Trivia - Platforms 3c and 4c Preston!! Made me wonder...

mallard · 29 May 2019

In terms of actual walking distance, rather than as-the-crow-flies, places like St. Pancras (EMT platforms in particular) and Birmingham New Street require passengers to take very circuitous routes between platforms and ticket offices. Obviously that's because they're built as shopping centres first and making people walk past as many shops as possible is a deliberate part of shopping centre design.

RailUK Forums

Bletchleyite · 29 May 2019

mallard said:
In terms of actual walking distance, rather than as-the-crow-flies, places like St. Pancras (EMT platforms in particular) and Birmingham New Street require passengers to take very circuitous routes between platforms and ticket offices. Obviously that's because they're built as shopping centres first and making people walk past as many shops as possible is a deliberate part of shopping centre design.

As New St has entrances on all sides it'd be a bit hard, other than having 4 ticket offices, to have you walk past one at every entrance. Under the main departure board right in the middle isn't a bad place for it, all things considered.

I agree about St Pancras, though.

ricoblade · 29 May 2019

scrapy said:
Think there's a barrow crossing, there certainly used to be.

There still is, though there is a proposal/consultation to install a lift on the Westbound platform.

PG · 31 May 2019

ricoblade said:
There still is, though there is a proposal/consultation to install a lift on the Westbound platform.

Thanks for the info, I didn't realise it had a barrow crossing.

Was the lift on the eastbound installed years ago when barrow crossings were a regular thing at most stations and in daily use? Otherwise it'd seem odd to have only put a lift in for one direction and not the other...

AndyW33 · 1 Jun 2019

Bletchleyite said:
As New St has entrances on all sides it'd be a bit hard, other than having 4 ticket offices, to have you walk past one at every entrance. Under the main departure board right in the middle isn't a bad place for it, all things considered.

I agree about St Pancras, though.

Once upon a time, before electrification, there were also four entrances and four ticket offices. One at the main entrance in Stephenson Street, one at the back entrance in Station Street, and two in Queens Drive, the road that split the station into two (LNW and Midland) halves. This of course related to the two separate companies who used it, and once the LMS came along some rationalisation happened, with one of the two Queens Drive offices closing. With the (then) shiny new 1960s station there was just the one ticket office. with attached Travel Centre, on the concourse. As you needed a ticket to go through the barriers, and there was only one set of these, one ticket office worked fine. Brummies are used to having the one ticket office after 50 years!

ess · 1 Jun 2019

lxfe_mxtterz said:
From what I remember, Platforms 13/14 at London Paddington are quite far from the main concourse.

Although only having to disembark there just once, I vaguely remember the journey to the main concourse consisted of going up and over a bridge, then down a very long ramp and all the way to the end of one of the platforms, similar to Manchester Piccadilly.

Platform 13 at Paddington is no more since 14 was increased in length last year.
I often wonder why late night services depart from Platform 14 when the other 12 platforms are mostly empty. Very annoying, but the same happens at Kings Cross.. why use the suburban platforms late night?

Meerkat · 1 Jun 2019

The previously mentioned platform 3 at Woking is a long old trek and causes a fair amount of running.
Folk see platforms before going up the footbridge so expect their platform to be at the bottom of the steps....then realise their soon to depart train is that little thing off in the far distance.

County School · 1 Jun 2019

Meerkat said:
The previously mentioned platform 3 at Woking is a long old trek and causes a fair amount of running.
Folk see platforms before going up the footbridge so expect their platform to be at the bottom of the steps....then realise their soon to depart train is that little thing off in the far distance.

From Google's distance finder you are looking at about 300 metres to Retford platform 4, 260m to Earlestown platform 5 and 175m to Woking Platform 3

scrapy · 2 Jun 2019

County School said:
From Google's distance finder you are looking at about 300 metres to Retford platform 4, 260m to Earlestown platform 5 and 175m to Woking Platform 3

Impossible to get from Google maps but the Wirral line platforms at Moorfields are some distance from either entrance especially if you include distance travelled on escalators (I know it would be a lot shorter via the lift from the Moorfields entrance but it would be inpractical for the majority of people to go this way due to limited capacity). I would guess over 300m from the Old Hall St entrance?

Also at James St the platforms are at least 200m from the Water St entrance.

tsr · 2 Jun 2019

London Victoria ticket office to Platforms 1 or 19... quite a meander!

County School · 2 Jun 2019

Google will give you about 220m between the Old Hall and Moorfields exits (surface) as the crow flies and 330m between those points on a walking route via Tithebarn Street

However, I am not sure this meets the OP's challenge. There must be worst stations to enter by the "wrong" entrance. The worst route from platform 1 at Monument to platform 5 at Bank is 425 metres so the wrong entrance to platform figures must be similar. There are still people wandering round King's Cross St P Underground looking for the Olympics!

Andyh82 · 4 Jun 2019

Platform 4 at Nottingham that the Leeds services go from.

The tram train platforms at Rotherham Central

13/14 at Paddington that TFL Rail use

As others have said, 17 at Leeds, 13/14 at Man Picc, 0 at Doncaster

AndyW33 · 5 Jun 2019

Andyh82 said:
Platform 4 at Nottingham that the Leeds services go from.

If you think that's bad, try Platform 2, the east-facing bay.

6Gman · 5 Jun 2019

vlad said:
Platform 2 at Crewe is quite a walk from the main entrance.

At least it's not used that often.

Ah but when it is used it's usually a very short notice of a platform change for the Derby train causing total confusion.

Trivia - Platforms 3c and 4c Preston!! Made me wonder...

mallard

Established Member

RailUK Forums

Bletchleyite

Veteran Member

ricoblade

Member

PG

Established Member

AndyW33

Member

ess

Member

Meerkat

Established Member

County School

Member

scrapy

Established Member

tsr

Established Member

County School

Member

Andyh82

Established Member

AndyW33

Member

6Gman

Established Member