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Trivia - what's the largest town in Britain where the station has only one platform?

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geoffk

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National Rail network only.

My first thought was Aberystwyth (pop. around 18k) but then I found that both Newquay (20k) and Falmouth (22k) were bigger.

Further investigation suggested these were wide of the mark as two New Towns, East Kilbride (75k) and Redditch (85k), must surely top the list, unless anyone knows different.
 
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Kingspanner

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Well, as always it gets complicated.
The Borough of Hartlepool has a population of 93,000 but the OP mentioned Town not Borough. And Hartlepool station has one working platform face, a derelict platform opposite and a bay which I don't know if it works or not. And the borough contains at least two other stations, namely Seaton Carew (two platforms) and Billingham (two platforms)
 
Kite159

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Kingspanner said:
Well, as always it gets complicated.
The Borough of Hartlepool has a population of 93,000 but the OP mentioned Town not Borough. And Hartlepool station has one working platform face, a derelict platform opposite and a bay which I don't know if it works or not. And the borough contains at least two other stations, namely Seaton Carew (two platforms) and Billingham (two platforms)
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The bay platform is only used by those 2 services on a Sunday which go towards Darlington
 
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geoffk

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Yes it does depend on definitions - by population, I meant the town or settlement rather than the local authority area which may be larger (as is the case at Redditch). Also the definition of operational platform - Hartlepool does qualify for two - just!
 
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civ-eng-jim

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I expect Corby's up there - Population 62,000 - but that was in 2010 so it might be a bit higher now.
 
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geoffk

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Mag_seven said:
Stourbridge Town?
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I probably should have posed the question as the "only or main station". The set-up at Stourbridge would also apply at much larger Colchester. In both towns, the main stations (Colchester and Stourbridge Junction) are further from town than the one-platform "town" stations. Corby is billed as the fastest-growing town in England so could overtake Redditch in size in a few years.
 
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Blackpool, population 139,720. OK, so it isn't the main or the only station. But for the unwary traveller getting a 'South' train, arriving and thinking "Is this it?" must be a common reaction.
 
bristollh

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Kingspanner said:
Well, as always it gets complicated.
The Borough of Hartlepool has a population of 93,000 but the OP mentioned Town not Borough. And Hartlepool station has one working platform face, a derelict platform opposite and a bay which I don't know if it works or not. And the borough contains at least two other stations, namely Seaton Carew (two platforms) and Billingham (two platforms)
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For the sake of accuracy, Billingham is in the borough of Stockton on Tees.
 
Revilo

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xotGD said:
Blackpool, population 139,720. OK, so it isn't the main or the only station. But for the unwary traveller getting a 'South' train, arriving and thinking "Is this it?" must be a common reaction.
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That’s like saying ‘London’ because of Mill Hill East!
 
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Crisps

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Aberystwyth? Population only around 19,000, but that swells to around 30k in term time. It must be one of the only university towns that only has a single platform station. Of course some university towns have no station at all. St. Andrews probably being the most famous one.
 
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If by one platform you mean only one platform STRUCTURE, but with two faces and possibly bay platforms cut into it, then there are some quite large places with this set-up. I believe it was the practice in the early days of railways to build stations in this way, so examples could include Colchester or Cambridge, for example. However, further separate platforms may well have been added subsequently.
 
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61653 HTAFC

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Shimbleshanks said:
If by one platform you mean only one platform STRUCTURE, but with two faces and possibly bay platforms cut into it, then there are some quite large places with this set-up. I believe it was the practice in the early days of railways to build stations in this way, so examples could include Colchester or Cambridge, for example. However, further separate platforms may well have been added subsequently.
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I'd argue against that, I see your point but an island platform with tracks either side is effectively two platforms and will be numbered as such. Generally when we talk about platforms we mean platform faces.

Morecambe has two faces, so shouldn't be eligible IMO.
 
D365

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geoffk said:
Corby is billed as the fastest-growing town in England so could overtake Redditch in size in a few years.
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Perhaps, but I think a second platform is being bought into use alongside the electrification?
 
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SteelWeelApeal

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Shimbleshanks said:
If by one platform you mean only one platform STRUCTURE, but with two faces and possibly bay platforms cut into it, then there are some quite large places with this set-up. I believe it was the practice in the early days of railways to build stations in this way, so examples could include Colchester or Cambridge, for example. However, further separate platforms may well have been added subsequently.
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I think this is a strange definition to use, as would it not mean that Waterloo (for example) was just one structure with bays cut into it?
 
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swt_passenger

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D365 said:
Perhaps, but I think a second platform is being bought into use alongside the electrification?
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No, it isn’t. AIUI the track had to be doubled to allow the necessary train frequency in the area, but a second platform wasn’t ever on the agenda.
(A number of posts in an earlier thread about Corby in these forums reckoned it was happening when the project first surfaced around 2014, but it seems to me it was always in doubt.)
 
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