Birmingham New Street: From Victorian Glory to Modern Eyesore

[@andrewlong6438]

The station that many Brummies miss is Snow Hill which is very different from the station which closed in the 1970s and reopened as a stopping point on the tram line.

[@AussiePom]

On my first visit to the UK in 2000 I caught an HST from Taunton to New Street changing there to get a train to Cannock. I got off the HST in New Street and thought what a dark dingy unwelcoming place this is and was glad to board the 158 to escape it.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

The platforms are still dark, claustrophobic, unwelcoming and fume-laden. So, the Grand Central development did very little to improve things. The money was spent on the wrong location.

[@nirgunapa56]

The platforms are still rubbish, poorly lit and claustrophobic. Its yet another version of the modern trend for railway stations to be commercial shopping centres. A trend I hate.

[@mattevans4377]

Shops aren't a bad thing. It's a way to make money for the railways, which can be a good thing, especially with a tight fisted government that refuses to invest. However I agree it's been executed poorly. Honestly, it's the modern slogan for Britain: Good idea, executed poorly

[@sollyolly9547]

@@mattevans4377 Er, the money from the shopping doesn't go to the railways...if only. It's a 'triumph' (if that's the word) of capitalism over service. Privatisation gone mad. And we've seen how that ends up...water, gas, electricity, railways...what a disaster. Other than for the rich!

[@mattevans4377]

@@sollyolly9547 As I said, it's been done poorly

[@savagegaming4133]

capilitize everything including public services, thats the reality we live in

[@hammertime4437]

At least Birmingham New Street station still exist today. There were many large beautiful Stations demolished and gone forever in the 1960's. Nottingham Victoria Station on the former Great Central Main Line to London was one example of this.

[@davidgrainger5378]

No mention was made of the fact that the old New Street Station was actually two stations side by side. When the Station Master got bombed out of his office during the War he just moved across to his other office. In the 1960s station if I was meeting someone off the train I would say meet you at the barrier. Now there are 7 sets of barriers

[@Glenn1967ful]

I don't know why they can't, like Glasgow Central, use certain platforms for long distance trains and do away with the barriers. They're a nuisance if you have a computer generated ticket as sometimes they can't read the barcode.

[@dantematt2439]

If natural light didn't extend to the platforms.. it sucks.

[@alanrobertson9790]

The 1960s station was bad but the redevelopment has done little for the platforms only the concourse. The solution would be to demolish what is on top and have some daylight. Sadly it won't happen but we should resist any other stations having buildings placed on top of them. Having only known Birmingham New Street from 1970s onwards the pictures of the early station is a revelation. Such a shame.

[@Ryan1992channel]

I travel though New Street Regularly on my way to work. Grand Central maybe impressive but the station still has issues that was never addressed during the refurbishment. Also with on the platforms have been done there is still the issue of lack of space during peak times & the at some point there to many trains & not enough platforms forcing trains to wait in the approach tunnels which delays are exacerbated if one train is even a few minutes late. I would propose 2 new platforms on the left of platform 1 & to the right of platform 12 bringing the total to 14. To help with the room issues. I would remove some of the staff crew rooms. (Not all of them) on the platforms that sees the most busiest times. But I have more plans for railways in the West Midlands but that is what I’d do with New Street.

[@malcolmmuir1504]

John Lewis has closed that store. There isn’t a John Lewis in Birmingham.

[@sollyolly9547]

Exactly this. A total failure. So much for Brandy Andy Street...! It's just New St Station with a commercial hat on it.

[@fuzzynutter8344]

I don’t mind the latest iteration of New Street due to its architecture, concourse space and the massive improved platform lighting. What has worsened compared to the 60s version though is the way-finding and the fact there are now different routes and gate lines to some of the platforms. I often get lost at New Street despite having used the latest version dozens of times.

[@Hacienda_27]

Best railway channel on KZbin idc

[@TrainsTrainsTrains]

Thank you so much, your support is wonderful.

[@frogandspanner]

4:04 "Bringing light back into the heart of the station". It has not. The station is where the trains are, and that is as dark and dismal as before, with PM10s from the many diesel trains polluting the lungs of troglodyte travellers. The _consourse_ , as this video calls it, is part of the shopping centre, and a thoroughfare from Stephenson Street to Hill Street/Station Street - not somewhere exclusively for travellers. And John Lewis closed a few years ago. For arrivers at New Street, unfamiliar with the station, it is now worse than it was. There are several island exits one might pop out of. To get a taxi it used to be simply up the escalator from the platform, and straight ahead, 20 paces from the exit. Now one must navigate in and out of coloured zones, with heavy luggage, to find the taxi now an extra 250 m walk away. Travellers tend to have heavy bags, but our modern railways seem to be aimed at high-profit commuter traffic. The shopping centre is an improvement, but the station - the bit where you catch the trains - is worse.

[@deanobucket123]

Controversial, but I have always liked the cave like platform's at new street, and just wish it had the variety of diesel locos and the valenta hsts going through it still. Can't beat getting lungs full of diesel fumes form the 220's and 221's. 😂

[@petertromans5599]

It does help to make Moor Street look like paradise. The vandals managed to destroy Snow Hill as well.

[@BenNeill]

Moor street is definitely the nicest of the three. It's interesting seeing all three periods in Birmingham, but given the choice I know which one I want to walk through😄

[@johnjephcote7636]

I remember old Euston. One could read its stages of development by the architecture of the roof and the names given unofficially to the various lines. I worked at the new, concrete one, dar and cold and no loveley Great Hall repainted in the original colours by British Railways, or the Propyleum outside.

[@dpld70]

What a truly amazing video. Jusr brilliant 👏

[@StrawberryStationMusic]

New Street is a perfectly cromulent place to go if you're just shopping. Nothing special, kind of shiny, if you want dull chain shops you've got more options down the road at Bullring but if you're in a rush for time it'll do. For its actual primary purpose - catching trains - it's still a rotten, dingy, claustrophobic experience and, as others have said, the redevelopment has somehow managed to make the process of finding your platform more confusing and convoluted. They essentially spent the sharp end of £1 billion to make the shopping a bit better and give a bit more natural light to the concourse (but not the platforms of course - they just get hospital lighting that makes you wonder if you're about to catch a train or receive an IV drip). It's the very definition of a polished turd.

[@frogandspanner]

At least one can avoid a polished turd if careful, but I can't avoid New Street.

[@LesD9]

Oh dear....John Lewis closed at the pandemic and never reopened. And the development cost 750 million POUNDS not dollars. Next you'll be telling us that the Curzon Street dice is another example of Victorian 'glory' that needs preserving.

[@edwardedwards5402]

It's still a dump at platform level, dark and fume laden 😢 Terrible place !

[@PLTFishing]

Nice sharing

[@distinctdipole]

I remember having to change trains there a lot in the late 80s and 90s. I always felt like I was in some cramped warren and blowing my nose after leaving would be grim with diesel exhaust.

[@june1935]

i miss the old concorse. i have only seen photos of the midland railway and the london and north western railway stations. i miss the shops and the big board right oppositie the entrance to the shops above. i also miss the waiting rooms that where on the platforms blocking out the loud noises of the trains instead of all this openness in which i sometimes wish for ear plugs. i also miss the old cadbury vending machine. dose anyone remember these?

[@huwprice881]

The new development is an utter mess of confused signage, dingy, smelly, unwelcoming platforms and a shopping centre above that has almost as many security staff and police as it has passengers / customers. What a mess.

[@trentjunction5676]

Welcome to Mordor..... Great video

[@nicksurface3513]

Lord Sauron bids thee welcome.

[@MrVorpalsword]

Sorry, I think the newest development is WAY below par. You need light and ventilation of diesel fumes down on those platforms. No light because they didn't want to lose retail footprint, I think it is really sub-standard, in an architectural style that may have been fashionable for a fortnight a few years ago. Try again.

[@petercastell4450]

I agree with previous comments the upper level might be sleek and modern but down at platform level it's awful with narrow platforms that are not fit for purpose

[@ellrbrown]

Looks like some of my photos. Yes John Lewis closed for good in 2020 and being redeveloped into The Drum.

[@jonathanwhiteland]

Absolutely fascinating to see all those pictures of the glorious pre-60s station. As others have said in the comments, today’s station has many issues - the reek of diesel fumes that permeates the concourse being my personal bug bear. The giant LED “eye” screens on the facade have been broken for months. And we now have the Commonwealth Games animatronic bull inside which further reduces the concourse space. It’s still a really hard station to love!

[@mattscudder1975]

Since when did British building projects get costed in dollars?

[@dgattenb]

the platforms are still dark and horrible ,,, the grand central bit is like a maze of shops... all out of sync with each other .... nasty place

[@JANGLEPOP1]

If that is called progress then you can shove it! Thank You for posting the video.

[@MariaMartíneztriiviño]

Why does the text ruin the video?

[@AnthonyHandcock]

Nasty, horrible, fume filled hole that gives me a migraine if I have to be down there more than a few minutes. The only train station that I can honestly say I hate.

[@Glenn1967ful]

Nothing can be as ugly as Stafford station with its rusting footbridge and dismal concrete buildings. This is probably the ugliest station on the WCML, closely followed by the other dismal sixties rebuilds at Euston, Nuneaton, Lichfield, Tamworth and Warrington Bank Quay. Wolverhampton used to be bad, but a partial redevelopment has saved it.

[@metatron007]

Ball's... It is still the same old horrid hole of a station = 100% Fact

[@WattRosemary-i1t]

Martinez George Davis Mary Garcia Anthony

[@robtyman4281]

The extensive remodelling kind of addresses some of the 1960's mistakes - but didn't really solve all the issues completely. It's no longer an ugly mess of a station, but neither is it a substantial improvement. The truth is that Birmingham is not a major global city. In fact the only real 'major global city' in the UK is London. Birmingham is kidding itself if it thinks it's a major global city. Even Manchester is not. And London is also the only UK city capable of hosting the Olympics.

[@archiebald4717]

It is hideous.

[@orangeblue5587]

And still, I don't like the new station. All the modern station designs and cold and not welcoming.