Perth Station

[ObservationCar]

Perth is a quite fascinating station, once a place where many trains were re-marshaled, split, combined, and a lot of locomotive workings not to mention a massive goods yard to the of the station. Although it once had many other routes serving the station, it hasn't really been rationalised that much compared to other much larger places. Many Loops and sidings have been removed, but overall it still boasts 8 platforms, 7 in use, and platform legnths that could probably take a eurostar(i can dream).

As good as it is having so many platforms, it is frustrating from a customers point of view to walk long distances eg. platform 2 to 7 when changing from an Glasgow-Aberdeen to a Edinburgh-Inverness service, especially for Elderly or families with lots of luggage. Why is platform 3 rarely used? Surely signaling changes or re-designed track layouts could save a lot of the transferring over bridges. What about making platform 2 bi-directional?

There is many building, most of which are still used, some looking quite tired, Is it right to keep the station as it is with the old Highland Railway Architechture, or should this make way for more efficient use of space, or to provide better facilities to travelers. What changes to Perth would you make, Track, Signalling, Platforms, Buildings etc...?

 

[ainsworth74]

I must admit it was an odd station when I visited it earlier this year. It felt like a station with the scale of York (certainly the area around platforms 3/4) but with just no body around at all. Very odd.

As for changes I can't remember that much about the place but I would agree that if it is possible to rationalise the number of platforms used that would be useful as it was a bit of trek from platform 2 to 5. Doesn't sound like much but it was a surprisingly long way.

Putting on my misty eyes for a moment I would love to have seen Perth back in it's heyday as once upon a time it must have been a very busy station, at least that's the feeling I got from it. Whereas now it just seems to be another fairly quiet station most of the time.

 

[jopsuk]

given the level of service, an efficient layout would probably be a two-platform station just south of the junction, with all Inverness and Dundee bound trains using one platform, and all Edinburgh and Glasgow bound trains the other. Perhaps even an island platform, making all possible connection permutations flat. It would need to be a fairly long island, to cope with HSTs, but there's surely space, especially as the junction itself could be remoddled a little to fit.

That wou;d of course mean the loss of the old architecture, unless some non-railway use could be found for it. Also the station would be a little further from the town centre.

 

[route:oxford]

I do like Perth Station, it seems quite vast really. Perhaps the opportunity will be taken to review current signalling and pointwork if the wires reach there.

Difficult to discount re-openings in Scotland too.

Crieff is a busy and growing town, but the road connections are terrible - Perhaps consideration should be made to re-opening the route between Perth & Crieff.

There has also been discussion on here concerning the merits of re-opening the route between Montrose & Perth - a far faster route between Glasgow & Aberdeen.

 

[4SRKT]

I agree that more use should be made of platform 3 by Inverness > Edinburgh > Inverness trains to make connections to/from Glasgow better. Now that it's just 3-car 170s they'll fit right enough (would have been a problem in the loco-hailed days)Inverness > Glasgow > Inverness trains can continue to use the huge island platform as the Edinburgh connections are made to/from trains using the bays cut into the south end of this. The Chieftain would have to use the big platforms as it's too long for platform 3.

It's a fab station, I agree. My first few visits were on the 23:25 Edinburgh/23:30 Glasgow > Inverness internal sleeper in the early-mid '80s. This joined at Perth and the shunting operations always woke me up to see/hear what was going on. The first time a 26 was burbling around the ghostly station, which was great. Train was formed of mk I sleepers still as well. although my dad always made us go on the cushions (ordinary mk IIa TSOs).