How do they know the platform number before I do?

[andy33gmail]

A few weeks ago this strategy was necessary to avoid missing a train at Kings Cross a few weeks ago

The platform wasn’t announced verbally, and not on the online departure boards until it departed - so I’d speculate on their screens either

I anticipated because I could see which service was arriving late and bet on that platform

There followed a flurry of out of breath passengers

The driver “helped” by complaining for people to stop blocking the doors as they were delaying the service…

 

[styles]

Ask for platform assistance and that little golf trolley will take you there.

I had this at Euston when accompanying a wheelchair user and was pleasantly surprised that they took us to the platform well before the train was announced to other passengers.

I can't imagine trying to get a wheelchair through the usual stampede when the platform is announced 2 minutes before departure (I'm aware it's better now).

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 26 Oct 2025 ==

On the RTT front, I've actually boarded a train based on RTT and had a driver or guard put out an announcement to say the train hasn't been cleaned properly because people have boarded before the platform was announced.

Excellent way to treat the travelling public, LNER.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

I realised this too. I’ll be travelling long distance from Euston tomorrow so I’ll see if it happens again. I assume it’s Trainline announcing the platforms because the people I’ve seen waiting do not seem like they’d use RTT.

 

[andy33gmail]

I realised this too. I’ll be travelling long distance from Euston tomorrow so I’ll see if it happens again. I assume it’s Trainline announcing the platforms because the people I’ve seen waiting do not seem like they’d use RTT.

Taking Kings Cross now as an example; I imagine a grey platform number is anticipated/timetabled/planned and black means it’s actually there?

Which will help if they’re sluggish announcing, but not if they get bored and re-route it just as it arrives? For that you still would need to look at the arrivals and second guess - which I guess you can also work out sooner from RTT in some cases

 

[louis97]

Taking Kings Cross now as an example; I imagine a grey platform number is anticipated/timetabled/planned and black means it’s actually there?

Which will help if they’re sluggish announcing, but not if they get bored and re-route it just as it arrives? For that you still would need to look at the arrivals and second guess - which I guess you can also work out sooner from RTT in some cases

Black (or Red if its an alteration to the planned platform) means the headcode for that train has been input into the train describer berth for that platform. This typically won't happen until the train has arrived or is arriving. A black platform number for a train that says 'Starts here' has no connection to any arriving service, only when the headcode for that service is entered will a platform number go black (or red if appropriate).

 

[RJ]

For me, a mix of the live departure boards which show headcodes and next working, and Tornado Mobile or Tracksy, keeping an eye on the headcodes.

Until the train is advertised, I'll usually stand by the gates or in a position where I can move to a different platform is there's a set swap, but I won't go and sit on the train.

When there's severe disruption at London Terminals, often trains which are no longer on the departure boards and are sitting in a platform delayed still have their doors released, so not using the departure boards can actually save time vs waiting for the next advertised service.

 

[andy33gmail]

I’m waiting at Kings Cross, anticipating the usual platform “-“ until 2 seconds before departure

Worked out the 22:39 from Traksy… wrongly then noticed the Greater Anglia app also tells you way ahead of time

 

[takno]

I’m waiting at Kings Cross, anticipating the usual platform “-“ until 2 seconds before departure

Worked out the 22:39 from Traksy… wrongly then noticed the Greater Anglia app also tells you way ahead of time

The maps show the train in the correct platform on Traksy (unless there's a last-minute set swap). The platform numbers in the schedules just show what is in the timetable and aren't updated live

 

[andy33gmail]

The maps show the train in the correct platform on Traksy (unless there's a last-minute set swap). The platform numbers in the schedules just show what is in the timetable and aren't updated live

Far more overthinking than that going on for me.

I was trying to work out if there was a train stabled at a likely platform - which I incorrectly concluded not - and then tried to anticipate which incoming train it would be and where it would land

 

[takno]

Far more overthinking than that going on for me.

I was trying to work out if there was a train stabled at a likely platform - which I incorrectly concluded not - and then tried to anticipate which incoming train it would be and where it would land

Ahh, I've made that kind of mistake before. I don't even try to figure it out anymore - it's easier to just wait for the outbound service to actually appear on the map (whilst keeping half an eye on the boards).

 

[mangad]

Seems to me one thing this thread demonstrates is: If rail companies, in their rush to forget that their purpose is actually to serve passengers, deliberately withhold useful information from those passengers (for example, which platform your train is going from at Euston) then frustrated passengers start doing whatever they can to find out the information anyway. And some of those passengers will go to extraordinary lengths to get that information. Lesson: Why not just give the passengers the information they need as soon as it's available!

The do it because they want you to wait on the concourse. That's why the displays have that GREEN/RED coding after all. They want to control access to the platforms so that they can check tickets (they seem to have given up using the gates on 1-3), don't want people boarding trains when they're being cleaned, don't want people clogging up the platforms when busy trains pull in.

The idea behind what they want to do makes sense.

But their idea only makes sense if they allow reasonable boarding times. And despite all the regular hoo-hars about this, they are STILL only announcing trains with minutes to spare. I was travelling on Sunday and my platform (platform 1) was announced eight minutes before departure. A big rush therefore follows. Not for me as I was stood near the gates as I'd looked at RealtimeTrains.

As it stands the staff just seem to accept there's going to be 30-40 people waiting on the ramps now, and that's that. The only way Euston is going to change is when there's a couple of hundred people stood on the ramps. And I know what their solution will be. They'll hide the data from RealTimeTrains etall...

 

[Statto]

For me it's a mix of realtime trains & traksy to see where the train is, then one last look at the departure boards to make sure no last minute changes.