Most confusing National Rail Station diagram.

[Unixman]

There are probably plenty but I will start off with Birmingham International. This is just baffling. Ignoring for the moment the use of graphics that look as if they came out of early 1980s computers we have the following:

The name for what I will call the "Mall" level is either "Concourse Level" (small heading) or "Ground Floor" (larger heading). Now I happen to know that it is the former and you need to go up a level from the drop-off entrance to get to it but really .....

Secondly, and more confusingly, the Concourse plan and the Platform plan are at right angles to each other and there is no clue as which way you need to rotate the latter to get the two aligned. This would be solved if there is some indication on the former as to which escalator/stair you need to go down to a particular platform.

There must be more so I will leave it up to you people !

 

[Brooklands]

Edinburgh Waverley platform numbering has me confused. You need to do your research if you are attempting to make a tight connection!

 

[Watershed]

Edinburgh Waverley platform numbering has me confused. You need to do your research if you are attempting to make a tight connection!

It makes sense if you look at it from above - it goes clockwise from platform 1 at the northeast side of the station. But that does have the unfortunate effect of meaning that platform 20 is right next to 1, and 19 next to 2, despite these sharing the same platform face...

 

[swt_passenger]

It makes sense if you look at it from above - it goes clockwise from platform 1 at the northeast side of the station. But that does have the unfortunate effect of meaning that platform 20 is right next to 1, and 19 next to 2, despite these sharing the same platform face...

We’ve probably had almost as many discussions about Waverley platform numbering as there are platforms there.
(Although I might be exaggerating a little.)

 

[The exile]

We’ve probably had almost as many discussions about Waverley platform numbering as there are platforms there.
(Although I might be exaggerating a little.)

Suspect it’s less confusing now than it used to be in the days of platforms 1,2,7 then 10-19 in the main station with 20 & 21 “next door” (particularly when they were only used once in a blue moon)

 

[LYuen]

Leeds? Long platforms and short trains, as well as the occasional number skipping.
The diagram itself is easy enough to understand but the A-D sub platforms needs adaptation.
But I have to say it is surprisingly easy to navigate between the platforms.

 

[Glasgowbusguy]

We’ve probably had almost as many discussions about Waverley platform numbering as there are platforms there.
(Although I might be exaggerating a little.)

Being from Glasgow and being used to the beautiful simplicity of Glasgow central and queen street .
Waverly completely fries my brain

 

[fat_boy_pete]

There is Stratford of course. The map to make sense of it is semi famous.

The attached tweet is the only image I can find of it

https://twitter.com/ianvisits/status/1446822270429798410?t=6WBi900jHjg_6OoHZRzY9w&s=19

 

[306024]

There is Stratford of course. The map to make sense of it is semi famous.

I knew my way round Stratford easily until they produced that map

 

[WesternBiker]

There is Stratford of course. The map to make sense of it is semi famous.

If anything, the map makes navigation worse!

 

[D6130]

Just can't help thinking about Manchester Victoria/Exchange back in the day!

 

[Joe Paxton]

Just can't help thinking about Manchester Victoria/Exchange back in the day!

In a similar vein, the pre-rebuild Waterloo was infamously bewildering!

Three Men In a Boat, excerpt from Chapter 5:

We got to Waterloo at eleven, and asked where the eleven-five started from. Of course nobody knew; nobody at Waterloo ever does know where a train is going to start from, or where a train when it does start is going to, or anything about it. The porter who took our things thought it would go from number two platform, while another porter, with whom he discussed the question, had heard a rumour that it would go from number one. The station-master, on the other hand, was convinced it would start from the local.

To put an end to the matter, we went upstairs, and asked the traffic superintendent, and he told us that he had just met a man, who said he had seen it at number three platform. We went to number three platform, but the authorities there said that they rather thought that train was the Southampton express, or else the Windsor loop. But they were sure it wasn't the Kingston train, though why they were sure it wasn't they couldn't say.

Then our porter said he thought that must be it on the high-level platform; said he thought he knew the train. So we went to the high- level platform, and saw the engine-driver, and asked him if he was going to Kingston. He said he couldn't say for certain of course, but that he rather thought he was. Anyhow, if he wasn't the 11.5 for Kingston, he said he was pretty confident he was the 9.32 for Virginia Water, or the 10 a.m. express for the Isle of Wight, or somewhere in that direction, and we should all know when we got there. We slipped half-a-crown into his hand, and begged him to be the 11.5 for Kingston.

"Nobody will ever know, on this line," we said, "what you are, or where you're going. You know the way, you slip off quietly and go to Kingston."

"Well, I don't know, gents," replied the noble fellow, "but I suppose some train's got to go to Kingston; and I'll do it. Gimme the half- crown."

Thus we got to Kingston by the London and South-Western Railway.

We learnt, afterwards, that the train we had come by was really the Exeter mail, and that they had spent hours at Waterloo, looking for it, and nobody knew what had become of it.

Our boat was waiting for us at Kingston [...]

 

[XAM2175]

Three Men In a Boat, excerpt from Chapter 5:

Exquisite

 

[Ken H]

In a similar vein, the pre-rebuild Waterloo was infamously bewildering!

Three Men In a Boat, excerpt from Chapter 5:

Lovely story in Londons Termini by Alan Jackson. An elderly couple had struggled to find their train. The bloke turned to his wife 'No wonder the French got licked here, Mabel'!

 

[Ken H]

Shipley. The national rail website diagram seems to be only capable for doing horizontal and vertical lines. So fails totally with the triangular Shipley station

 

[185143]

It makes sense if you look at it from above - it goes clockwise from platform 1 at the northeast side of the station. But that does have the unfortunate effect of meaning that platform 20 is right next to 1, and 19 next to 2, despite these sharing the same platform face...

I remember being told, after a beer or... err... 15, whilst changing between the Fort William day coaches and the Aberdeen seats on the Sleeper at Edinburgh to head to platform 2 by one of the station security. I was convinced he was having us on as I knew the train obviously coupled together. Then remembered the layout..

 

[mangyiscute]

I can't lie I was getting very confused by Sheffield recently having been there for just the second time. Random bay platforms that then also have parts A and B with the main platforms having A, B and C parts

 

[ert47]

City Thameslink is a bit of a mess, one of the entrances is the wrong way round so north is actually South facing

 

[30907]

Shipley. The national rail website diagram seems to be only capable for doing horizontal and vertical lines. So fails totally with the triangular Shipley station

Within those limitations, it displays all the locations correctly in relation to each other (not to scale, of course). The external road layout is somewhat creative but unless you use it to get from Station Road to Stead Street (why?) you won't get lost