New Street frustrations

When Birmingham New Street was Highly Commended in RAIL’s National Rail Awards 2018, I (and I suspect many other users of this station) was flabbergasted.

I renewed my acquaintance with the station recently, when changing between Nottingham and Birmingham International.

I’m pleased to say that the toilets over to one side of the station are now readily identifiable, although hopefully they are not the only toilets in a station of that size. There were a large number of women queuing to get in, which suggests more toilets are needed.

My major gripe is the glass wall dividing the station into two halves. It seems ludicrous, when rushing between trains, to come up against a glass barrier for no obvious reason, then having to retrace your steps back to a set of ticket barriers, go through them, make a detour inside the front of the station, back through another ticket barrier, and then find your way to the steps leading down to the platform you need.

Even though the platform numbers are large and easily identified, finding your way onto

the steps or escalators is blocked by more walls and barriers. On both my journeys through the station, the offending ticket barriers were open, which suggests station staff also regard them as inconvenient obstacles.

I get the impression that foremost in the planner’s brief was producing an impressive retail experience, with the logistical needs of rail passengers very much a minor consideration.

Clearly Network Rail needs to send in experienced rail architects to make the station fit for purpose. Other stations have been modernised successfully, so it should be possible in Birmingham.

Tony Olsson, Nottinghamshire