Trivia: Stations that have two platforms for one track.

[swt_passenger]

It was Platform 16 and I think Platform 7 maybe but definitely Platform 16. All platforms are normal through platforms apart from 1,2 and 3 (the Western bays for Berks and Hants local services) and 4,5 and 6 (the Southern Third Rail platforms) and they are just regular bays.

Platform 16 at Reading was a temporary number during the rebuild. It was originally London facing bay P6, on the main island, but the additional “Southern” platform was built before the bay you are describing closed, and it opened as “new” P6; so the existing bay was given a temporary high number that didn’t conflict with the redeveloped station, which has 15 platforms.

 

[Rob F]

Nottingham p2

 

[gazthomas]

Finsbury Park?

 

[vlad]

I recall getting on a train at Derby many years ago from a bay with two sides.

That may have been Derby platform 5. It was filled in during last year's resignalling and you'd now hardly know it was there.

I'll arrive with the awkward one:

Penryn

2 platforms for one track.

When I read the thread title I thought it meant locations like Gloucester platforms 1 and 2.

 

[higthomas]

I remember last year there was a last minute platform alteration from P8 to P6 at Guildford and everyone had to walk over the footbridge or down through the subway to switch platforms. Is there any reason why they couldn't have just used some common sense and just get the train to open the doors on the P7 side (which is the same island that P8 is on)? Surely this would have been better than making everyone rush over the footbridge or subway to the other side (many passengers had lots of luggage with them)? Is there actually any rules or regulations preventing them from opening the doors on this side?

Annoyingly this is a regular occurrence. Immensely frustrating every time. They won't stop though. Much easier to annoy passengers than have a minor health and safety risk.

(Yes, I know being electrocuted isn't a minor risk, but the likelihood of people falling through the gap is)

 

[AlastairFraser]

Platform 16 at Reading was a temporary number during the rebuild. It was originally London facing bay P6, on the main island, but the additional “Southern” platform was built before the bay you are describing closed, and it opened as “new” P6; so the existing bay was given a temporary high number that didn’t conflict with the redeveloped station, which has 15 platforms.

Oh yeah I remember now because there used to be just 4, 5a and 5b in the Southern station but they renumbered and redeveloped the whole area to be 4,5 and 6.

 

[Strathclyder]

I'm sure that fencing off happened only recently - as built there was no fence for at least the first few post 1979 years of operation.

Buchanan St had it's platform screen installed in early 2005, while Ibrox & Hillhead had theirs installed in the April-August 2008 period. All had no such fence for 20+ years. They really should have had them from the outset, given how busy all three stations are*.

*: Ibrox in general is not as busy as the other two, it's only on match days at Ibrox Stadium when it gets extremely busy.

 

[Taunton]

Taunton platform 1, the nowadays little used down bay at the west end. Always been like it, formerly numbered 3, it's the onetime Barnstaple branch departure platform. If there was a train in there, formed a handy shortcut through it to the Minehead platform beyond.

 

[Richard Scott]

Fairly sure Ascot should be included? Not been there for years so may have been remodelled since?

 

[Clansman]

Removed

 

[swt class 450]

The one at Ascot has been fenced off on one side recently.

I am pretty sure the ones at Doncaster are also fenced off on one side and have quite a gap on the fenced off sides.

I wasn't aware that Dundee or Aberdeen had them. I don't remember seeing them at these stations.

 

[Clansman]

The one at Ascot has been fenced off on one side recently.

I am pretty sure the ones at Doncaster are also fenced off on one side and have quite a gap on the fenced off sides.

I wasn't aware that Dundee or Aberdeen had them. I don't remember seeing them at these stations.

Think I've perceieved this in the wrong context to the one intended.

 

[swt class 450]

Many thanks for all of your responses so far.

So it looks like at the moment we have the following ones on the National Rail network:

• Blackburn (P3/P~)
• Carlisle (P2/P~)
• Edinburgh (P18/P~)
• Finsbury Park (P2/P3)
• Finsbury Park (P6/P7)
• Grantham (P3/P~)
• Greenford (P2/P~)
• Guildford (P6/P7)
• Inverness (P6/P~)
• London Euston (P17/P~)
• Norwood Junction (P1/P2)
• Nottingham (P2/~)
• Scarborough (P1/P~)
• Scarborough (P2/P~)
• Sheffield (P2C/P~)
• Sheffield (P7/P~)
• Ulverston (P2/P3)
• Wigan Wallgate (P3/P~)
• Yeovil Pen Mill (P2/P3)

It is interesting to note that some stations have given different numbers for the platforms on each side of the track while others have only given a number to one of the platforms but not the other. I wonder why this is.

The other side of the track at Platform 1 at Taunton looks very run down and overgrown. It looks like there is also a similar but shorter platform on the other side of the track at Platform 6 at Taunton as well.

Can anyone confirm if Edinburgh Waverley still has the track with the platforms on both sides (and which number is it)? I haven't been there for a while and i remember they did a lot of station work so i am not sure if it is still there (and i think there might have been more than one of these here)?

Its also interesting to note that London Underground open up the doors on both sides on the Central Line platforms at Stratford despite the risk of third rail electrocution like at the Guildford platforms.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

When I read the thread title I thought it meant locations like Gloucester platforms 1 and 2.

Could probably be a sperate thread to include Colchester North and even Birmingham New Street if A's & B's count seperately

 

[Journeyman]

No, one side of the middle island was fenced off, with a platform built on the opposite side of the track.

When originally rebuilt, the Glasgow Subway stations concerned didn't have the fence, although I'm not sure both platform faces were ever used. The fences were added later.

 

[Kite159]

Many thanks for all of your responses so far.

So it looks like at the moment we have the following ones on the National Rail network:

• Blackburn (P3/P~)
• Carlisle (P2/P~)
• Finsbury Park (P2/P3)
• Finsbury Park (P6/P7)
• Grantham (P3/P~)
• Greenford (P2/P~)
• Guildford (P6/P7)
• Inverness (P6/P~)
• London Euston (P17/P~)
• Norwood Junction (P1/P2)
• Nottingham (P2/P3C)
• Scarborough (P1/P~)
• Scarborough (P2/P~)
• Sheffield (P2C/P~)
• Sheffield (P7/P~)
• Ulverston (P2/P3)
• Wigan Wallgate (P3/P~)
• Yeovil Pen Mill (P2/P3)

It is interesting to note that some stations have given different numbers for the platforms on each side of the track while others have only given a number to one of the platforms but not the other. I wonder why this is.

The other side of the track at Platform 1 at Taunton looks very run down and overgrown. It looks like there is also a similar but shorter platform on the other side of the track at Platform 6 at Taunton as well.

Can anyone confirm if Edinburgh Waverley still has the track with the platforms on both sides (and which number is it)? I haven't been there for a while and i remember they did a lot of station work so i am not sure if it is still there (and i think there might have been more than one of these here)?

Its also interesting to note that London Underground open up the doors on both sides on the Central Line platforms at Stratford despite the risk of third rail electrocution like at the Guildford platforms.

It might be platform 18 you are thinking off at Edinburgh

 

[Mikey C]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_solution

The Wikipedia article on this practice describes it as a "Spanish solution", though it seems to be specifically describing busy stations with one platform for boarding and one for alighting.

 

[theageofthetra]

I seem to recall Sevenoaks platform 4 had one either side. One side being the normal passenger platform and the other for the Red Star parcels and was a shorter wooden one. Can anyone else remember it? I suspect there were others like this elsewhere.

 

[swt_passenger]

I seem to recall Sevenoaks platform 4 had one either side. One side being the normal passenger platform and the other for the Red Star parcels and was a shorter wooden one. Can anyone else remember it? I suspect there were others like this elsewhere.

Southampton P5 has a short parcels platform alongside it on the other side of the single track. I think you’re right there’ll be loads.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Sellafield has the same arrangement as Ulverston. It was once a very common arrangement in Germany - "Hausbahnsteig" (house platform, the one by the building) and "Nebenbahnsteig" (side platform, a narrow, often track-level middle platform to serve the far track when necessary). Many of these have now been changed to a single-island arrangement.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Its also interesting to note that London Underground open up the doors on both sides on the Central Line platforms at Stratford despite the risk of third rail electrocution like at the Guildford platforms.

While it wouldn't be pretty either way, LU's third rail is lower voltage (+450/-250 roughly) so while the risk is there it is a *bit* lower.

 

[swt class 450]

I believe that Sellafield has had a fence put up on the platform on one side of the track so it's similar to Ascot and High Wycombe now.

Can i also ask what side is used on the one at Nottingham? It seems that one side is P2 and the other side is P3C but i can't seem to find any information about which one the doors open on? From looking on live departure boards and real time trains it seems like both sides are used but not for the same train? Does the side used depend on the destination of the train?

 

[duffield]

I believe that Sellafield has had a fence put up on the platform on one side of the track so it's similar to Ascot and High Wycombe now.

Can i also ask what side is used on the one at Nottingham? It seems that one side is P2 and the other side is P3C but i can't seem to find any information about which one the doors open on? From looking on live departure boards and real time trains it seems like both sides are used but not for the same train? Does the side used depend on the destination of the train?

P3C refers to the through platform next to the bay (it's the same pyhsical platform as P3A/B). The bay itself is just P2 and the doors only open on the 'P2 side', i.e. the North side, closer to P1.

The diagram on the National Rail website is misleading in this respect and also wrong in other respects - e.g. it shows P5 as a through platform becoming 4a and 4b when actually P5 ends and there is a 'step out' to platforms 4a and 4b (or 'Carlton West' as some of us refer to them with a wry smile).

It's clear enough when you're actually on the platform.

 

[swt class 450]

Many thanks for the explanation. That makes sense. Yes i was looking at the station map on the National Rail website which shows P2 on one side and P3C on the other side. Unfortunately a lot of those maps on the National Rail website are incorrect or very out of date.

 

[Kneedown]

ICan i also ask what side is used on the one at Nottingham? It seems that one side is P2 and the other side is P3C but i can't seem to find any information about which one the doors open on? From looking on live departure boards and real time trains it seems like both sides are used but not for the same train? Does the side used depend on the destination of the train?

The P1 side is normally used at Nottingham.

P3 at Grantham is another, with either P4 or P2 being used depending on how many coaches a train has on it.

 

[imagination]

Oh yeah I remember now because there used to be just 4, 5a and 5b in the Southern station but they renumbered and redeveloped the whole area to be 4,5 and 6.

4a and 4b actually. Platform 4 was what is now platform 7, and platform 5 was the main platform for fast services to London.

Reading never did and still doesn't have two platforms for one track, though.

 

[AlastairFraser]

4a and 4b actually. Platform 4 was what is now platform 7, and platform 5 was the main platform for fast services to London.

Reading never did and still doesn't have two platforms for one track, though.

Yeah, that's probably true. I've mostly forgotten the old station since I've been to the new one reasonably frequently. It did have one platform for 2 tracks, just not on the southern side. There was a bay at the Eastern end facing London named P6, later P16 during the rebuild, when it was got rid of. I also seem to remember another bay at the western end, but maybe that's my bad memory.

 

[AlastairFraser]

4a and 4b actually. Platform 4 was what is now platform 7, and platform 5 was the main platform for fast services to London.

Reading never did and still doesn't have two platforms for one track, though.

I was right about the Western bay. It was called Platform 7.

 

[silverfoxcc]

Wood Green had one track two platforms for the Hatfield Locals IIRC the lines through the station were East to West

Down carriage Line 1
P1 was for the Hertford branch Line 2
P2/3 for Hatfield ( up slow) LIne 3 The]Hertford branch joined it about 300yds south of the station Line 3
P4 was the up main Line 4
Line 5 was down main
P5 for Down Hatfield Line 6
P6 for Down Hertford Line 7 and onto the flyover
Line 8 was down goods (through the Khyber pass)

 

[Mikey C]

While it wouldn't be pretty either way, LU's third rail is lower voltage (+450/-250 roughly) so while the risk is there it is a *bit* lower.

Have I missed something, but I don't understand why it would be dangerous to enter on the other side anyway (in the case of Guildford).

I had the same thing at Finsbury Park (so not even the 3rd rail risk) where a train (I think) was diverted from P5 to P7. Indeed I missed that train as I had naively assumed the doors would open on the P6 side and realised too late!