AIBU to let you know Birmingham New Street Station is....

[Bea]

... Absolutely stunning!!
Anyone who had to go through the old New Street Station knew how grim it was and didn't help the reputation of Birmingham but if you could see it now!...
Hats off to all the builders architects etc! It is amazing!!

www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/grand-central-birmingham-opens-public-10121923

I can't get my head around the old entrance, all shiny jagged metal - like being on an acid trip in the 90s and trying to get the train home. It's like three spaceships have landed in Brum, the Bullring, the library and now New Street. I miss the olden days.

I liked the old library too. I have a feeling that knocking it down will be seen as an act of cultural vandalism. I saw it on the BBC series 'The Game' and felt all wistful.

It really is an incredible feat of engineering. I stood and watched a time lapse video of it that they're showing at a little stand on the concourse. Still can't get my head around where the Palisades was and how they got it down! God, what a dump that was at the end.

Don't like the new library though

Oh wow. I was there just the other day thinking how depressing it was as always. I can't wait to see it, might try and engineer a meeting there.
Are there any seats.
Do you still have to go up and down to move from platform to platform, using your phone as a departure board?

I am hoping they have reinstated the shorter walk from Grand Central to Moor St as it was a pita during the works esp with luggage

I can't wait to see it. DH works in town and has been raving about it all week.

If the platforms are still grim then the station is not really very nice yet. That's the bit I think of as the "station", not all the nearby shops etc. Glad it's better upstairs though.

Yes I agree. I was quite happy with the little boots. The misry arose from having to walk down the hell mouth to the platforms. And I always followed the instructions on my phones departure board. And I always them heard a vague rumour that it was wrong and I actually needed to be on platform 167. In 2 minutes time

Stealth there are a few seats dotted around but not many. I sat on one and stared at the ceiling for a while Never did find out if there was a waiting room like the old days. Lots of arrivals/departure boards on the concourse, but they've divided the platforms into 'lounges' knobbish so it reads like '8.08 Wolverhampton, platform 4, Red Lounge.' I imagined a posh lounge like famous people get to use at airports. Never found one of those either

The library is a disgrace. The new one they ran out of money to put books in it right? Vandalism. Just the the distruction of Euston arch.

I love the library - it's amazing

can't wait to see the new station - popping up in a few weeks - I do love Brum

I really, really do not like the Library of Birmingham either.
I know the Madin one is pretty brutalistic, but there was an amazing raw beauty when you were inside- it was like an inverse Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
The new one is meh- just ridiculous. It could have been so good, eco-friendly, passive solar etc etc, and it is just blocky, barbed-wire mess.

Having to walk round the whole outside from moor street is a royal pain in the arse. So yabu imo

Oh! I love the library! I think it's a lovely design!
Oh well! Each to their own!

I don't like the new library, apart from the Shakespeare room (beautiful and amazing how they moved the whole thing from its old home to new), the roof garden and the escalators. The rest is absolutely soulless and in most of it, you wouldn't even know you were in a library. It needs book-related art work, huge posters etc.

If anyone REALLY likes the old Library then Brumhaus have some great art prints based on it. We have a different city scape in our lounge and it's lovely.

Thanks for reminding me about Brumhaus, SellFridges, I'd been trying to think of things to ask for as a birthday present and I'd love one of those prints!

SellFridges
Oooo! The brumhaus prints are really lovely!! Might get one!... Or two!

I went to the John Lewis preview. It all looks great. Brum is expanding so fast

I loved grotty 80s and 90s Brum too, Frank's Wild Records, the punk type shop that sold hair dye, the rag market...

I heard the new library was already asking for donations of books.

I walked through on Wednesday and I was quite excited but then I am an engineer. I have a meeting on Monday in the centre of Birmingham and hoping to get a good look in John Lewis afterwards it doesn't finish too late. Great job to anyone who was involved. I worked on St Pancras and I'm nearly as proud of it as my children. In fact it may have turned out better...

Aww. I love Birmingham. I was born there but have no memory of living there as we moved down south when I was a baby. Spent most summer holidays there though and I have so many happy memories. Love big cities and all their grime and colour. I went to uni in Glasgow and have missed it ever since. Moving back in the next couple of months though!!!! So excited!

Birmingham commuters (I was one for a looong time) need to learn how to use the escalators properly. That is, standing to yhe right and leaving the left hand side free for those of us inevitably going the Birmingham shuffle. That is, changing platforms at the last minute. And the rail stff need to learn to hold trains when 100s of us are told we need to change platforms with less than 2 minutes to spare.

Until the TOCs get their act together, stop charging lime wounded bulls, and train their staff, a railway station is just a railway station. Meh.

New Street isn't a beautiful railway station, lime Manchester Piccadilly or York. It's a shopping centre. And it's in Birmingham during Christmas that you can see why there's such a high level of personal debt. I miss the old rag market. Proper market that was ...