To intensely dislike Birmingham New Street station

[StealthPolarBear]

The train I am on is stopping there because its running too late and its all change. I know (because I did it on the way down) that I will lug my bag down to the platform I am currently told the next train departs from, only to find with a few minutes to spare that the platform has altered. I will race up to the top, try to get from one side of the station to the other which as far as I can tell is near impossible, clatter down to the new platform with my big bag and cram myself on a train where I will no doubt not get a seat.
Great fun.

are you going anywhere nice

Oh I quite like New Street because our trains always depart from the same platform every week! I’ve had to do what you describe at a number of other stations though and it’s not fun at all so you have my sympathies. Train travel in general isn’t very enjoyable.

YABU. You should have gone upstairs and marvelled at how much money they spent on Grand Central.

Well, "marvel" is one word ....

Yes, home :o thank goodness. I was pleased to get on this train as it didn't involve changing at Birmingham.
I originally thought I disliked the city. Turns out Birmingham is great, its just the station.

I found out I was pregnant w ds1 at Birmingham New Street (not on the platform) so Ive always had a soft spot for it, despite too much time spent fighting my way onto trains there.

It's pure hell with the lid off. You can guarantee you'll get in slightly late to find you're on platform 1, need to be on platform 2,000 and none of the escalators or lifts are working. I may be exaggerating a bit but YANBU

You should stop off and have a glass or two of bubbly outside john lewis. Ease your pain :-)

I love New Street; I find it quite efficient and easy... I hope your change isn't too bad though!

Euston.

Hate the place.

Birmingham is confusing, with the different lounges. I can never work out which ticket barrier entrance leads to all 12 platforms and have to blunder round like a tourist.

Yes yabu, new street is the most amazing place in the whole world

Yanbu, if it's anything like as horribly inconvenient as it was in the early 2000s.

I got horrifically lost trying to get from Moor Street to New Street, took me the best part of an hour . The direction signs stop when you're halfway there, as if they expect you to know you need to go into a shopping centre which doesn't say New Street Station anywhere on it.

It’s like an airport. So different to Moor Street which is down the road and my favourite train station in the UK.

MyVisions I have had exactly the same experience. It’s odd to think New Street is so big yet so difficult to find

It would be nice, if I could figure out my way round it.

Oh yes getting across to the other side of the station. I get so far and then realise there is a huge barrier in my way. I can see where I need to be, but not how to get there.

This time we pleasantly arrived on 9b and got on next train at 9a so nice and easy. But my seat is my suitcase

It was fine until they changed it, and now it's a confusing mess.

At least they got rid of those awful coloured lounges eventually...

Oh my god completely agree. It’s fabulous for eating and shopping but rubbish for catching trains.Platforms are way too narrow for the footfall , not enough escalators and lifts, and the gap between platform and train is often huge! I also have the frequent experience of tripping up and down the stairs only to find my platform has been changed.The redesign was an excellent piece of architecture but I do think they forgot about function!

Birmingham New Street is hell on earth.

I’m going there on Saturday, travelling from Newcastle for a day shopping then back home the next day. I was born in Birmingham and lives there until I was 3. I can’t wait to go!! Hopefully I won’t have too much of a problem getting on the train home!!!!

Oh I love all the shopping. I struggle to find my way to where the train bit is. And I struggle finding the way out to go into Birmingham.

I hate the platform bit but the shopping is nice.

Leeds station is my pet hate. It's shite. Barriers everywhere. No costa. And I get lost EVERYTIME just finding the exit!

I agree that Leeds station is awful!

Leeds is rubbish but I can’t believe you get lost finding the exit! It’s quite small!

I too hate New Street. Every time I see its big shiny body but can’t get there. I can see it, but I can’t get in. It’s so frustrating then inevitabley once I am in I have to leg it for my train as it takes me so long to get in to the place I’m later than I’d like.