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Twickenham - platform 2

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Islander58

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Does anyone have any info on the last time the bay platform 2 was used at Twickenham - for rugby traffic, presumably?

Can anyone give the arrival and departure details from the special traffic notice that covers the workings, ecs in and service train out?

And how about the next use for platform 2?

Will platforms at Twickenham be renumbered as platform 1 has been out of action for 15 (?) years or more?

Thank you
 
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Dr_Paul

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I've not seen the platform 2 bay at Twickenham in use although it has relatively recently been relaid. As far as I recall, there is no direct way from the down line across the two up lines to the bay, so its use is somewhat limited, as any down services using it would have to jiggle across and reverse into it from the up slow, which would delay up services.

I've noticed that the rebuilding of Twickenham station has allowed for through running on platform 2: when the present station was built in the 1940s (I think), it was designed for two double-sided island platforms (2 and 3, 4 and 5) and a bay (1). However, platform 2 was only ever a bay and there was a connection to the GPO depot built across the trackbed at the country end. This connection was redundant once the rail mail services were stopped, and now there is the possibility of the bay becoming a through platform if it's deemed necessary. The platform 1 bay has been out of use -- indeed, unusable -- for a very long time, and I doubt if it will be restored.
 

SWT_USER

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As Dr Paul says Platform 2 was relatively recently relaid. Prior to this it was used for rugby services fairly regularly (probably 5+ years ago now). I wonder if it's not able to take 10 coach trains so it is less useful now? I only ever remember seeing 8.455 in there.

I'm not sure if there are plans to use it again but if not I'd question why they relaid it!
 

swt_passenger

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Would P2 through running provision likely be a feature of the ongoing Feltham area resignalling? So the platform surfacing is just getting ahead a bit?
 

Snow1964

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You are correct that Twickenham station was rebuilt, it was originally other side of road overbridge. I think war delayed it, but might have been 1950s by time work was actually finished.

Since the area was resignalled in 1970s (when Feltham power box opened) platform 1 has become disused. Really need to slew the tracks so that trains leaving St Margarets can diverge to either side of island (5 for stopping trains, 4 for fast) and with the ability of trains leaving platform 4 being able to run parallel to beyond the junction to Kingston loop/Shepperton. Plenty of dead trackbed to allow this and the rail flyover already has extra spans.

Similarly trains from Strawberry Hill should be able to run parallel straight into platform 2 (and onto St Margarets where there is extra loop platform) so don't need to be delayed by late running trains from Reading and Windsor. The 2 track section from Richmond to Barnes is a pinchpoint in peak and any late stopping train entering this section is going to hold up next fast train by time it gets to Barnes.

At the moment the middle of the 3 operational platforms is used for reversals (including during engineering when Reading trains reverse and go via Kingston).

I think platform 1 is not fully dead (wont be built over and lost), because Twickenham from Strawberry Hill was a proposed terminating point of Crossrail 2 and would then need the extra platforms back in use for terminating trains to sit in. But really those outer sides of both the islands need to be available to allow stopping trains to be overtaken on the centre lines (and need to be able to handle 10 car trains)
 

NSE

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Platform Two should be back in use in the future as the new works at Twickenham station have all the signage up for ‘Platform 2’. As these are brand new I should imagine the plan is to use them and not to re-number the platforms.

As for the parallel arrival from the country end, that does indeed happen. When my stopper from Whitton is late (xx:53/23 departure) it runs into platform 4, often simultaneously to the Kingston looper. Nice little bit of railway theatre to be honest. And saves me walking across the footbridge as it creates a nice little cross platform interchange!
 
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