Bristol Temple Meads Award

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

"Bristol's Temple Meads station has won a national award. It was named major station of the year at the National Rail Awards. The 130-year-old station beat off competition from Edinburgh Waverley and London's Liverpool Street to win the award.

Temple Meads narrowly missed out on the accolade two years ago when judges felt its travel centre with only three serving positions was inadequate. But this year on the day the judges visited the station there were five staff on duty at the centre, four new fast-ticket machines and no queue. The judges rated several things at the station as outstanding and particularly praised the catering. They also commented on the range of facilities for passengers which include a new indoor help desk on platform three.

The judges of the contest also praised the station's staff, describing them as "helpful and smart". And they said the station, which first opened in 1878, had "a general mood of calm amid the bustle".

For full details, see http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Bristol-Temple-Meads-wins-national-title/article-342952-detail/article.html

[tramway]

Chris

I spotted that recently, but at the moment cannot remember where, but it was an interesting comment regarding the "...mood of calm...", whether that says something about the general attitude of West Country people or not I'm unsure. 

[bemmy]

It's fair to say that the staff at Temple Meads are generally helpful, friendly and good humoured, and the standards of customer service and facilities available today are a vast improvement on years gone by. Of course it helps that westcountry folk are nicer to begin with! 

My only reservation about the station is that I would never leave a bike there again, having had two nicked from platform 4 in front of the so-called police station.

But all in all I'm sure it deserves the award, I get the impression there are a lot of staff there who take a genuine pride in their work.

[miniman]

Good grief, it's overcrowded, there aren't enough ticket sales options (despite the report finding "no queues" - presumably they visited at midnight?), there's nothing decent to eat or drink, virtually nowhere to sit, it's sat next to a derelict sorting office, it has an unused conveyor bridge spoiling the general atmos... I could go on! Paddington is a much more pleasant place, and that's coming from someone who prefers root canal work to going to London.

[Timmer]

sorry, but as far as stations go, BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)) is far from my favourite station. No matter how much they do it up, I still think its dark and depressing.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Ahem! 

If you want to see 'dark and depressing', mate, go to Birmingham New Street! 

[Chris from Nailsea]

However, on a more serious note 

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are apparently going to spend a lot of money on the 'travel centre' at BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)) - well, to be fair, it's not really even a 'travel centre' at the moment?  This will involve improvements to the service positions, fast-ticket machines and information screens.  I look forward to seeing those improvements!

And in the meantime - as I've mentioned here before - the barrier and ticket office staff at BTM have always impressed me with their friendly, helpful and cheerful attitude.

C. 

[bemmy]

Good grief, it's overcrowded,

It's an important station, so it gets crowded at busy times.... to be fair it could be improved if all the passengers didn't have to be squeezed through the eye of a needle at the ticket barriers. But if you can't handle a few hundred people milling around, try Pilning.... 

there's nothing decent to eat or drink,

Compared to the gourmet options available at other stations.... 

virtually nowhere to sit,

I have difficulties if I stand for any length of time, but I can usually find a bench somewhere on the platform. (Unlike at Paddington....)

it's sat next to a derelict sorting office, it has an unused conveyor bridge spoiling the general atmos...

To misquote Basil Fawlty, what did you expect to see from a Bristol station platform? Sydney Opera House perhaps? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically.....

I could go on! Paddington is a much more pleasant place, and that's coming from someone who prefers root canal work to going to London.

Absolutely, there's no crowds, no queues, stunning views, and it has a Burger King.... should win the award every year. 

[Phil]

The First Class Lounge at Paddington is pretty much incomparable - a bustling modern business lounge for those who want it, plus a leather-padded Edwardian relic of times past for those who enjoy relaxing in a subdued atmosphere of faded luxury.

The First Class lounge at Bristol Temple Meads is nothing like the above. It's narrow, dingy, not particularly comfortable, out of the way, and rather than comfortably Edwardian, it's a throw-back to the 1950s. However...

This in itself has a certain attraction for those, like me, of a nostalgic bent. On a dark, wet and dismal late afternoon one recent winter for example I found myself stuck at Temple Meads for an hour and, being fortunate enough to be in possession of a First Class ticket that day, made my way along to the First Class Lounge to investigate. And what a memorable experience it was! As the rain poured down the windows, me and the older chap on duty there sat by the fireside drinking steaming mugs of tea together, discussing books, trains and railways, and generally putting the world to rights. He even told me to feel free to drop by again any time I fancied even if I didn't have a first class ticket, which is probably totally against the rules, but a mark of how in touch the guy was with customer service.

So, top marks to Bristol for service, and top marks to Paddington for facilities. Personally, if it was a competition and I was the judge, I'd give Bristol the award every time.

[gaf71]

Ahem! 

If you want to see 'dark and depressing', mate, go to Birmingham New Street! 

I take it you have never been to FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s 'jewel in the crown' then? Exeter Central, the most dank and depressing station on the network..

[tramway]

Give me dank and depressing any day rather than the wasteland that's Westbury. If they want wind turbines sited anywhere then the power potential there has to be immense, a couple on the station roof and you could power most of West Wilts.

[devon_metro]

Paddington is a much more pleasant place, and that's coming from someone who prefers root canal work to going to London.

Platform 9 towards the H&C isn't particularly pleasant though! Whilst arriving under the canopy was excellent, a real credit to the station, departing from the unbarriered ( ) platform 9 might have well have taken place at Midnight!

Ahem! 

If you want to see 'dark and depressing', mate, go to Birmingham New Street! 

I take it you have never been to FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s 'jewel in the crown' then? Exeter Central, the most dank and depressing station on the network..

Luckily an Ex Southern Region station!

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

Ahem! 

If you want to see 'dark and depressing', mate, go to Birmingham New Street! 

I take it you have never been to FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s 'jewel in the crown' then? Exeter Central, the most dank and depressing station on the network..

i only have one memory of being on a train platform and not wanting to be there and that was a birmingham n s for 6 hours in the freezing cold at night.... to make things worse my now x decided to tell us ten mins before the train that there was a waiting room with a heater...

[G.Uard]

Bristol Temple Meads station has won the National Rail 2008 Major Station Award, according to the latest edition of Rail Magazine pp 40-44.  The award focuses on the station itself and not the trains which use it, although station manager Mike Holmes said, referring to the enlarged FGW^▸ (First Great Western) franchise and their management of the station...

"Just having FGW as the sole operator has made it a lot better.  It was not always as easy as this and it was almost like coming up against a brick wall at times trying to deal with other operators."


Congrats to all concerned, personally, I find the staff at BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)) to be wholly professional and dedicated.

We also learn that BTM sees more than 6 million passengers per year and that numbers are increasing.  Good news for the industry in the west of course.  

However, things are put into perspective slightly when one considers that the Mumbai suburban network, at just over 180 route miles carries 6 million passengers per day and that the principal station, CST Terminus, sees over 6 million passengers per week.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks, G.Uard!

Further details have been posted on a previous topic, at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=3479.0