Stopping Marker at Hamilton West

MadCommuter · 3 Aug 2026

The 3 car stopping marker on P1 at Hamilton West has moved to the 6 car marker and now labeled as 'S car'. So this means everyone waiting near the station building and under cover now has to shuffle along the platform when the train arrives. So this is inconvenient for passengers and increases dwell time.

Anyone know a reason for this? The only thing I can think of is to avoid a situation where a 6 car incorrectly stops at the 3 car marker and 3 carriages hang off of the platform.

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The exile · 3 Aug 2026

MadCommuter said:
The 3 car stopping marker on P1 at Hamilton West has moved to the 6 car marker and now labeled as 'S car'. So this means everyone waiting near the station building and under cover now has to shuffle along the platform when the train arrives. So this is inconvenient for passengers and increases dwell time.

Anyone know a reason for this? The only thing I can think of is to avoid a situation where a 6 car incorrectly stops at the 3 car marker and 3 carriages hang off of the platform.

Sounds to me like yet another example of one-sided risk assessment.

Snow1964 · 3 Aug 2026

MadCommuter said:
The 3 car stopping marker on P1 at Hamilton West has moved to the 6 car marker and now labeled as 'S car'. So this means everyone waiting near the station building and under cover now has to shuffle along the platform when the train arrives. So this is inconvenient for passengers and increases dwell time.

Anyone know a reason for this? The only thing I can think of is to avoid a situation where a 6 car incorrectly stops at the 3 car marker and 3 carriages hang off of the platform.

This would be some dumb risk appraisal, where risk of long train hanging out of back of platform is deemed more important than keeping everyone dry under cover (and sometimes serving widest bit of platform too). Not to mention chaos caused by everyone (both alighting and boarding walking along platforms potentially creating collisions on the platform)

LNER go in for this stupidity of stopping short trains away from platform seats, waiting rooms, and exits too.

Xamimus · 3 Aug 2026

Or if I may join in with a less cynical suggestion... they're preparing to install those "Wait here for carriage X" signs that you see at Partick or Camelon? Partick also had the stop marker moved to make it possible, so it's been done before.

Horizon22 · 3 Aug 2026

I think one forum user said there's about 10-15 different criteria that go into where stop car markers are placed. Yes passenger comfort and arrangements are part of it, but so are operational elements including signal sighting, curvature, location of platform equipment etc.

Snow1964 said:
This would be some dumb risk appraisal, where risk of long train hanging out of back of platform is deemed more important than keeping everyone dry under cover

It's a bit more than that - a 6-car train trying to release doors at a 3-car marker is an operational incident and a stop-short.

Peter0124 · 3 Aug 2026

Exact same thing has happened at Glasgow Central Low Level on the westbound side, with the rear coach of a 3 being beyond the entrance, with the exit being an even larger walk away. Argyle Street also had the 3 cars moved to the far ends on both sides.

On the plus, at least the majority of trains on this route are 6 cars anyway, unless you use the Carmyle route.

The exile · 3 Aug 2026

Horizon22 said:
It's a bit more than that - a 6-car train trying to release doors at a 3-car marker is an operational incident and a stop-short.

This is (or should be!) part of the risk assessment - but I wonder how much weight is given to the “counter-risk” of slips, falls and trips on a wet platform caused by passengers hurrying to get under cover. OK - I know a wet platform is something those of us down south have forgotten exists….

Horizon22 · 3 Aug 2026

The exile said:
This is (or should be!) part of the risk assessment - but I wonder how much weight is given to the “counter-risk” of slips, falls and trips on a wet platform caused by passengers hurrying to get under cover. OK - I know a wet platform is something those of us down south have forgotten exists….

Even that depends on a range of variables; off the top of my head things like passenger numbers, direction of travel, exact distance from where the train stops to seats / stairs / lifts, other obstructions & signage etc.

CEN60 · 3 Aug 2026

Exactly the same at Uddingston - 3 car 385's and 318/320s etc go all the way to the end of the platform - been that way since the 385's were introduced. Platforms are not long enough for 6 car 385's (only just) - if the ramps were converted to platform they would be! (unnecessary expense I guess when you can use selective door opening)

shotts56 · 5 Aug 2026

Same at Wishaw, the "3" and the "6" signs have been removed in the last week. The 3 carriage trains now stop at the very far away end of the platform at the same place as the 6 carriage trains would, meaning the 3 carriage trains now stops miles past the ticket office.

If you are standing at the ticket office or under the bridge to keep out of the rain, you have to walk very quickly (and little panicky) to actually reach the train before it leaves again. What an odd decision.

Carntyne · 5 Aug 2026

Passengers are being seen as an inconvenience at the moment. There has hardly been a surge in overshoots or stop shorts to justify this.

Peter0124 · 5 Aug 2026

Carntyne said:
Passengers are being seen as an inconvenience at the moment. There has hardly been a surge in overshoots or stop shorts to justify this.

Not to mention Glasgow Central Low Level westbound is literally a straight platform

Stopping Marker at Hamilton West

MadCommuter

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The exile

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Snow1964

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Xamimus

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Horizon22

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Peter0124

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The exile

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Horizon22

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CEN60

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shotts56

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Carntyne

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