katygriff has been thanked 5 times for this contribution
"Birmingham New Street is a train station that I have come to know very well since working in Birmingham City Centre. It is the biggest train station in these areas and one of the main links into the city centre. I am there two times a day every day and is my travel of choice and I have to say that I would rather be in this train station then any other one I have been to in the UK and this is why.
Ok so Birmingham New Street is in the centre of the city. Most train stations in the UK will be able to get you there some way or the other and when you are in the centre it is signposted well. It has a massive thirteen platforms and trains come and go all day from all over the UK.
The entrance to new street is lovely and you can see that they look after the station. There are 3 entrances to the station. The first is directly opposite the bull ring and is where all of the taxis gather and you can park your cars there. There is lots of room to park and pick people up or drop off but as I have never parked there I can't really tell you much about costs or room.
The main entrance is huge and has New street signposted in massive letters o trust me you cant really miss it. There are bus links near here too. The second entrance is actually in the Pallasades shopping centre which then links directly to the bull ring so great if you are coming to Birmingham to do some serious shopping (which often I do). It is slightly concealed entrance as you go down some escalators to get to it but this is the one that most people use. The third entrance leads you outside which is a short walk to the mailbox and a short walk to more shops again. A lot of people use this exit as it is by a lot of office buildings and provides easy access.
So basically new street is accessible all over Birmingham and provides you with great links to the rest of the city.
In the station and you will notice that it is very clean looking. There are bins around so you get no litter, all of the paintwork is nice and there is always staff about to tidy up or help if you need it.
New street has quite a few facilities when you first walk in which includes a huge WHSmiths, a burger king if you are hungry, a small café in case you fancy something other than a burger, a Marks and Spencer's food shop, a newsagents, a small shop selling food and a shop selling cards and gifts. Then there is also my favourite which is Millie's cookies as they are absolutely delicious. There are also cash machines in there in case you need them.
I suppose the main thing with a train station is getting a train and there is a long line of ticket windows for people to buy tickets. There are also fast track machines and permit to travel machines. You cannot get to the platforms if you have not got a ticket as there is a barrier stopping you. You have to show the staff there your tickets and they will let you pass into the next part of the station.
There are screens in both sections that clearly tell you the trains, where they are going, the time they are leaving and which platform to go to. Platforms are clearly signposted so you know exactly where to go and there are more screens on the platforms so you can make sure that you get on the right train. Staff is there to ask if you get stuck anyway.
Ok before you go to the platforms there are more shops in the waiting areas including another WHSmiths, a pasty shop and an organic shop. They are all yummy so I can't give you any recommendations as I would just say them all. There are toilets you can use in this section but you do have to pay 20p which I don't mind as they are nice and clean and there are a lot of them so you aren't waiting for ages.
On the platforms you will find vending machines if you want anything. Trains come and go and announcements are constantly made over the tannoy to let you know about delays or cancellations and even when trains are approaching.
I think that Birmingham new street is well run and it is nice that because it is such a big station, you will hear if there are any problems via the news, radio or internet. I like it that I feel safe because there always people around even if you are travelling late at night so I would recommend it as a station to come to if you come to Birmingham. Great links and a nice location.
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