Trivia - Which principal stations close briefly overnight...

[Mcr Warrior]

...and which remain open on essentially a 24 hours a day basis (such as possibly East Croydon and Gatwick Airport)?

(Would imagine that there'll have been a few occasions when a late running train has been so heavily delayed that alighting passengers have then struggled to exit from an already locked-up station!)

 

[John Hunt]

Nuneaton and Leicester both close for a few hours.

 

[AlterEgo]

Euston closed from 0134 until 0430 most days, and Sundays 0200 to 0515.

 

[Ianno87]

Pretty sure King's Cross closes overnight.

 

[scotrail158713]

Judging on the BBC Scotland series I believe Glasgow Central closes overnight

EDIT - this link, if you then click on the relevant station, seems to show opening hours for all Network Rail managed stations.

Our stations - Network Rail

We own and manage some of Britain's biggest and busiest railway stations. Find out about facilities, food, drink and shopping, station access and more.

www.networkrail.co.uk

 

[Annetts key]

The vast majority of the mainland U.K. railway stations close overnight.

So maybe it would be better to list the stations that are open 24 hours a day during the working week.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

The vast majority of the mainland U.K. railway stations close overnight.

So maybe it would be better to list the stations that are open 24 hours a day during the working week.

That would be o.k., although not all those that do "close" overnight are locked shut.

 

[JonathanH]

The vast majority of the mainland U.K. railway stations close overnight.

That probably isn't true by number as there is no facility or person to lock up unstaffed stations. However, I agree that most principal stations are likely to be.

 

[Annetts key]

That probably isn't true by number as there is no facility or person to lock up unstaffed stations. However, I agree that most principal stations are likely to be.

Obviously only staffed stations will have their doors and gates locked. That’s what I was meaning.

 

[Bill57p9]

Manchester Airport, Manchester Piccadilly, Preston and Crewe certainly used to be open all night (back in the 90s). I assume that the Manchester stations still are as TPE operate through the night.

What about Carlisle or Taunton? They have sleeper departures around 0145 and 0240 respectively with services restarting just after 0500

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Come to think about it, Paddington has trains throughout the night too, at least one an hour. Reading has departures at 0224 and 0356 so might be a candidate.

 

[185143]

Manchester Airport, Manchester Piccadilly, Preston and Crewe certainly used to be open all night (back in the 90s). I assume that the Manchester stations still are as TPE operate through the night.

What about Carlisle or Taunton? They have sleeper departures around 0145 and 0240 respectively with services restarting just after 0500

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Jun 2021 ==

Come to think about it, Paddington has trains throughout the night too, at least one an hour. Reading has departures at 0224 and 0356 so might be a candidate.

Manchester Piccadilly was open 24/7 until March 2020. Then it started closing overnight for a deep clean. These days, passengers who do have overnight/waiting for a middle of the night TPE layovers are allowed to stay inside.

 

[Wolvercoter]

I believe Exeter Central closes at night... certainly, the 2120 London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids on Sunday evenings runs non stop Pinhoe to St Davids (around 00:45). Last train WAT-EXD runs earlier Mondays to Saturdays.

 

[ClagLover]

Preston is half-closed for about 3 hours overnight. By that I mean they lock the waiting room and WC for cleaning but it’s still accessible and many a spotter friend of mine do ‘all-nighters” there. I suppose they can’t lock it up because of the Caley Snoozybye

 

[KINSEY.]

Preston is half-closed for about 3 hours overnight. By that I mean they lock the waiting room and WC for cleaning but it’s still accessible and many a spotter friend of mine do ‘all-nighters” there. I suppose they can’t lock it up because of the Caley Snoozybye

What is Caley Snoozybye?

 

[185143]

Preston is half-closed for about 3 hours overnight. By that I mean they lock the waiting room and WC for cleaning but it’s still accessible and many a spotter friend of mine do ‘all-nighters” there. I suppose they can’t lock it up because of the Caley Snoozybye

I was sat on Preston station waiting for the Lowlander sleeper to arrive a couple of years back after a Highlander cancellation. I got the impression that me being allowed to stay in the waiting room after the 01:xx Manchester was very much the exception than the norm.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Brighton closes overnight, they reopen it only just in time for the first train. Done it once (and only once).

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What is Caley Snoozybye?

The Sleeper.

 

[Andrew1395]

The vast majority of the mainland U.K. railway stations close overnight.

So maybe it would be better to list the stations that are open 24 hours a day during the working week.

My local station isn’t closed on Christmas or Boxing Day anymore. In the past for 48 hours you had to walk around the station, but for more than 15 years you can carry on walking through the subway from one side to the other. Euston used to open 24 hours a day, but Railtrack changed that.

 

[Mikey C]

Euston closed from 0134 until 0430 most days, and Sundays 0200 to 0515.

Hence that rather ugly false wall they had to put in to allow the night tube to be accessed through the night without opening the whole station!

 

[LowLevel]

The very vast majority of stations advertise being shut to avoid amongst other things homeless persons or others from attempting to sleep overnight - often larger stations have a night shift regardless, particularly those where trains or traincrew are based.

In practice in case of disruption or errors I've known plenty of occasions where unfortunate individuals have been allowed to stay in a waiting room on a "closed" station.

Nottingham for example is open 24 hours but there are so many people around shunting trains, cleaning and starting and finishing work early and late that there are more staff about than there are on a day shift - the public rooms are all locked though and security staff/BTP are also on site all night in case of rough sleepers or other issues.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

In normal times, Huddersfield is served through the night but is locked up until around 10mins before an overnight train is due, then locked again around 10mins after that train departs.

 

[Trackman]

Hence that rather ugly false wall they had to put in to allow the night tube to be accessed through the night without opening the whole station!

There was an entrance near Sainsbury's on the right to start with I think. I think it lead into the main station (or steps)? I imagine it was cordoned off inside with staff on hand.

Manchester Piccadilly was open 24/7 until March 2020. Then it started closing overnight for a deep clean. These days, passengers who do have overnight/waiting for a middle of the night TPE layovers are allowed to stay inside.

A few years ago I was there at a late hour, I think they only had the main entrance open to keep undesirables out and lots of staff watching you.

 

[greyman42]

York is open 24/7.

 

[bearhugger]

York is open 24/7.

Is the footbridge through to the NRM classed as a public right of way? I'm fairly sure i've read on here that there are stations that have to stay open because of this reason.

 

[Kite159]

A couple years ago I arrived into Glasgow Central on the last TPE arrival of the day (the one which had a tour via Holytown & Wishaw) which got in around 00:45, and the passengers were diverted towards a side gate which was unlocked to allow them to exit the station.

I was at Leeds on Sunday and pretty sure I saw a sign saying the station would be open to allow passengers to catch the overnight TPE services 10 minutes before they were due to depart.

 

[thenorthern]

What do you define as open? Many times I have got off the 23:15 departure from St Pancras and got off at East Midlands Parkway. While officially East Midlands Parkway is open no facilities are.

 

[lincolnshire]

Is the footbridge through to the NRM classed as a public right of way? I'm fairly sure i've read on here that there are stations that have to stay open because of this reason.

I think you will find that the footbridge is open to access platforms 10 & 11 only after a certain time as there are doors which are closed to stop access to NRM. The short stay car park has a gate which is closed at a set time to block off the entrance near to Scarborough bridge and the long stay car at the far side also has gate which blocks the access from Holgate Road area. These all reduce need to be on the station except for train travel.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Jun 2021 ==

Hartlepool is another station thats opened in a morning before the ticket office opens and is locked up again at night after the last train. A gentleman comes and opens the station and returns again after the last train to secure the station again.

 

[thenorthern]

I know one of the problems with leaving stations open 24 hours is overnight they can become refuges for the homeless which isn't always a good thing.

I know Nottingham Station was often used by the homeless overnight however in 2018 a homeless woman was taking drugs in the ladies toilets and it caused the station to catch fire. Nottingham Station I think though is still open 24 hours and has staff there 24 hours a day.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

What do you define as open? Many times I have got off the 23:15 departure from St Pancras and got off at East Midlands Parkway. While officially East Midlands Parkway is open no facilities are.

Dare say that if you can alight from the train at East Midlands Parkway late at night and then get out of the station legitimately (or alternatively if you arrive at the station late on and can catch a train onwards to Sheffield/Nottingham or where ever), it's technically "open".

If all the doors / access points at the station are locked shut and so you can't get onto the platforms to wait for a train, then the station is effectively "closed", IMHO.

Wouldn't necessarily expect many station facilities to be available late at night, departure/arrival information, maybe a TVM, not much else.

Noted the various comments about temporarily locking up a station so as to attempt to keep undesirable non-passenger types out of the station environment, particularly if there is no scheduled service arriving / departing in the next hour or more.

 

[yorkie]

Is the footbridge through to the NRM classed as a public right of way?

No.

I think you will find that the footbridge is open to access platforms 10 & 11 only after a certain time...

What time? I've never heard of this but am happy to put it to the test.

The short stay car park has a gate which is closed at a set time to block off the entrance near to Scarborough bridge

Yes I can confirm this one closes (or at least did the last I heard) and regularly generates negative PR for LNER in the local press.

and the long stay car at the far side also has gate which blocks the access from Holgate Road area

Not any more it doesn't! I believe it stopped working shortly after it was installed.

I recall one night arriving into York on a late arrival and saying we'd have to go the long way round and @D6700 pointed out the gate no longer closed, and he was absolutely right!

 

[Horizon22]

(London) Charing Cross is closed from 0100 to 0430.