Preston Station

[D60]

There was an occasion around a decade ago, when a cl.90-hauled Scottish sleeper service de-wired on the track into platform 4, and blocked the whole of that side of the station for several hours into the following day... Can't remember if platform 3 was blocked as well... but pretty much everything was routed through platforms 1 and 2.. with Liverpool-Blackpool services using the RES platform (old plat.2)...
Think I've also read that it's been used for Open Golf shuttles to Ansdell..?

 

[Bevan Price]

Platforms 3-6 provide heaps of Fast Line platform capacity as it is (3 and 4 effectively form the Down and Up Fast through the station)

If anything the capacity constraint in on the Slow Lines through Platforms 1/2, which are pretty highly utilised - hence a platform on this side is more useful.

The problem with platforms 5/6 is that the steps up to the footbridge can become dangerously overcrowded if a busy train arrives (e.g. a nearly full 390 with passengers alighting and trying to board.)
.

 

[PR1Berske]

Think I've also read that it's been used for Open Golf shuttles to Ansdell..?

That has happened in the past, yes.

 

[Mollman]

Platforms 1 and 2 are notoriously narrow but I'm not sure what could be done to solve that. I recall there was an official review about doing something about them.

You could widen 1/2 westward over the current down slow although this would result in loosing one of the two loops. Platform 5/6 is in desperate need of widening, Platform 7 could be fenced off on the rail side with the up loop forming the new Platform 6 road. This would then allow the narrow staircase up to the bridge to be widened and potentially allow for a small waiting room with facilities - one of the biggest complaints about using 6 for London trains is that all the facilities are on 3/4.

 

[Lankyline]

Isn't Platform 7 used for specials, especially steam hauled as there is a watering point there? Also if you re-instated the original platform 1&2 your going to need a new footbridge to access this and that's not exactly an easy option.

 

[najaB]

Also if you re-instated the original platform 1&2 your going to need a new footbridge to access this and that's not exactly an easy option.

The station could do with a second footbridge down at the subway end of the platforms anyway.

 

[Foggycorner]

Why on earth would you want to waste money on a footbridge when there are 2 subways connected to all the platforms in the center of the station
one of which has the lifts attached to it from all platforms and the other with ramps to platforms 3,4,5,6&7 and stairs to 1&2

 

[najaB]

Why on earth would you want to waste money on a footbridge when there are 2 subways connected to all the platforms in the center of the station...

For whatever reason some people don't like subways.

 

[D60]

Isn't Platform 7 used for specials, especially steam hauled as there is a watering point there? Also if you re-instated the original platform 1&2 your going to need a new footbridge to access this and that's not exactly an easy option.

I've certainly seen steam loco + support coach being watered in plat.7, and then couple up to excursion stock in p6, but can't remember if I've seen an excursion train itself in p7..
Where the footbridge continued over to old p1/2 is still apparent at the end of the existing footbridge to the current p1/2..