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NewSt Station 2015

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About ten years ago someone wrote a 'Night Mail' for the present century. It was either commissioned or won in a competition; the author could surely be found on the internet. I remember watching it on TV, introduced by Melvyn Bragg: a superb piece of film, sound and poetry, set not on the West Coast main line as 70 years before, but on the East Coast main line.
 
If you are at one of the suburban stations linked into New Street, and a non stop train passes the station you here an announcement "please stand back, the next train at platform 1 does not stop here"


I only had a few seconds to take these at Stechford on Sunday





 
Viewfinder said:
About ten years ago someone wrote a 'Night Mail' for the present century. It was either commissioned or won in a competition; the author could surely be found on the internet. I remember watching it on TV, introduced by Melvyn Bragg: a superb piece of film, sound and poetry, set not on the West Coast main line as 70 years before, but on the East Coast main line.
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This updated version as I remember it had some rude words in it and came with a parental guidance warning and was broadcast after 9.00pm
 
More of the media eye opposite the Bullring



John Lewis




Grand Central




Media eye - Stephenson Street now turned on / finished









Behind that media eye

 
I like the atrium. Hints of Gaudi meets Star Trek. Looking forward to seeing it. Viv.
 
Walked up Station Street for the first time since it reopened late last month, was many more people down there than there had been in the past!


Still some bits and pieces to finish off.


Starting off from Hill Street - you can see that this bit of the station is yet to be cladded




Heading down Hill Street like usual




All finished here






A nice welcome from Southside




Down Station Street now - most barriers are gone (apart from the bit at the end). And traffic is back down here (only saw cars)












From Dudley Street

 
Getting close to being finished at the end of Navigation Street. But still to be cladded.

Ghost sign at the now Navigation Street exit



You have to enter the main concourse to get to your platform now




Here's that corner close to Stephenson Street



 
My experience last night of New Street Station.
My sister who had been with me for a few days returned to Oxford last night. We caught a train into New Street and for the first time had to go through the barriers. Noticed a long queue at the unpaid fare window so the barriers are doing their job on improving fare collection.
Went through the barriers on the main concourse
Went through the barriers into the Blue Lounge (Lounge is not the word I would use for this area). Found that the lifts at the A end of the platforms were not yet in use and the escalator was not working (surprise surprise)
Went back through the barriers on to the main concourse as we did not wish to carry luggage down the stairs.
Went though the barriers into the Red Lounge (that's corridor to you and me) to use the lift down to the B end of the platform and walked along the platform just in time to catch the train from the A end to see my sister off.
At this stage we had gone through the barriers four times. My sister had a ticket I was using my bus pass.

Went through the barrier back to the concourse
Went through the barrier into the Yellow Lounge to use the toilets
Went though the barrier back to the concourse. I then heard my train back to Selly Oak announced so
Went to the barrier to get back to the Red Lounge but there was such a mass of people that they opened all the gates and called every one for the Redditch train to go though without stopping. Crowd at top of the escalators but I was one of the few who knew where the lift was.

That was eight time through the barriers. I was glad that I had learned the layout of the station from a previous journey and had a Centro bus pass
 
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Dave M said:
​Most of the Money spent Above the Station.
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Quite right Dave.

As my post #374 suggested, the priority is for the wonderfully designed modern buildings, with the money invested, to create attraction to the very profitable mall area. Any scheme for improving passenger facilities, train services, reduced fares, or overcrowded coaches, appears to be low key.

In the 19th century, Great Britain lead the world in railway construction. Today, we are way behind.

Having travelled on trains in many parts of the world, I would like to see the proposed HS2 London/Birmingham route, a brand new track build, running double deck coaches giving capacity for twice as many passengers. The joke is that we cannot do that. The train will not be able to leave London or arrive in Birmingham, due to the now old fashioned low tunnels and bridges.

I love Birmingham, but cannot see that spending millions of pounds to arrive a few minutes earlier is hardly value for money. It is the current system that has to be overhauled.

Remember that Concorde was built to ensure a shorter arrival time, and look what happened to that. Another wonderful piece of modern design.

Eddie
 
Though I loved Concord, but after seeing it in "Duxford", and though it looked beautiful and majestic, and a wonderful concept of aerodynamic design, I personally would not have paid £4000 to arrive 3 hrs earlier in NY, in an claustrophobic shoe box, with no room to bend, even. Paul
 
Most folk that travelled on Concorde were businessmen/women, so most times the fare was 'expenses', and tax deductible. I did it once, for which the Company paid, and it was very expensive. Just to get there a bit earlier? Not worth it really, but a great experience, and the service from departure to arrival, was first class. although the headroom, as you rightly say Paul, was limited, especially at 6' 2"!

The proposed HR2 London/Birmingham route, will, I suspect, also be a 'business special' with high price travel. Will the majority of rail travellers use it? Only time will tell.

Now that New Street Station has had a huge financial 'makeover', with lots of great photos and comments, perhaps we ought to start an HS2 thread. Get some members views on a subject that will greatly affect Birmingham.

Eddie
 
Eddie I think that this was mentioned some time ago. Any comments at this stage would be speculation and as this is an History Forum may not be appropriate.
 
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ellbrown said:
Grand Central visit yesterday - another view of the atrium and the crowd of people around.









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Went to visit the new station "in the flesh" as it were a week or so ago...very weird, the vibe was almost like the (old) Bull Ring Centre...I suppose it's the way that the shops are arraged on the upper level all around the atrium and the escalator. It made me quite nostalgic for the old spiral ramp by Oswald Bailey's! Good effort though - very impressive!
 
Thanks to all members who over the past 2 years have posted comments and photographs on the thread but we feel it is time to close the thread .
Thanks ,Alberta.
 
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No problem Alberta. Do we need a new post opening thread for the new New Street?

Sorry ellbrown, I meant to close this thread.
We 'admin' think that the subject has been covered and it has now become a discussion about the shopping centre.
Thanks for your contributions, Alberta
 
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