Worcester Foregate Street developments consultation

[jimm]

West Midlands Railway is asking passengers for their views on plans for a ticket barrier line and other alterations in the street level concourse area. At the station on Friday afternoon, with an opportunity to comment online as well

Passengers at Worcester Foregate Street are invited to share their views on plans for the redevelopment of the station.

West Midlands Railway is investing over £1m into upgrading the concourse area and improving customer facilities.....

The public consultation event will be taking place at the station on Friday 15 February, between 1500 and 1830. West Midlands Railway staff will be joined by representatives from West Midlands Rail Executive, and customers will have the opportunity to comment on initial proposed designs for the station.

For those who are unable to attend the event. The proposed plan and a feedback form will be available from Friday 15 February until Friday 1 March at westmidlandsrailway.co.uk/WFSredevelopment

https://www.westmidlandsrailway.co....views-redevelopment-worcester-foregate-street

 

[Bevan Price]

As an occasional visitor to Worcester, it strikes me as silly and potentially dangerous to put barriers somewhere near the foot of the steep narrow staircases from platform level down to street level. It would be safer and much more sensible to have a person checking tickets at platform level.

 

[jimm]

The platforms aren't exactly noted for the amount of space available either and the lifts come up in a completely different place on the platforms from the stairs, which would rather defeat the object in terms of trying to reduce ticketless travel into Worcester - which is generally believed to be at a pretty high level.

Maybe wait to pass judgement until Friday, when the link in the part of the WMR website news story I quoted will become live and you can see exactly what is being proposed in terms of using the space at street level in future.

 

[Llanigraham]

As an occasional visitor to Worcester, it strikes me as silly and potentially dangerous to put barriers somewhere near the foot of the steep narrow staircases from platform level down to street level. It would be safer and much more sensible to have a person checking tickets at platform level.

Where do you get the idea that the barriers will be at the foot of the stairs? The link has no details and states that they won't be available until the end of the week.

 

[jimm]

If anyone is thinking of going along, WMR has changed the post on its website since Monday and the consultation event at the station will now run from 7am to 6.30pm on Friday.

 

[Parallel]

Worcester Foregate Street has a really un-customer friendly layout. Narrow platforms, a claustrophobic stairwell and a slightly unusual ‘concourse’. Ticket barriers I think are needed but they would not be good at the bottom of the stairs as you’ll end up with people queuing up the narrow stairs in the peaks, and the platform isn’t really an option either. Maybe they should modify the ticket office area somehow and see if better use of the space could be made.

 

[Bevan Price]

Where do you get the idea that the barriers will be at the foot of the stairs? The link has no details and states that they won't be available until the end of the week.

It says "at ground level", and given the narrow passageways at ground level, any developing queues will almost inevitably involve the staircases - and create problems for anyone trying to go up to platform level to catch a train.

 

[jimm]

Worcester Foregate Street has a really un-customer friendly layout. Narrow platforms, a claustrophobic stairwell and a slightly unusual ‘concourse’. Ticket barriers I think are needed but they would not be good at the bottom of the stairs as you’ll end up with people queuing up the narrow stairs in the peaks, and the platform isn’t really an option either. Maybe they should modify the ticket office area somehow and see if better use of the space could be made.

The full article I linked to on the WMR website makes clear they are looking at making changes to how the space is used.

Brenda Lawrence, head of stations for West Midlands Railway, said: “The £1m investment being made at Worcester Foregate Street station will significantly improve the experience for passengers travelling to and from the station. We want to build on the current facilities available and modernise the overall feel of the concourse area. While we are working through potential designs and layouts, we are keen to get the input from those who will be using the station everyday, as they will be the main beneficiaries of this work.”

The plans on display will include a provisional layout option for the station, with final designs confirmed at a later date.

It says "at ground level", and given the narrow passageways at ground level, any developing queues will almost inevitably involve the staircases - and create problems for anyone trying to go up to platform level to catch a train.

Again, perhaps you might wait until Friday to see what the scheme involves and how many ticket gates are planned and where, which will obviously be at ground level.

Who says there will there be queues? This is Worcester we're talking about, not Waterloo.

 

[jimm]

Details now available online

https://www.westmidlandsrailway.co.uk/WFSredevelopment