Sunderland railway station.

[tenpins]

Finally went into the new train station on good Friday, as we were going day drinking in Durham and thats whwre our lass booked the train tickets from. My god that new station is lifting.

No shops or vendors selling food or drinks, other than some machines I saw, although I didn't go over to look to see what they sold, the windows were minging, they've probably never been cleaned since they were installed. Then there was the scratters loitering around just outside, pissed at 12.05pm. 2 of them started screaming and shouting at each other and began booting each other to fuck. Then there was this pissed bloke with one leg in a wheelchair, wheeling around the station mouthing off at people while the lone security guard just stood playing on his phone.

Underground was worse, been years since I've been down by the tracks but what happened to the light display that looked like people walking? It looked like a chessboard with the damaged lighting and no wall animations.

In future I'll just go to seaburn station and avoid town all together. Shame on network rail for that shite.

Said it before, it's like the opening credits of The Equalizer down there.

 

[Zimba]

Aye. The one they used to charge £150 from Sunderland to King's X as one ticket. Or £3 from Sunderland to Newcastle and £50 Newcastle to King's X booked as two separate tickets. Nee wonder nee f*cker used it.

It was only there for ORCATS so LNER could take a chunk of the open Sunderland to London fares. I assume very few people buy them though, as there's exclusive Grand Central ones which they'd get nothing from ie. advances and Grand Central tickets which are cheaper.

 

[Billie Cheemus]

It was only there for ORCATS so LNER could take a chunk of the open Sunderland to London fares. I assume very few people buy them though, as there's exclusive Grand Central ones which they'd get nothing from ie. advances and Grand Central tickets which are cheaper.

I used to use tge 05:39 Sunderland to Kings X, it used to be cancelled loads, so I’d end up driving to Durham and getting on the same train, that had been started from Newcastle instead

 

[southstander]

I used to use tge 05:39 Sunderland to Kings X, it used to be cancelled loads, so I’d end up driving to Durham and getting on the same train, that had been started from Newcastle instead

I preferred the 6:13 from Durham. Taking breakfast orders as soon as I got on and up at the same time if not 5 minutes later.

 

[garyeaststand]

Should have opened up the entire ground floor and let light in, something similar to Darlington

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[Zimba]

I used to use tge 05:39 Sunderland to Kings X, it used to be cancelled loads, so I’d end up driving to Durham and getting on the same train, that had been started from Newcastle instead

Not surprised, must admit if that was me. I'd be heading to Newcastle and jumping on the Flying Scotsman and claiming 50% back with delay repay every single time. It's the first realistic train you could've caught, obviously no use if work pays though.

Should have opened up the entire ground floor and let light in, something similar to Darlington

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Agree with the light, you'd never fit Darlington in though, it's a massive station, those pictures aren't doing it justice there.

 

[garyeaststand]

Not surprised, must admit if that was me. I'd be heading to Newcastle and jumping on the Flying Scotsman and claiming 50% back with delay repay every single time. It's the first realistic train you could've caught, obviously no use if work pays though.


Agree with the light, you'd never fit Darlington in though, it's a massive station, those pictures aren't doing it justice there.

It would mean a larger redevelopment from the current station to three stories etc but it’s possible as that’s how it looked pre war, would just take thinking bigger and the result would be a station the city deserves

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[Zimba]

It would mean a larger redevelopment from the current station to three stories etc but it’s possible as that’s how it looked pre war, would just take thinking bigger and the result would be a station the city deserves

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Aye get you, no arguments from me, agreed to be honest. It definitely should be opened up, especially since the stuff above it is pretty ugly anyway so it's no loss. Be nice if they did, if they could find a way to link St Thomas Street to the Market Square better aswell.

 

[Chunk Love Sloth]

Aye get you, no arguments from me, agreed to be honest. It definitely should be opened up, especially since the stuff above it is pretty ugly anyway so it's no loss. Be nice if they did, if they could find a way to link St Thomas Street to the Market Square better aswell.

I remember it being open in the 90's but I think that was covered over with Nationwide/Poundland/CEX/Costa building,

The more I think about it the more and more it looks like we got the cheapest option possible, there is ways it could have been opened up etc.

The thing is the entrance apparently had £27m of funding, now I know sod all about commercial building works but comparing that to the £14m for Riverside MCP, £42m for City Hall, £36m for the Eye Infirmary, £27m for Culture House or even £8m for Tombola HQ, it doesn't look like we have got any value for money, especially when you think they kept the lifts and stairs in place, and built it on the previous foundations.

 

[citybythesea]

Sunderland needs a direct line to Durham and the east coast mainland reopening

 

[Zimba]

I remember it being open in the 90's but I think that was covered over with Nationwide/Poundland/CEX/Costa building,

The more I think about it the more and more it looks like we got the cheapest option possible, there is ways it could have been opened up etc.

The thing is the entrance apparently had £27m of funding, now I know sod all about commercial building works but comparing that to the £14m for Riverside MCP, £42m for City Hall, £36m for the Eye Infirmary, £27m for Culture House or even £8m for Tombola HQ, it doesn't look like we have got any value for money, especially when you think they kept the lifts and stairs in place, and built it on the previous foundations.

Aye must admit it's a bit before my time, can't remember it being open.

To be honest I think it looks alright but if anything I think they overdone it. The building is just way too big and it doesn't really have a purpose it's just one huge room.

I know the old station was ugly but the old layout was much better imo with shops leading out onto the market place etc. it was just scruffy as an understatement but least it felt like all the space had a purpose. Truth be told I don't think Northern have any idea to do with the huge space either hence there's nothing there.

 

[Will e]

I remember it being open in the 90's but I think that was covered over with Nationwide/Poundland/CEX/Costa building,

The more I think about it the more and more it looks like we got the cheapest option possible, there is ways it could have been opened up etc.

The thing is the entrance apparently had £27m of funding, now I know sod all about commercial building works but comparing that to the £14m for Riverside MCP, £42m for City Hall, £36m for the Eye Infirmary, £27m for Culture House or even £8m for Tombola HQ, it doesn't look like we have got any value for money, especially when you think they kept the lifts and stairs in place, and built it on the previous foundations.

 

[Hank Scorpio]

I used to use tge 05:39 Sunderland to Kings X, it used to be cancelled loads, so I’d end up driving to Durham and getting on the same train, that had been started from Newcastle instead

It always felt a token service tbh. I used the return service (which used to get me back into Sunderland after 11pm) on a few occasions and I was regularly chucked on a taxi at Newcastle instead of the train heading to Sunderland.

 

[Billie Cheemus]

I preferred the 6:13 from Durham. Taking breakfast orders as soon as I got on and up at the same time if not 5 minutes later.

Think it’s the same train, I’ve said before on here that if I had to drive and park at the station at that time of day, it’s actually easier to drive from Grangetown to Durham and get the the train as I could leave later, park at the station, have a pee if I needed one and buy a coffee, none of which I could do in the town at the time.

 

[southstander]

Think it’s the same train, I’ve said before on here that if I had to drive and park at the station at that time of day, it’s actually easier to drive from Grangetown to Durham and get the the train as I could leave later, park at the station, have a pee if I needed one and buy a coffee, none of which I could do in the town at the time.

It was the same train.

 

[Beau Peep]

It was only there for ORCATS so LNER could take a chunk of the open Sunderland to London fares. I assume very few people buy them though, as there's exclusive Grand Central ones which they'd get nothing from ie. advances and Grand Central tickets which are cheaper.

Not half as much ORCATS revenue as they'll have taken from the East Coast franchise over the years, particularly from York to London. However studies have shown that open access has grown the overall passenger numbers and revenue, in stark contrast to the West Coast where there are no OAO. The LNER Sunderland was always a bit of a headline grabbing token effort though.

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43274 Spirit of Sunderland, incidentally still working for Colas Rail on Network Rail measurement train duties.

 

[riffraff]

I remember it being open in the 90's but I think that was covered over with Nationwide/Poundland/CEX/Costa building,

The more I think about it the more and more it looks like we got the cheapest option possible, there is ways it could have been opened up etc.

The thing is the entrance apparently had £27m of funding, now I know sod all about commercial building works but comparing that to the £14m for Riverside MCP, £42m for City Hall, £36m for the Eye Infirmary, £27m for Culture House or even £8m for Tombola HQ, it doesn't look like we have got any value for money, especially when you think they kept the lifts and stairs in place, and built it on the previous foundations.

£27m? Naaaaaah. It’s a feckin conservatory ffs!

 

[Chunk Love Sloth]

£27m? Naaaaaah. It’s a feckin conservatory ffs!

Sorry it was originally announced that they there was £26m for both the station entrance and the Multi-Story Car Park in Holmeside, of which 16.3m came from central government

If we use Riverside MSCP as a base mark as it looked to be a similar design that was £14m to build so that means about £12m was earmarked for the Station.
In the end the MSCP was scrapped for cost reasons and a street level car park was built instead which looks like it cost about £850k from public records, so that means 1 of 2 things

1) Not all the funding came through so it was done on a lot smaller budget, which would account for the MCP was not built and the station looks half finished.
2) There was a massive overspend on something, but I cannot see it being this one.

 

[SAFCTEES]

There’s a Facebook post about the station on Sunderland global Media Facebook page.

Entertaining and amusing comments. With some decent points made at times

 

[Paddy O'Dors]

There’s a Facebook post about the station on Sunderland global Media Facebook page.

Entertaining and amusing comments. With some decent points made at times

The bloke who runs that used to post on here. He was an absolute helmet.