duffield
Established Member
They give me a swimming pool vibe for some reason.
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Leeds Station Improvement
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D6130
Established Member
I thought that they were score cards for passengers who were unfortunate enough to go skating on the wet tiled floor of the footbridge during the recent extremely wet weather!
Not seen it reported here, but they are making progress with the works on New Station St. and Bishopsgate
Recent postings with photos on Skyscraper City can be seen here-
www.skyscrapercity.com
Recent postings with photos on Skyscraper City can be seen here-
Leeds City Station
YorksLad12
Established Member
Another change the last few days seems to be the splitting of the ticket office into two queues: day sales (as normal) and advance sales. Does that mean the end of the other office? I'd be surprised if not; I was regularly the only person in there when I went to renew my season ticket on a Saturday. Or maybe they just want a rest from all of the work outside...
Can you actually still get into the travel centre from the outside?
YorksLad12
Established Member
Not sure; last time I came in via the concourse. In theory, the doors should lead onto the part of the forecourt that hasn't been dug up (yet). If you can't get in that way then it wouldn't be accessible, so that might be why it's done (plus usual discussions regarding busyness of ticket offices).
I used to go and do my advance business in New Pudsey rather than deal with the queues in the travel centre. Times have clearly changed.
ASharpe
Member
Two engineers were working on the south entrance escalators this morning and by my return this afternoon all were running again. So I only have myself to blame for missing the 1626.
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I don't think they look terrible. They're good clear signage (and better than frosting over the glass).
ASharpe
Member
Does it bother anyone else that the clock on the northern concourse is about 3 minutes slow?
The clocks on the new box/help point by the main entrance are not a lot better.
The clocks on the new box/help point by the main entrance are not a lot better.
YorksLad12
Established Member
Does anyone know what work took place this weekend in the short-stay car park being used as the taxi rank? Taxis were laying over in the Princes [sic] Exchange car park until this afternoon. I couldn't see anything from my garret, but it sounded as if white lining was taking place.
They're changing the arrangements for pick up/ drop off round the rear. Unsure of the precise details but they were painting lines this morning.
The old short stay will be a 3 lane loop, one for pick up/drop off and one for Hackney carriage taxis, middle lane to depart.
Attachments
Signs, I presume.What are all those green Sxx boxes? Am I being thick?
Probably right, I just saw one of them pointing to a large orange and red box and didn’t know what the red was all about.
YorksLad12
Established Member
Thanks both. Interesting... and weird. So the current drop-off zone will close? Feels like the arrangements change every 9 months or so at the moment!
The recent arrangements were pretty poor and caused havoc at busier periods so it makes sense for them to be amended. Hopefully this will be the last time for a while...
I used to book loads of Advance tickets in the travel centres at Leeds all the time, it was a really convenient place to do it without being hurried, though queues weren't exactly quick. In the days when all your delay repay claims were done by mail, and before bank transfer etc. was offered. Good times, funny to think I used to buy Advance tickets and tickets with particular seat bookings over the counter all the time, and now I can't remember when I last did it.
YorksLad12
Established Member
I think a bit more work might be needed. There used to be a row of cones to stop people parking up. All they did was park up a bit further way from the kerb, almost into the opposite lane. Those cones have now been moved to outside the multi-storey, and the space used by taxis waiting to enter the rank, although there seem to be more of them than there used to be - I've seen more than 10 trying to turn and park up.
Trouble is, it's not a marked, dedicated taxi layover spot, so they have to mix it with private hire vehicles and private cars who park up willy-nilly. One private car and a PHV almost came together this afternoon while one was turning round at the multi-storey entrance/exit (not helped by a vehicle tucked into the Princes Exchange park exit). That caused a few issues for the taxis waiting to leave the layover queue, and those waiting to enter it, and anyone else wanting to get past.
Cars are dropping off on the sort-of roundabout near the now-closed drop-off area; and in the loading bay; and on the approach to the multi-storey (as previously); and blocking the entrance to the actual pick-up and drop-off area (which doesn't help the taxis turning right from the queue). And on Wellington Street inbound (really!), Whitehall Quay, Boar Lane and King Street. None of this is being policed in any way. There's no more space to do anything though, unless the whole ground floor of the multi-storey is turned over to waiting (say 15 minutes free, maximum one hour), with on-street waiting banned for private and PHV cars.
Or, they could have opened up the space in front of The Queens (which has double yellow lines on it, bizarrely, given that it only for The Queens) for taxis only to use.
Gripe over
I see that they've refurbished the loos on platforms 12 - 16 and they've made a nice job of it.
They're much brighter and less dingy than previously and there wasn't a problem with the contactless flush continually flushing when sat down. I also like the fact that they've retained some of the old tiling - no point wasting money.
My criticism - nowhere to put/hang your bag. I hate having to put my rucksack on the floor of public toilets.
They're much brighter and less dingy than previously and there wasn't a problem with the contactless flush continually flushing when sat down. I also like the fact that they've retained some of the old tiling - no point wasting money.
My criticism - nowhere to put/hang your bag. I hate having to put my rucksack on the floor of public toilets.
Spartacus
Established Member
- Joined
- 25 Aug 2009
- Messages
- 2,928
Pretty standard these days. Apparently it means there's usually nowhere to hang yourself either.....
Crikey have they stretched them across the track between 15 & 16?
Those hooks could just about take the weight of my rucksack. The whole door would fall out with the weight of a person.
Crikey have they stretched them across the track between 15 & 16?
To be fair, they are technically still between platforms 12 and 16 !
Of course. It made me giggle thinking that someone had looked at the plans sideways and decided to extend them across the track.To be fair, they are technically still between platforms 12 and 16 !
It reminds of something from about 25-30 years ago. Way back when the S&C platforms were being raised the platform at Long Preston was also due to be lengthened. Somehow the plans were mixed up and they resurfaced them to the current platform dimensions rather than the raised/lengthened plans hence the low 3 car length platforms that I believe still exist today!
Oh dear. To be fair, I've not noticed the jump to be too bad at Long Preston !
It’s not too bad but noticeable compared to the other stations (Horton on the up excepted of course!). The wonderous days of Railtrack subbing.
Sorry driven it off thread. At least Leeds station is getting some TLC. I always feel that the Leeds 1st rebuild although good at the time hasn’t dated too well. The new entrance and other incremental upgrades such as the toilets will help to improve it.
Well Leeds 1st is over 20 years old and footfall has almost trebled in that time (and way beyond what Leeds 1st was designed for)
I think a bit more work might be needed. There used to be a row of cones to stop people parking up. All they did was park up a bit further way from the kerb, almost into the opposite lane. Those cones have now been moved to outside the multi-storey, and the space used by taxis waiting to enter the rank, although there seem to be more of them than there used to be - I've seen more than 10 trying to turn and park up.
Trouble is, it's not a marked, dedicated taxi layover spot, so they have to mix it with private hire vehicles and private cars who park up willy-nilly. One private car and a PHV almost came together this afternoon while one was turning round at the multi-storey entrance/exit (not helped by a vehicle tucked into the Princes Exchange park exit). That caused a few issues for the taxis waiting to leave the layover queue, and those waiting to enter it, and anyone else wanting to get past.
Cars are dropping off on the sort-of roundabout near the now-closed drop-off area; and in the loading bay; and on the approach to the multi-storey (as previously); and blocking the entrance to the actual pick-up and drop-off area (which doesn't help the taxis turning right from the queue). And on Wellington Street inbound (really!), Whitehall Quay, Boar Lane and King Street. None of this is being policed in any way. There's no more space to do anything though, unless the whole ground floor of the multi-storey is turned over to waiting (say 15 minutes free, maximum one hour), with on-street waiting banned for private and PHV cars.
Or, they could have opened up the space in front of The Queens (which has double yellow lines on it, bizarrely, given that it only for The Queens) for taxis only to use.
Gripe over
I believe there is supposed to be some marshalling employed but they aren't there full time.
Space in front of the Queens (the exit in particular) is controlled as City Square is pedestrianised. Even before Covid private hire used it as a pick up/drop off which caused a few issues for the Queens as well as traffic flow.
Pick up and drop off at Leeds will always be an issue because of the location, particularly with the car park area being the only space for extra platforms going forward. Even with forthcoming work over the next few years at Leeds station (both trackside and the concourses etc) pick up and drop/integration with onward travel is not easily solved - the location is absurdly constrained and the area around the station and approaches have been heavily developed.
The HS2 station provided the option for vastly improved integration with mass transit/bus/taxi & private vehicles - without that then I'm not sure of how to provide a solution tbh which is why (along with a lack of expansion options for the existing approach tracks) there is still the call for a t-shaped station from LCC/WYCA/TfN etc even if it would be a smaller footprint.
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Indeed. There are many aspects of the turn of the century refurb that I think still work well - the train shed, transfer deck and refurbished North concourse in particular, but we're getting on for a quarter of a century so some TLC will understandably be due.
It's still a hell of alot better than what there was beforehand (the dingy subways for a start!)
Tbh the incremental improvements (opening up the Southern Concourse roof, platform 0, southern entrance etc) have done the best they can but there's alot more that needs doing. I know there's work planned although I doubt what is needed will be fully funded and Leeds will get a bargain basement version!