Platform door opening

[Halsebee]

What is the distribution of which side of a train the doors open for london underground station platforms, is one side more frequent than the other?

 

[Snow1964]

Yes, most lines have island platforms in tunnels (or rather parallel tunnels with the concourse and escalators between), although it is more mixed between side platforms and islands on open sections.

So generally in one direction, lot more one side, but on the return journey they are opposite side, so doors get opened roughly about the same.

It isn’t exactly same as some stations have 3 platforms (or 1 platform) and a few locations have a non symmetrical layout, usually where adaptations were made in past

 

[edwin_m]

On the Northern, District/Circle/H&C (combined fleet), Piccadilly (when Terminal 4 loop is operating) and possibly the Central and Metropolitan (only the Watford-Rickmansworth curve IIRC), the trains may get turned round too via loops and triangular junctions.

 

[stuu]

On the deep level lines, most are island platforms in the central tunnel, but many of the above ground stations have side platforms. On the sub surface lines, the vast majority of stations are side platforms.

I imagine someone has counted somewhere on the Internet!

 

[Lucan]

So generally in one direction, lot more one side, but on the return journey they are opposite side, so doors get opened roughly about the same.

That caught me out for a moment. Yes, the opposite side from the engineering point of view, but on the same side from the passengers' point of view (unless there is a turn-round loop of course). For example the Victoria Line has all of its stations underground and almost all platforms are central "islands", but the two tunnels cross sides through Warren St - Euston - Kings X (but Euston has outside platforms anyway!).

I imagine someone has counted somewhere on the Internet!

Before the internet I once compiled a booklet showing in coded form where on the train, and which side, was nearest to the platform exit. It covered most of the system. I ought to dig it out and update it one day. I believe others have since created apps for it, although the one I heard about only covered the main stations and did not tell you which side to use.

 

[Mikey C]

A few deep stations will have right hand running, either to get cross platform interchanges (as with many Victoria Line stations) or because the line has swapped over (e.g. Northern Line between Bank and Borough or Central Line at White City)

Indeed the Central Line is complicated as it has platforms on top of each other (Chancery Lane, St Pauls) and Stratford where both sides open!