How many 24 hr stations?

[Steve Harris]

I fell asleep once in one of the toilet cubicals in Leeds after missing a connection there earlier this year, got to say it was a damn sight warmer than sleeping on the concourse as a handful of others had done. To be fair it was around half midnight and the station was quiet.


Leeds closes the platforms at around 0015 and reopens them again at 0445, meaning that you either have to sleep on the concourse or the alternative would be to walk it into the city centre to Premier Inn and book a bed for the night.

Glad I did it back in the 80's then. When you had proper waiting rooms with a decent heater which worked

 

[JonathanH]

Manchester Airport station waiting rooms are open 24h

The bus interchange is open 24 hours. The station waiting room no longer is.

 

[Steve Harris]

Not sure how many people would actually want to make a day trip between London and Fishguard, but there is a 1250 from Fishguard Harbour to Cardiff Central, connecting into a train from Cardiff arriving back at Paddington at 1840. And having passed through Fishguard a few times, 24 minutes seems plenty of time to see the place!

Technically I did a 2 day trip back in the 90's when I track bashed the lines (I hadn't previously done) in South Wales. Kipped in the Carmarthen waiting room (more a late nighter than a overnighter) until I caught the late night HST Fishguard Harbour service. Straight in, then straight out of the place, and back to Paddington was enough for me, lol.

Loads of people sleeping on the floor of the HST, and did wonder if a sleeping car service would of been viable. But realised it probably wouldn't be as the journey wasn't really long enough time wise.

 

[Grumpy]

The bus interchange is open 24 hours. The station waiting room no longer is.

I am sure you are probably right. In which case the National Rail enquiries site is telling porkies.

 

[JonathanH]

I am sure you are probably right. In which case the National Rail enquiries site is telling porkies.

A station can be staffed 24 hours a day without having to be open to the public to access all of it.

Last time I was at Manchester Airport station between 0105 and 0445, in August 2021, the waiting room shut up at about the time I arrived. I don't think it was reopened by the time I left.

The concourse upstairs counts as part of the station in any case. It is, for example, where the ticket office and gateline is.

 

[stephen rp]

Piccadilly in the late 60s had the benefit of an unlocked class 304 overnight in platform 11.

 

[johntea]

I've 'slept rough' at Manchester Piccadilly many, many years ago, it was quite surreal as the concourse was just littered with hundreds of people asleep! (Felt like being in a real life Resident Evil game to be honest!)

Once 'abused' the East Midlands Railway red dot scheme too, spent the day travelling on their trains and then ensured the last one I caught dropped me off in Nottingham as that was the origin station for the scheme the following day...luckily there was a 24 hour McDonalds close by to Nottingham station which happily allowed me to sit in drinking coffee for a few hours

Too old to endure such feats these days and always plan in hotels if required!

 

[Tomos y Tanc]

Why are people dissing Fishguard? Goodwick, where the ferry terminal is is a bit grim but the town itself is well worth a visit. Sorry for wandering off-topic.

I suspect the point made above about rough sleepers is the key reason for closing strations at night. Large stations all seem to me a magnet for beggars etc and there a lot more of the them about than there were when we had a functional country and government.

 

[Falcon1200]

Why are people dissing Fishguard?

Because I was surprised anyone would want to make a day trip there from London, especially if the return journey required dossing overnight at a station. I did such things many years ago, at then-interesting places such as Doncaster and Carlisle, but now we have Travelodge! (other hotel chains are available).

 

[D6975]

Leeds closes the platforms at around 0015 and reopens them again at 0445, meaning that you either have to sleep on the concourse or the alternative would be to walk it into the city centre to Premier Inn and book a bed for the night.

How so?
Leeds has lots of trains between 0015 and 0445 - there are 4 Trans Pennine Express services plus a few Northern and a couple of terminating ECMLs as well.

ps checking on NRE, Leeds is given as open 24/7

 

[JonathanH]

How so?
Leeds has lots of trains between 0015 and 0445 - there are at least 5 Trans Pennine Express services plus a few Northern and a couple of terminating ECMLs as well.

Passengers wait on the concourse, unless they are deemed particularly vulnerable, in which case they are allowed to wait in a waiting room.

The barrier line is set to closed. Five to ten minutes before an overnight train departure, the barriers are set to accept tickets and passengers are allowed to go to the platforms.

Passengers from terminating trains are required to leave the platforms as quickly as possible.