Station redevelopments - how are they going?

[daccer]

Can anybody give me an update on the work at Halifax and is it looking any better. I see also that Adonis is planning a trip to Wakefield to see Kirkgate station - have plans been drawn up for the station as it is a dump of note.

On a slightly different note has work at Birmingham New St started yet. I am hoping the work doesnt follow the rebuild at Euston which seems to have fallen away slightly due to economic pressure.

Adonis did point out that during his travels he felt the network's stations were below the standard of the trains running into them. It is part of the travel experience and one that seems to have been overlooked. However with Chris Green et al now on board looking purely at station provision and standards maybe this will be addressed.

It might be of interest if anyone can list work currently being done on stations they know of, plans that are existence for future work and stations that need work doing desperately. If find it quite amazing that after spending 9 bn on the WCML there are still stations such as Crewe and Stafford which need tlc. Branson does have a point when it comes to stations on the WCML.

A general discussion on station provision is well overdue in the country as it has been overlooked for too long and we have made a bit of a horlicks of this important aspect of our railways.

 

[221_108]

I haven't noticed any visible works inside New Street station, there have been some work towards the northern end (lines toward Wolverhampton and Redditch) near to the signal box, but I don't know what this is.

Anyone able to shed any light on it?

The Virgin website is very economical with the details of any further improvements, just some rather interesting looking pictures.

http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/travelling_with_us/at_the_station/station_developments/default.aspx

Virgin does now seem to be focusing their attention on stations with first class lounges being rebuilt/refurbished at Euston, Crewe and Lime Street. They seem to be also increasing car parking spaces, but I feel it is too little too late, unless Virgin put forward some more radical plans to redevelop stations like Stafford, Preston and Carlisle then I believe Virgin’s chances of retaining the franchise will be dented.