Stations in other countries that get trains calling in one direction only.

[stadler]

Can anyone think of any other railway stations outside of the UK that only get trains calling in one direction?

In the UK we have Bordesley and Polesworth stations which both get trains calling in one direction only.

We also have Heathrow T4 but i am not sure if i would count that as it is part of a loop and still used by passengers for both directions.

Outside of the UK the only ones i can think of are in Russia in the Smolensk area. It is on the lines from Smolensk to Krasnoe and Rudnya on the Russia and Belarus border. Just after leaving Smolensk it splits in to two double track railway lines for a few kilometers and then the two double track railway lines rejoin each other again. But the stations on the two lines each only get trains in one direction. This map illustrates it well with the red arrows.



They have decided that all Westbound trains will only serve the stations on the Northern line and all Eastbound trains will only serve the stations on the Southbound line. Both lines are double tracks so could easily both get trains in both directions (as they do for freight trains and empty trains) but instead CPPK have decided to run passenger trains in one direction on each line. What it means is that if you live next to a station for one direction then you will still have at least thirty minute walk to a station for the other direction. So it is a bit inconvenient.

Can anyone think of any other stations in any country which only get trains calling in one direction?

 

[The exile]

At least four or five in the Paris Metro. The end of line 7b is a one direction loop with stations on it and there are odd arrangements towards the western end of line 10.

 

[Springs Branch]

Aqueduct Racetrack on the New York City Subway A-Train Rockaway branch.

 

[AdamWW]

Salamanca La Alamedilla station in Spain might fit your criterion.

It's a short distance from the main Salamanca station and is currently an arrival only station.

Some trains arriving in Salamanca continue to La Alamedilla to let passengers off, but going the other way they start in passenger service from the main station.

In the US (and maybe Canada) there are places where two single track railroads are operated effectively as dual track with each working in one direction only.

This has led to Amtrak having separate stations for East and Westbound traffic but I don't know if that's still the case anywhere.

 

[Paul AC]

In Spain, the line westwards from Salamanca towards Vilar Formoso (Portugal) lost its through passenger service at the start of Covid. However passenger trains do run west from Salamanca for about 1 km to a halt Salamanca-La Alamedilla which serves a residential area. They only run in that direction (they are all continuations of trains from the Medina del Campo or Ávila directions), and return to the main Salamanca station, or the stabling sidings, 'empty stock'.

Apologies, duplicate of part of AdamWW's post.

 

[The exile]

Can anyone think of any other railway stations outside of the UK that only get trains calling in one direction?

In the UK we have Bordesley and Polesworth stations which both get trains calling in one direction only.

We also have Heathrow T4 but i am not sure if i would count that as it is part of a loop and still used by passengers for both directions.

Still in the UK - but let’s not forget Pilning!

 

[AdamWW]

Still in the UK - but let’s not forget Pilning!

Why not?

I think GWR have!

 

[Paul AC]

Also in the UK, as built and opened in 1992, Manchester Metrolink had three uni-directional platforms in the city centre:
* High Street (southbound only) - closed in 1998 when Market Street was rebuilt;
* Market Street (northbound only) - closed then re-opened as a conventional island platform in 1998;
there had always been an intention to make this change but it needed Market Street to be closed as a road and replaced by a pedestrian-only area.

* Mosley Street (southbound only) - closed in 2011. This was originally built to reduce the distance between city centre stops when High Street was open; and also avoided the need for Altrincham-bound passengers to guess whether their next tram was going to depart from Piccadilly Gardens or Market Street. Approval to close Mosley Street was given on the condition that a passenger information screen was provided nearby to indicate which stop the next Altrincham-bound tram was going to depart from. This display screen is still in situ and in working order.

 

[Herriot2021]

Parry Sound, in Ontario Canada, has two stations which each serve trains traveling in one direction.

This is due to a directional running arrangement between two railways with all eastbound traffic using one route and all westbound traffic using the other through this area.

Freight volumes are quite high on both routes, but double tracking would be quite complex due to the topography, hence the directional running.

The two passenger stations are a short walk apart. For timetabling and ticketing purposes they are labeled as 'Parry Sound North' and 'Parry Sound South' to avoid confusion.

 

[Tester]

I can think of an example in China.

Between Gucheng (Hubei) and Ankang (Shaanxi), a distance of around 300km, the westbound and eastbound tracks of the Xiangyu line run on completely different alignments.

They are never more than a few kilometres apart, and occasionally get together, but as a result there are stations for each direction which are far from adjacent.

For example Baihexian (eastbound) and Baihe Dong (westbound) stations are 5.7km apart by road. Trains are not frequent, so best to go to the right one!

Useful background information in Table 25C of my Chinese Railway Timetable.

 

[agk2126]

Parry Sound, in Ontario Canada, has two stations which each serve trains traveling in one direction.

This is due to a directional running arrangement between two railways with all eastbound traffic using one route and all westbound traffic using the other through this area.

Freight volumes are quite high on both routes, but double tracking would be quite complex due to the topography, hence the directional running.

The two passenger stations are a short walk apart. For timetabling and ticketing purposes they are labeled as 'Parry Sound North' and 'Parry Sound South' to avoid confusion.

Other examples in Canada are the split sections of The Canadian in British Columbia. Eastbound trains only (Vancouver to Toronto) stop in Mission Harbour, Agassiz, Katz, and North Bend. Westbound trains only (Toronto to Vancouver) serve Boston Bar, Hope, Chilliwack, and Abbotsford.

 

[ricohallo]

Palacio de Congresos and Padre Pío-Palmete on line C4 of the Seville Cercanías. This line runs in a loop in one direction only despite the line being double tracked. The stations even have platforms on both sides; the platforms in the other direction are obviously not used.

 

[zero]

On the Hong Kong Light Rail, Shan King (N) and (S) stations are served in one direction only, trams in the opposite direction go by a different route.

Yau Oi station is also served in one direction, but is a terminating loop off a longer line, similar to Heathrow T4. You could say the same about several terminating loops on the Hong Kong Island tram.

If we are talking about one-way loops at the ends of lines such as Liverpool Merseyrail and Paris line 7b, there are probably lots more examples.

 

[FormerBritInMe]

Boston's MBTA Green Line used to have a station Adams Square that was only stopped at by northbound trains because the northbound and southbound trains were in separate tunnels. This was done in order to provide a loop for trains (trams actually) coming from the north. The station also included its own loop track that was built but never used. The northbound tunnel was rebuilt around 1962 to make it more direct as part of the Government Center project and this station was eliminated. It was little used, unmanned with only an "iron maiden" turnstile for access to it.

 

[Gordon]

A variant is Vaumarcus in Switzerland (between Yverdon and Neuchatel on the Lausanne - Biel/Bienne route). Following the replacement of the old single track line with a fast new section partly in tunnel (a transformation which is still ongoing on that route with the last section of single track under conversion to a double track tunnel (itself having seen the closure of Ligerz station)

On the rebuilt section, there was only space for a platform on one track (the Eastbound track). For a time after the rebuild there was only an eastbound early morning rush hour train, and nothing else (commuters had to come back using local buses). I have just checked by 2006 Swiss timetable and at that time there was a balancing evening peak train which they must have decided to squeeze in running wrong line (albeit the line is bidirectionally signalled).

I believe the station has since been closed to passengers altogether

 

[Gloster]

I believe that Høvelte Trinbræt between Birkerød and Allerød on the S-Tog line to Hillerød north of Copenhagen is still open. It is only served by northbound services and then only a limited number as it is only for passengers going to and from a nearby barracks. I have only seen it used once and that was at a silly hour of the morning.

 

[eldomtom2]

Kairakuen station on the JR East Joban Line in Japan only has a platform on the northbound line; it's a seasonal station that is only open during the plum blossom season in February and March. Passengers travelling south are instructed to take a northbound train from Kairakuen to Mito, the next station travelling north, and catch a southbound train from there.

 

[Frothy]

This reminds me of Liart (FR) between Charleville-Mezières and Hirson, which for a number of years was served only westbound by a single daily train. The station now appears to have closed altogether!

 

[zero]

I believe that Høvelte Trinbræt between Birkerød and Allerød on the S-Tog line to Hillerød north of Copenhagen is still open. It is only served by northbound services and then only a limited number as it is only for passengers going to and from a nearby barracks. I have only seen it used once and that was at a silly hour of the morning.

@Gloster or anyone else, do you know if Høvelte station is like a Lympstone Commando (at least before there was a public footpath beside that station)?

I'm trying to work out if the public can actually use Høvelte. I see a Danish youtuber recently spent some time on the station taking videos but he arrived and departed by train rather than trying to walk out by road. It is not clear whether the passengers using the station in his videos are military or not.

 

[stadler]

@Gloster or anyone else, do you know if Høvelte station is like a Lympstone Commando (at least before there was a public footpath beside that station)?

I'm trying to work out if the public can actually use Høvelte. I see a Danish youtuber recently spent some time on the station taking videos but he arrived and departed by train rather than trying to walk out by road. It is not clear whether the passengers using the station in his videos are military or not.

You can get quite a good view on Google Streetview and it appears to be open to the public. There is no fence or gates or anything preventing access and a footpath leads to the main road. So i would think that ordinary passengers could use it if they want to.

 

[nwales58]

Zwotental, south of Zwickau, might qualify.

It was in the news earlier this year. Trains cross there (german and czech drivers swap over) but the width of he island platform had been found to be sub-standard so passengers were only allowed to use it in one direction, officially at least.

 

[Gloster]

@Gloster or anyone else, do you know if Høvelte station is like a Lympstone Commando (at least before there was a public footpath beside that station)?

I'm trying to work out if the public can actually use Høvelte. I see a Danish youtuber recently spent some time on the station taking videos but he arrived and departed by train rather than trying to walk out by road. It is not clear whether the passengers using the station in his videos are military or not.

I am not sure about the current situation, but I think it used to be, at least officially, only for those with business at the barracks. Whether this was rigidly adhered to or there was any actual check, I do not know.

 

[Moritzplatz]

Seestraße station on Berlin's U6 underground line has only been able to be used in the northbound direction since 13th January 2025. This is due to platform repair work that is due to last until (at least) the autumn of 2026.

Any U6 passengers who want to travel southbound need to go one underground station northwards to Rehberge and then catch a southbound train that passes straight through Seestraße on its way down to Alt-Mariendorf.

Source: Weddingweiser

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 16 Nov 2025 ==

Zwotental, south of Zwickau, might qualify.

It was in the news earlier this year. Trains cross there (german and czech drivers swap over) but the width of he island platform had been found to be sub-standard so passengers were only allowed to use it in one direction, officially at least.

A solution - of sorts - for Zwotental came into effect on 1st September. Trains are now allowed to stop in both directions again, but access to Platform 2 (which is 54cm too narrow, according to DB regulations) is restricted by a bike lock on a chain which needs to be opened and then closed by Länderbahn personnel every time a train arrives.

There's a video of the unusual situation for passengers at Zwotental in this article.