One of the UK’s busiest stations outside of London, Newcastle Central has a staggering annual footfall of around eight million people. The main entrance is the centrepiece of an £8.6m refurbishment which included the glazing of the external arches, transforming a gloomy space into a customer-friendly area. More than capable of delivering continued performance year after year, even under these challenging conditions, a TORMAX automatic bi-parting sliding door system has been installed to the station entrance. Powered by the in-house designed Win Drive 2201 operator, the drive is discretely located above the all-glass doors, offering incomparable reliability combined with low-energy operation.
A Grade I listed Victorian building, Newcastle Central has been brought up to modern standards of accessibility, with better passenger information and a brighter environment. Inside the main station an upgraded Travel Centre provides an improved customer experience, along with a re-furbished ticket office and the addition of a number of popular retail outlets. Now fully operational, the station is managed by Virgin Trains.
Main contractor on the project, GallifordTry, specified North Eastern Glass Ltd to work with TORMAX to entirely glaze the spaces within the arches and automate relevant access points throughout the station. In addition to the main entrance, TORMAX installed their technologically advanced iMotion 1301 operator to the single swing door at the entrance to the new ticket office, as well as a automating the sliding doors to Boots and Paperchase.
“We have worked with TORMAX on previous projects,” confirms Cliff Thompson of North Eastern Glass, “and have found their automatic door systems to deliver on all fronts – reliability, performance, adaptability and sustainability.”