A station oppressed by concrete
New Street Station
New Street has been described as the ugliest, noisiest, smelliest and most unpleasant railway stations in Britain. Passengers feel the weight of the shopping centre and offices above the platforms.
New Street now
New Street often runs close to capacity and many trains have to wait for a platform. Intercity and local trains compete for space.
Millions of passengers pass through the station on their way to and from all parts of the UK.
New Street then
The London and North Western Railway station that opened in 1854 was truly grand with an immense glass-covered roof covering the widest span of all railway roofs at the time. A year later the Midland Railway opened a second station next door.
The whole station was completely rebuilt in 1967 replacing glories with the dead weight of commerce.
Submitted by: Andrew Hunt, 16 October 2004
