Facilities at Glasgow Queen Street and other stations in Scotland

[fandroid]

Sadly the new M&S is operated by WHSmith under a franchise agreement meaning sky high prices. Shame.

Wouldn't it be run by SSP? They do about 90% of all station outlets under franchise or their own brands, like Upper Crust.

 

[Glasgowbusguy]

Wouldn't it be run by SSP? They do about 90% of all station outlets under franchise or their own brands, like Upper Crust.

WHSmith run all M&S franchise stores in airports , train stations and hospitals they can be spotted quite easily by the fact that if a WHSmith own brand store is near by the M&S won't sell newspapers and magazines

 

[CJSwan]

Sadly the new M&S is operated by WHSmith under a franchise agreement meaning sky high prices. Shame.

Will the prices be comparable with those in the M&S in Waverley? I was in Queen St last night, but on a tight turnaround on the same set, so didn’t have time to venture past the ticket gates.

 

[Glasgowbusguy]

Will the prices be comparable with those in the M&S in Waverley? I was in Queen St last night, but on a tight turnaround on the same set, so didn’t have time to venture past the ticket gates.

Franchise pricing is fairly standard

 

[DailyCommuter]

WHSmith run all M&S franchise stores in airports , train stations and hospitals they can be spotted quite easily by the fact that if a WHSmith own brand store is near by the M&S won't sell newspapers and magazines

It's a mix, SSP operate most but not all of the M&S stores in stations and airports, it's a mix of Compass and WHSmith operated in hospitals.

 

[station_road]

WHSmith run all M&S franchise stores in airports , train stations and hospitals they can be spotted quite easily by the fact that if a WHSmith own brand store is near by the M&S won't sell newspapers and magazines

That isn't correct - the vast majority of M&S travel sites at stations and airports are operated by SSP, WH Smith only operate a small number of franchises (21 according to their website, many of which are at hospitals)

 

[Falcon1200]

Sadly the new M&S is operated by WHSmith under a franchise agreement meaning sky high prices.

Being in a city centre however there are alternatives nearby - Greggs just across George Square (visible from Queen Street!) and Sainsburys in Buchanan Street, for example.

 

[scotraildriver]

Will the prices be comparable with those in the M&S in Waverley? I was in Queen St last night, but on a tight turnaround on the same set, so didn’t have time to venture past the ticket gates.

It's £5.50 for a meal deal and most sandwiches on their own £3.50 - £6.00. The same sandwiches in the M&S foodhall in Stirling are £2 less. I'll be sticking to Greggs or Sainsbury's. Shame they feel the need to rip people off.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Shame they feel the need to rip people off.

Presumably, in part, a consequence of the high rentals payable by the concession holder to whomever is the station landlord at Glasgow Queen Street (= Scotrail?).

 

[matchmaker]

It's £5.50 for a meal deal and most sandwiches on their own £3.50 - £6.00. The same sandwiches in the M&S foodhall in Stirling are £2 less. I'll be sticking to Greggs or Sainsbury's. Shame they feel the need to rip people off.

Same at Wild Bean Cafes - very overpriced.

 

[Glasgowbusguy]

That isn't correct - the vast majority of M&S travel sites at stations and airports are operated by SSP, WH Smith only operate a small number of franchises (21 according to their website, many of which are at hospitals)

Having worked in M&S it was stated often that SSP ran motorway service stations WHSmith ran everything else

 

[eoff]

Wonder why it still has no shops and the station charges for toilets unlike Waverley? I notice the old Burger King at Waverley now just has a door looks to be getting used by the station. Seems facilities at Scotland’s stations is shrinking unlike stations in Europe which are like shopping malls.

Just shows how much I pay attention, didn't realise the toilets were now free in Waverley.
Of course the people who run transport facilities are not there to provide the best environment for passengers but to maximise profit, Waverley long got rid of the nice features like drop-off/pick-up near the platform, on-station short stay parking, taxi rank close to platforms.
I don't go in the shops much in the station, now that W H Smith has hardly any magazines I don't browse and purchase like I used to.

As for Burger King, if they introduced machine only purchases I expect that drove away customers. I never enter outlets in stations or airports pushing for people to use those machines.

Many stations in europe have extensive shopping facilities but quite a few I have been to in the last year have been underground.

 

[Glasgowbusguy]

As with many stations security was the driving force In removing direct car access to stations or near stations

Just shows how much I pay attention, didn't realise the toilets were now free in Waverley.
Of course the people who run transport facilities are not there to provide the best environment for passengers but to maximise profit, Waverley long got rid of the nice features like drop-off/pick-up near the platform, on-station short stay parking, taxi rank close to platforms.

 

[najaB]

Of course the people who run transport facilities are not there to provide the best environment for passengers but to maximise profit, Waverley long got rid of the nice features like drop-off/pick-up near the platform

Which, of course, did nothing to improve the environment for passengers. I really miss the opportunity to be run over, and could never get enough of those exhaust fumes.

 

[frvic93]

It's a bit of a small station but I wish the cafe/shop at Tweedbank would reopen. There isn't much else around right now (at least until the development across the road is complete) so it would be really useful.

 

[railjock]

Speaking of Waverley, anyone know when the East concourse access to the booking hall is opening?

 

[railjock]

Speaking of Waverley, anyone know when the East concourse access to the booking hall is opening?

Now open.

 

[och aye]

Now open.

It's great to see the passage to the Eastern concourse reopened for public access after many decades of it being closed off. In fact I didn't even realise there used to be a passage way to the Eastern platforms until the works were announce. I had always thought that the three arched entrances were for railway and shop/retail personnel only.

 

[eoff]

So how did they do this, is it taking up the space where there were a few rooms for use by Burger King at some point in the past?