[Trivia] Stations abroad which have an excessive number of platforms

[Watershed]

Inspired by this thread, can anyone think of any good examples of stations abroad which currently have an excessive number of platforms?

I recently changed at Gela station in Sicily. It has five 180m long platforms and six goods loops, yet is served by just 1tp2h (most formed of short 3 car diesel units), and has no apparent goods traffic. In combination with the cavernous concourse, it all seemed rather excessively proportioned for the service the station receives.

 

[paddy1]

Blankenberge Station in Belgium has seven platforms. It is a terminus station and last time I went there it had only one arrival and departure an hour, with the inbound forming the next outbound service. Don't know if the frequency has increased more recently?

 

[dutchflyer]

As has also been said on the domestic same question: SESAside. You will be surprised to the extreme in how many trains/HR Blankenberge, THE seaside resort to go to by train with very cheap tickets in BE, receives in 2 hrs on sunny summerdays-up to 1 ev 4 - 5 min. And all these trains need to be stabled and await till either the rains or the crowds come -whoever first- to bring same people back home-on often a free return on the price of a single.
To a lesser degree this also holds for KNokke=the most northern seaside in BE, but I dont know how many platforms there are now.
Any station that has lost normal service will have an oversupply of now not needed platforms, but perhaps you do not mean this. On the german DSO was the now again good-friday special excursion to Bouzonville (big market on that day, just across border from Saarland)=2 or 3 dilapidated platforms for this single train/YEAR.
Leipzig in old DDR, famous for its being the biggest end-station in at least Central or all? EURope-since they opened the S-bahn tunnel besides about half of the old platforms seem superfluous and many totally unused.
Oberhausen has 1 platform out of use and this is ´historic´ with old-time artefacts, but the rest is well in use.
POLand must also have a fair lot of once important junctions/change points that have fallen in near total disuse.

 

[rvdborgt]

Blankenberge Station in Belgium has seven platforms. It is a terminus station and last time I went there it had only one arrival and departure an hour, with the inbound forming the next outbound service. Don't know if the frequency has increased more recently?

In summer, they are all needed.

 

[D6130]

I recently changed at Gela station in Sicily. It has five 180m long platforms and six goods loops, yet is served by just 1tp2h (most formed of short 3 car diesel units), and has no apparent goods traffic. In combination with the cavernous concourse, it all seemed rather excessively proportioned for the service the station receives.

There are many, many stations like this in Italy - and in other European countries - where the provision of platforms, running lines and loops reflects the area's past glories, rather than the present day traffic situation. Until a few years ago, Gela was an important regional junction with services to Siracusa, Caltanissetta and Catania until the partial collapse of the Piano Carbone viaduct, between Caltagirone and Niscemi in 2011. Since then, the affected section of line has been covered by rail replacement buses....although I've heard recently that the Sicily regional council has issued tenders for the reconstruction of the railway. The oil and chemical industries on the outskirts of Gela used to produce a lot of rail freight traffic, hence the goods loops, but what remains now goes entirely by road.

 

[CC 72100]

Paris Bercy always struck me as having about 2 more platforms than needed and is a bit of backwater.

I also understand it has been rebranded, in typical French renaming style, to "Paris Bercy Bourgogne - Pays d'Auvergne"

 

[DanielB]

It all depends how you'd define excessive... Zwolle in the Netherlands has more platforms than Amsterdam Centraal (14 vs 11), but 150.000 entries and exits per day less.
Those are needed because it's such an important hub with many trains connecting, though the station is almost empty for 40 minutes each hour.

Most stations here which had many more platforms than usually needed have been rebuilt however, enabling more spacious platforms.
't Harde, Oisterwijk and Oudenbosch are examples which have three platforms though two would be sufficient for the current timetable. And there are numerous four track lines with platforms at all tracks (but only two used for stopping trains).

The latter I wouldn't consider excessive but just practical. An atypical example would be Wormerveer where the original two platforms were more than enough, however the station recently got two additional ones. This to enable stopping services to use the side tracks while being overtaken by an Intercity.

 

[Richard Scott]

Paris Bercy always struck me as having about 2 more platforms than needed and is a bit of backwater.

I also understand it has been rebranded, in typical French renaming style, to "Paris Bercy Bourgogne - Pays d'Auvergne"

Paris Austerlitz always strikes me as having too many platforms. Seems to have no more than 1/2 departures an hour and yet has more than 10 platforms (not sure of exact number as never counted them).

 

[CC 72100]

Paris Austerlitz always strikes me as having too many platforms. Seems to have no more than 1/2 departures an hour and yet has more than 10 platforms (not sure of exact number as never counted them).

That's also true; especially as you have the gloomy fully covered bit and then the more historical open platforms, if I remember correctly (it's been 8 odd years since I was last there!)

 

[the sniper]

There are many, many stations like this in Italy - and in other European countries - where the provision of platforms, running lines and loops reflects the area's past glories, rather than the present day traffic situation.

Which makes sense.

Which is why I nominate Aigio in Greece. Newly built, 5 300m platforms plus two sidings. Entirely unnecessary now as a terminus with 1tph, probably as superfluous when the through route is completed. It'll cost another fortune to wire it all eventually, which they'll probably manage, somehow.

 

[Watershed]

Which makes sense.

Which is why I nominate Aigio in Greece. Newly built, 5 300m platforms plus two sidings. Entirely unnecessary now as a terminus with 1tph, probably as superfluous when the through route is completed. It'll cost another fortune to wire it all eventually, which they'll probably manage, somehow.

Yes, when I visited, Greece did seem to have an excessive number of platforms and arguably also running lines. I didn't pass a single other train on the recently doubled, electrified and bypassed 200 mile stretch between Athens and Larissa.

Lots of EU investment poured into these areas in recent years, and some lovely new infrastructure to show for it, but you have to wonder whether it was really value for money....

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Oujda station has been rebuilt in the past few years by ONCF to have 6 platforms with around 3 departures a day.

 

[Springs Branch]

I'd nominate New York Grand Central.

I'm not quite sure what the true platform count is - or how they deconvolute "platforms" and "tracks", but as I understand it many of the inbound morning peak commuter trains pull into one of the two levels* of underground platforms and stable there all day until the stock departs as an outbound service in the evening. At most termini around the world, out-of-service trains are moved out to stabling sidings and the platform used for other trains.

Grand Central's platforms are generally very basic (not unusual in N. America) - so it a bit like dumping your passengers in the stabling sidings. It does give Americans the opportunity for a bit of hyperbole however - "biggest rail station in the world", "busiest station in the world", "most platforms in the world" etc. (67M pax per year in 2018 reportedly, so a couple of million less than London Liverpool St had in the same year & significantly less than Waterloo and London Victoria pre-COVID)

* - not sure of the exact arrangements with the addition two lower levels for the new East Side line at GCT, but I assume more conventional 'in & out' operation there.

 

[317666]

Potsdam-Pirschheide, with its disused (but still extant and the line they're situated on still open) high-level platforms. Only a single low-level platform remains in use.

Sticking with the Berlin area, Berlin-Schönefeld felt like a station with more platforms than needed even before BER Airport replaced it. Like Potsdam-Pirschheide, it received a lot more main line traffic before the fall of the wall.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Potsdam-Pirschheide was the main station during the DDR, so trains could avoid the Westzone.

I nominate Berlin-Olympiastadion. Two platform faces in normal use, eight more only for special events.

 

[stuu]

Yes, when I visited, Greece did seem to have an excessive number of platforms and arguably also running lines. I didn't pass a single other train on the recently doubled, electrified and bypassed 200 mile stretch between Athens and Larissa.

Lots of EU investment poured into these areas in recent years, and some lovely new infrastructure to show for it, but you have to wonder whether it was really value for money....

I have never been there but the interchange station SKA in northern Athens has a ludicrous number of platforms, most of which will never be used.

 

[Watershed]

I have never been there but the interchange station SKA in northern Athens has a ludicrous number of platforms, most of which will never be used.

Yes, and grade separation as well IIRC. All totally overkill given the level of service. By contrast, the line into Athens' main station is only single track, leading to some noticeable delays on several occasions!

 

[Kreissignal]

Potsdam-Pirschheide, with its disused (but still extant and the line they're situated on still open) high-level platforms. Only a single low-level platform remains in use.

Sticking with the Berlin area, Berlin-Schönefeld felt like a station with more platforms than needed even before BER Airport replaced it. Like Potsdam-Pirschheide, it received a lot more main line traffic before the fall of the wall.

Pirschheide‘s due for a bit of a revival in the coming years: building work is supposed to be starting on the high-level platforms at the end of the year.

 

[stuu]

Yes, and grade separation as well IIRC. All totally overkill given the level of service. By contrast, the line into Athens' main station is only single track, leading to some noticeable delays on several occasions!

Being replaced by a four track tunnel. Which will no doubt be used to its full capacity (or not)

 

[duesselmartin]

often stations of former glory have excessive platforms. In my area (Germany) Essen-Steele, Mülheim West and Mülheim Styrum have 4 platforms, 2 S-Bahn lines and a Regional an hour. All in all it could be handled by two platforms.

 

[superalbs]

Portugal:
Lisboa-Cais do Sodre, very frequent service but most platforms are just occupied by trains parked all day.
Braga, not a frequent service for a lot of platforms.

 

[30907]

often stations of former glory have excessive platforms. In my area (Germany) Essen-Steele, Mülheim West and Mülheim Styrum have 4 platforms, 2 S-Bahn lines and a Regional an hour. All in all it could be handled by two platforms.

Duisburg Hbf itself struck me as generously provisioned on a brief visit - 12 platforms, typical of DB rebuilding "from the ruins."

 

[317666]

Duisburg Hbf itself struck me as generously provisioned on a brief visit - 12 platforms, typical of DB rebuilding "from the ruins."

I'd say it's actually got a fairly sensible number, on the one hand there's quite a few services which start/terminate there, on the other hand delays and disruption are not uncommon in the area.

Sticking with Nordrhein-Westfalen, Altenbeken feels like a shadow of its former self in my view.

 

[67thave]

Belmont Park on the LIRR has four platforms (two of which are not in service) and receives only a very limited service on Islander game nights and during horse racing season.

 

[Cloud Strife]

Gorlitz must be a good candidate, as is Frankfurt (Oder). Both of them have six platforms.

 

[Austriantrain]

Bischofshofen in Austria with 7 platforms, rebuilt from the original „island station“ (large central platform with station facilities on it plus some bays - i.e. absolutely typical in the UK, but very rare in Austria; only Selzthal left since Salzburg was also rebuilt) not that long ago and much too large - 5 platforms would easily be sufficient.

 

[30907]

Bischofshofen in Austria with 7 platforms, rebuilt from the original „island station“ (large central platform with station facilities on it plus some bays - i.e. absolutely typical in the UK, but very rare in Austria; only Selzthal left since Salzburg was also rebuilt) not that long ago and much too large - 5 platforms would easily be sufficient.

Interesting - I associate the Inselbahnhof design with Prussia/Germany, having first come across it at Erfurt and then Uelzen (which is 2 separate routes/platforms side by side).
I can only think of Preston LNWR which has that layout but bays only at one end, though there must be others.

 

[biko]

Interesting - I associate the Inselbahnhof design with Prussia/Germany, having first come across it at Erfurt and then Uelzen (which is 2 separate routes/platforms side by side).
I can only think of Preston LNWR which has that layout but bays only at one end, though there must be others.

Edinburgh Waverley! But not sure whether it has too many platforms, I expect too little actually.

 

[Austriantrain]

Interesting - I associate the Inselbahnhof design with Prussia/Germany, having first come across it at Erfurt and then Uelzen (which is 2 separate routes/platforms side by side).
I can only think of Preston LNWR which has that layout but bays only at one end, though there must be others.

Maybe we don’t have the same definition, but I was thinking about Crewe, Darlington etc. Obviously Crewe has other platforms as well, but the two major ones both have passenger facilities on them, as well as various bays.

 

[duesselmartin]

Gorlitz must be a good candidate, as is Frankfurt (Oder). Both of them have six platforms.

yes the collapse of traffic and closures in the 1990s left many underutilised stations in East Germany.