Platform numbering direction

[VauxhallandI]

From the position of standing looking at the platforms is it just Euston that numbers the platforms from right to left as a termini?

If so, why?

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Marylebone is too. Platform 6 is on the left hand side and platform 1 is on the right hand side if you are standing on the concourse looking at the trains. It can't be the only other example of that.
As for reasons? I guess it just depends on whether they are numbered from the point of view of departure from the station or arrival into the station. It doesn't really matter as long as they are identifiable, does it?

 

[markydh]

Kings Cross is also numbered right to left...

 

[ctyerkes]

Also King's Cross, and doubtless others.

Sent from my SM-T520 using Tapatalk

 

[AlterEgo]

Fenchurch St too.

Inverness too.

Loads.

 

[Trog]

I think having platform 1 on that side is standard these days, although older stations that have not been renumbered on the LNWR WCML tend to have platform 1 on the left as you look north.

 

[D1009]

Completely random from what I can see. Someone a couple of weeks ago was trying to tell me that Brunel always built his stations with platform 1 on the down or left hand side in the direction of travel going upwards. I ended up thinking of a lot of stations where that isn't the case.

 

[47271]

Glasgow Central, Glasgow Queen Street, Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street all start on the left.

 

[Trainfan344]

Lowestoft is Right to left facing the train, Norwich is Left to Right, Liverpool St is Left to Right.

 

[TheEdge]

Lowestoft is Right to left facing the train, Norwich is Left to Right, Liverpool St is Left to Right.

Facing the train Norwich is right to left, as is Yarmouth.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Bradford Forster Square is right-to-left from behind the bufferstops, as is Ilkley.

Bradford Interchange also right to left, though I'd misremembered it and thought the shorter platforms were the lower-numbered ones!

 

[swissrailpassion]

Hull is left to right but was right to left until the 80s.

 

[Muzer]

Quite often (I'd say in a reasonable majority of cases but that's more of a guess than anything scientific) you'd get platform 1 as the leftmost up platform facing in the up direction and the others would follow on. Of course there are individual stations as well as whole lines where there are exceptions (I've no idea how Great Western's system works but they do just have to be different, don't they?).

 

[QueensCurve]

I think having platform 1 on that side is standard these days, although older stations that have not been renumbered on the LNWR WCML tend to have platform 1 on the left as you look north.

Not at Stafford, Crewe, Wigan, Penrith or Oxenholme.

 

[Taunton]

Completely random from what I can see. Someone a couple of weeks ago was trying to tell me that Brunel always built his stations with platform 1 on the down or left hand side in the direction of travel going upwards. I ended up thinking of a lot of stations where that isn't the case.

It was more that Brunel built stations all to one side of the line, "Cambridge style", with the main buildings on the town side. As in quite a number of cases the railway passed to the north side of the town centre (Slough, Reading, Swindon, Taunton, etc) this led to this arrangement, which carried on when rebuilt to a more normal arrangement with platforms on both sides.

Taunton is unusual in that, progressively over time, the main building has transferred from the down side to the up side, and in the process from the town side to the opposite. The town side entrance was fully closed off for a while, but is now available again. The platforms were completely renumbered about 30 years ago, but retained the logic of starting from 1 on the down side.

 

[Muzer]

Can't really say Cambridge-style any more since Cambridge has now been remodelled! Where's the next most famous station with that layout?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Maryport and Malton? Dunbar I believe is as a result of rationalisation and formerly had a second through platform so wouldn't count.

If you include Ireland then there's also Limerick Junction.

Edit - if you meant Cambridge-style as in multiple platforms on the same platform face with associated track layout then the closest I can think of is Limerick Junction.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

It was more that Brunel built stations all to one side of the line, "Cambridge style", with the main buildings on the town side. As in quite a number of cases the railway passed to the north side of the town centre (Slough, Reading, Swindon, Taunton, etc) this led to this arrangement, which carried on when rebuilt to a more normal arrangement with platforms on both sides.

Taunton is unusual in that, progressively over time, the main building has transferred from the down side to the up side, and in the process from the town side to the opposite. The town side entrance was fully closed off for a while, but is now available again. The platforms were completely renumbered about 30 years ago, but retained the logic of starting from 1 on the down side.

I imagine Taunton was particularly confusing when the avoiding line was still in use, as it passed between the station and the town!

 

[D1009]

I imagine Taunton was particularly confusing when the avoiding line was still in use, as it passed between the station and the town!

Like the Westbury avoiding line still does.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Maryport and Malton? Dunbar I believe is as a result of rationalisation and formerly had a second through platform so wouldn't count.

If you include Ireland then there's also Limerick Junction.

Edit - if you meant Cambridge-style as in multiple platforms on the same platform face with associated track layout then the closest I can think of is Limerick Junction.

Penryn, surely?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Penryn, surely?

Indeed. In my defence I've not been to Cornwall in years!

 

[takno]

Dunbar I believe is as a result of rationalisation and formerly had a second through platform so wouldn't count..

Dunbar did have a second platform, but it was between the current platform and the through lines, so the whole station was off on one side of the through lines like Frome or Darlington.

 

[6Gman]

Not at Stafford, Crewe, Wigan, Penrith or Oxenholme.

Numbering at Crewe was reversed after the 1980s remodelling.

Wolverhampton is an odd one - 1 to 4 are the through platforms, starting on the Down side, but 5 and 6 are bays on Platform 1!

 

[edwin_m]

Penryn, surely?

Dovey Junction.

 

[Hwnt52]

It was more that Brunel built stations all to one side of the line, "Cambridge style", with the main buildings on the town side. As in quite a number of cases the railway passed to the north side of the town centre (Slough, Reading, Swindon, Taunton, etc) this led to this arrangement, which carried on when rebuilt to a more normal arrangement with platforms on both sides.

Taunton is unusual in that, progressively over time, the main building has transferred from the down side to the up side, and in the process from the town side to the opposite. The town side entrance was fully closed off for a while, but is now available again. The platforms were completely renumbered about 30 years ago, but retained the logic of starting from 1 on the down side.

Cardiff Central and Newport are opposite ways round - 1,2 are eastbound at Cardiff and westbound at Newport. This reflects the position of the main entrance - north side at Cardiff and south side at Newport.

 

[kevconnor]

After the rationalisation of Manchester Victoria when the arena was built am I right in remembering that it was also renumbered. I am sure I remember seeing something where what is now P1 was where the higher numbered platforms once were.

 

[40129]

Numbering at Crewe was reversed after the 1980s remodelling.

Wolverhampton is an odd one - 1 to 4 are the through platforms, starting on the Down side, but 5 and 6 are bays on Platform 1!

IIRC the bay platforms at Wolverhampton were previously numbered 1c and 1d. What didn't help was that the north end bay at least, was AIUI built later than the rest of the station to accommodate the DMU shuttle to/from Shrewsbury. The idea being that after electrification London trains would terminate at Wolverhampton.

Shrewsbury is also slightly strange in that the platforms were re-numbered from 1-10 (1and 2 being what is now 7) to 1-7 just a few years before what became 1, 2 and 3 were taken out of use - platform 3 was subsequently restored to passenger use. Platforms 1 and 2 have subsequently had their tracks remove (I think platform 2 has been demolished as well) leaving five operational platforms numbered 3-7. I think if I were in charge I'd tidy it up by re-numbering these 1-5 with the present 7 becoming 1 (NB: 4 would not need re-numbering in this scenario)

 

[Taunton]

Can't really say Cambridge-style any more since Cambridge has now been remodelled! Where's the next most famous station with that layout?

I suppose Darlington, where the whole station (basically a large island platform with bays) is off to one side of the main line, is a contender.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Cardiff Central and Newport are opposite ways round - 1,2 are eastbound at Cardiff and westbound at Newport. This reflects the position of the main entrance - north side at Cardiff and south side at Newport.

That's the more logical (to the casual observer) way to do it rather than basing it on which is the "up" line. Dewsbury and Taunton are two where the higher numbered platforms are closest to the main entrance but I guess there'll be loads.

 

[D1009]

Deleted