removed pretty quickly but the works seems to have slowed down since then.

The new road from Water End (Severus Curve - where the ECML meets the avoiding lines) to the new public square in front of Station Hall - was meant to be built by December 2023, so I can't see the new NRM bit being built by September 2025. If they shut Leeman Road before the new road is built the residents in that part of York will riot.

There will be a walking route through the NRM during more than its opening hours (but not 24 hours).

Queen Street bridge - they're doing soil and structural analysis. Unless you'd prefer they took down what remains of the Queen Street bridge and brought the City Walls down with it?!

 

[mike57]

I spent some time at the NRM today, and the pedestrian access from York station was truly miserable and third world.

The work has been ongoing, I don't have a problem with things being messy while improvement works are ongoing, but the timescales seem ludicrously long with very little progress. I suppose it's all part of the national inability to actually get on with a job and get it finished. You see the same problem everywhere

 

[Spartacus]

The work has been ongoing, I don't have a problem with things being messy while improvement works are ongoing, but the timescales seem ludicrously long with very little progress. I suppose it's all part of the national inability to actually get on with a job and get it finished. You see the same problem everywhere

I suspect a big reason behind it is that access must be maintained throughout. You've got York ROC, Royal Mail, Transpennine, NRM, housing and other businesses all within the works, not to mention the station car parks, with access to the ROC and car parks right in the middle of it. Plus there's the limitation imposed by the low bridges at either end and an operational railway.

 

[Magdalia]

Funding announcement from Department of Culture Media and Sport today:

Yorkshire attractions to get £30m in funding

The money is part of the government's Plan for Change programme.

www.bbc.co.uk

Various culture projects across Yorkshire are set to receive million of pounds of government funding to boost jobs, tourism and regeneration.

The "critical" funding includes £15m for the National Railway Museum in York, £10m for the British Library North in Leeds and £5m for the National Poetry Centre, also in Leeds.

The National Railway Museum funding will go towards the construction of a new building, which will include a new entrance to the museum, a new gallery, shops, cafe, flexible event space and new visitor facilities.

The museum is part of a wider regeneration scheme in York to transform underused railway land into a new city quarter which could create more than 3,000 new homes and more than 6,000 new jobs, according to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government.

 

[mike57]

Funding announcement from Department of Culture Media and Sport today:

Good to see the NRM getting some of the funding. I am not sure that £15m will even touch the sides of their aspirations, but hopefully it opens the way to other funding. On my last visit to York two weekends ago the area around the front of station is finally starting to look better, however the access in the direction of the NRM is still pretty much a building site.

 

[NER1621]

I am not sure that £15m will even touch the sides of their aspirations,

IIRC the £15m is the last piece of the funding jigsaw, adding to the funding already raised/secured. Recent uncertainty from HMG as they indicated that they were rethinking this funding has caused unnecessary delays (and probably therefore increased costs so I suspect some of the Great Hall improvements will have to be value-engineered as a result.) The usual story of the Treasury knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing.

 

[43096]

The usual story of the Treasury knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing.

You mean choices having to be made about where the Government spends scarce funds. Cutting hospital waiting lists (as but one example) is orders of magnitude more important than a rail museum's vanity project.

 

[DarloRich]

IIRC the £15m is the last piece of the funding jigsaw, adding to the funding already raised/secured. Recent uncertainty from HMG as they indicated that they were rethinking this funding has caused unnecessary delays (and probably therefore increased costs so I suspect some of the Great Hall improvements will have to be value-engineered as a result.) The usual story of the Treasury knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing.

I think we need to be sensible - that funding has been secured and access remains free are the key positives to take. The government are rightly looking ta where tax payers money is spent.

You mean choices having to be made about where the Government spends scarce funds. Cutting hospital waiting lists (as but one example) is orders of magnitude more important than a rail museum's vanity project.

Correct!

 

[mike57]

Cutting hospital waiting lists (as but one example) is orders of magnitude more important than a rail museum's vanity project.

I disagree, I believe that maintaining and enhancing our museums that are nationally (and internationally) important is a good use of money. Preserving our history and making it accessable isnt something you can put a monetary value on, but the fact that it educates and enriches has to be a huge positive and is very important. For example young people (or even older ones...) visiting may be encouraged to pursue a career choice, or volunteer. At a simpler level it encourages visitors to York and helps the local economy.

To address the hospital waiting list issue in comparison, no amount of money will sort that, the problems are structural and embedded, but that a different arguement and not for here.