What are the widest and narrowest station platforms?

[Moritzplatz]

Polsloe Bridge must rate as one of the narrowest and there's no overbridge restricting the width. The yellow line is nearer the back fence than the edge of the platform. I must take a tape measure next time I'm there.

Bedhampton and Polsloe Bridge were the first two stations that came to my mind. The platforms under the footbridge at Botley are also pretty narrow.

 

[John Luxton]

Ends of the platforms at Green Lane, Birkenhead which go into the tunnels at each end. "Do not alight here" signs fitted.

 

[Mr. SW]

Brentford Central Up Platform under the road bridge.

 

[M28361M]

How about Cressington under the bridge?

Very narrow, and only accessible by going under the low bridge which requires a person of average height to stoop slightly. The perils of trying to upgrade a Grade II-listed station in a conservation area to suit a modern S-Bahn style operation.

Cressington was, for a while, my local station. Knowing that my morning train to work was a 6-car, I usually waited in the narrow part near the end of the platform, to board the train in the right place for a swift exit at Moorfields. It only occurred to me later that standing on that part of the platform might have made the driver of the approaching train a bit nervous.

Having said that, I'm not sure I've heard of any accidents at Cressington in the 40-odd years this situation has existed.

Ends of the platforms at Green Lane, Birkenhead which go into the tunnels at each end. "Do not alight here" signs fitted.

Both Cressington and Green Lane had grandfather rights which disappeared with the 507s and 508s. We are awaiting selective door operation on the 777s to allow 8-car trains to call at those stations (to lock one set of doors out of use in the case of Green Lane, and an entire unit for Cressington). In both cases those narrow platforms will be consigned to history.

 

[Merthyr Imp]

Quite narrow indeed, though the end of the island platform at Acton Bridge is similar.

How about Cressington under the bridge?

View attachment 182011

Loughborough is similar to that - unless they've closed it off since I was last there (which was not as long ago as when I took this photograph).

 

[sh24]

That part of Loughborough is indeed now closed off

 

[satisnek]

I've always thought that Guildford has narrow platforms, considering that the station sees very heavy commuter traffic (which it had even in my father's day).

Re Bicester North, it's good that the Up platform has just been widened with the existing structures retained, so that the original layout of through roads with platform loops can be reinstated if ever needed in the future. When BR singled the line between Princes Risborough and Aynho Junction, the 'dog legs' where the platform loops originally turned out were retained, the double track becoming single beyond these. I can remember this layout when I first travelled the line in the mid-1980s. Some years later, by which time I was living in Kidderminster, I can recall a DMU railtour from those parts which visited Marylebone. I was in the front coach and could see "over the driver's shoulder", and as we came careering down from Ardley with the speedo needle on the end stop (as DMUs did back then) I observed that the track layout at Bicester had been realigned, now with a straight, bidirectional route through the Down platform. A friend was sitting in the middle of the train, he was familiar with the line and approaching Bicester he was A Bit Worried, to put it mildly!

 

[Peter0124]

If metro systems are allowed, how about West Street on the Glasgow subway?

 

[kevjs]

Narrowest it might not be, but for the number of people you can get on it, the very top of Birmingham New Street Platform 4C / 4B seems perilously narrow sometimes. There is a very, very small area between the yellow lines for each platform and often hundreds of people.

Similarly platform 13/14 at Manchester Piccadilly where the staff constantly yell at people to move behind the red lines, which if everyone complied they would be behind the red line of the platform they have their back to...
Exacerbated by the location of the stairs & other platform clutter.

 

[plugwash]

Measuring across the ‘middle’ of Edinburgh Waverley’s central island between the tracks on either side must be in with a chance for the widest. (Please don’t expect me to get the bizarre numbering right.)

One issue with cases like this is where does a wide platform end, and two platforms with a path/passage between them begin? According to google maps (unfortunately I had to use the map view not the sattelite view because of the roof, so this may not be entirely accurate) the overall width seems to be about 77m. But between the bay platforms and the retail units the longest section of "clear platform" from one side to the other seems to be only 16m long.

 

[Alex_L33]

Carlisle wins this easily.

This is how narrow the platform is between platforms four and seven.

Why are there two yellow lines on the left face and none on the right? Not sure how to interpret "please stand behind the yellow line" on that platform!

 

[birchesgreen]

I love the end of Acton Bridge's island platform.

 

[iphone76]

I think platforms 5 and 8 (Elizabeth Line) at Stratford are way too narrow for the volume of passengers they deal with these days, not helped by the stations buildings taking up a lot of space.

 

[John Luxton]

Both Cressington and Green Lane had grandfather rights which disappeared with the 507s and 508s. We are awaiting selective door operation on the 777s to allow 8-car trains to call at those stations (to lock one set of doors out of use in the case of Green Lane, and an entire unit for Cressington). In both cases those narrow platforms will be consigned to history.

Thanks for the info on this.

 

[birchesgreen]

Ewell West is one i visited last month, nice narrow bit under the bridge.

 

[Rescars]

If metro systems are allowed, how about West Street on the Glasgow subway?

This island is rather reminiscent of Angel in days gone by.

Though not as extreme as other examples, the terminal platforms at the rebuilt London Bridge seem surprisingly narrow alongside the subway stairs/escalators, especially given passenger numbers.

 

[Greetlander]

Llandudno must be pretty wide - doesn’t it have a road down the middle of it?

 

[Magdalia]

Royston has narrow platforms under a road bridge, though not quite as narrow as some other examples here.

Ely has wide platforms. Platform 1 was extended outwards to reach the down through line, platforms 2 and 3 are fairly wide for an island with no bays.

An example that qualifies for both is Farringdon Thameslink platforms which are wide at the City Thameslink end and narrow at the St Pancras end.

 

[Chilternblue]

Botley quite narrow under the bridge.

 

[NSEWonderer]

South Bermondsey for me, last I there, Goodness knows how they manage with match day fans.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

All the way along the platform, or just the narrowest at the most narrow bit? If the latter I’d say Gargrave, where the platform goes under the toad bridge, is up there as one of the narrowest.

Good point. Also, I feel like this question ought to distinguish island platforms from non-island platforms. A platform width that might feel completely OK and natural if there is a railway line on one side and a fence on the other side might well feel uncomfortably thin to stand on if there are tracks and passing trains on both sides.

 

[BrianW]

That was built out in one of the early Evergreen line speed and doubling improvements to meet the existing position of the then up fast line. I think it’s fairly clear looking from the gap at the London end how it’s been done, the station originally had a much more complex track layout, with both platforms on loops off the through pair. You can see the road bridge just past the station was built for 4 tracks.

Bicester North platform 2- are you sure that's not built out to where the former Down Fast line was when there had been four tracks between the platforms?

 

[Belperpete]

Two trains crossing at Praha-Smichov Severni Nadrazi on the "Prague Semmering" line. As can be seen, the island platform is not much wider than the wheelchair. It was built between two existing carriage stabling sidings, without bothering to increase the space between the sidings.

 

[swt_passenger]

Bicester North platform 2- are you sure that's not built out to where the former Down Fast line was when there had been four tracks between the platforms?

Yes I think that’s a better description. Maybe I should have said built out to what has now become the up fast. But I can’t remember how were the tracks were laid out, (or used), immediately before the work, was it just a single through line calling at the down platform only?

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Two trains crossing at Praha-Smichov Severni Nadrazi on the "Prague Semmering" line. As can be seen, the island platform is not much wider than the wheelchair. It was built between two existing carriage stabling sidings, without bothering to increase the space between the sidings.

View attachment 182152

Where is that photo taken? Looking up Prague Smichov Severni Nadrazi station on Google maps shows a station that appears to have completely normal, conventional, platforms: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/[email protected],14.4051224,992m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1

 

[Revaulx]

When was the line through Bicester singled? I vaguely remember going through there in the early 70s with the line still double but a huge gap between the platforms where the through lines had already gone.

 

[AbsoluteBlock]

Where is that photo taken? Looking up Prague Smichov Severni Nadrazi station on Google maps shows a station that appears to have completely normal, conventional, platforms: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/[email protected],14.4051224,992m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1

That's the northern part of Praha-Smíchov station ('severní' means north in Czech). If you look up aerial photographs of 50°03'46.2"N 14°24'23.8"E you can see the little platforms as well as an additional station building.

Here's a video (not mine) of the railbus in action, with Praha hlavní nádraží at the beginning and Praha-Smíchov severní nástupiště at the end:

ČD 810 'regiomouse' / trip praha hl.n. Praha-smíchov sev.n. / schienenbus (s65) - YouTube

 

[NSEWonderer]

If underground is allowed then Clapham North based on the volume of passengers at time and speed the trains come in.

 

[NSE]

The gap between 7&8 at Brighton is quite big as it incorporates the old cab road.

 

[Nottingham59]

Where is that photo taken? Looking up Prague Smichov Severni Nadrazi station on Google maps shows a station that appears to have completely normal, conventional, platforms: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/[email protected],14.4051224,992m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1

They seem to be between tracks 4, 5 and 6 to the west of your dropped pin