Trivia - two-platform stations which have huge variation in platform length

geoffk · 15 Aug 2020

I'm posting this as I recently had occasion to use St. James Park station in Exeter. The train was terminating there and the guard came through advising everyone (just me, I think) to move forward to the front door to alight. I was surprised how short the Exmouth-bound platform was (37m according to Wikipedia compared to 73m for the down platform). I assume a 150 can call but anything longer must use selective door opening if available or just a single door (it was a 3-car 158).

Wikipedia also says "plans were announced in May 2019 to extend Platform 2 to fit two coach trains (sic), with works proposed to begin in Spring 2020". Work is no doubt delayed by Covid.

Anyone know of other similar examples?

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30907 · 15 Aug 2020

Can't think of a current example, but there will be stations where the goods yard connection restricted the length of one platform, but the other side could be lengthened as needed.
I am sure the SR did that on various electrified routes, but I can't think of a specific example.
On other railways, Teignmouth was one, though the proportion was about 3:2 not 2:1

Mcr Warrior · 15 Aug 2020

Balcombe, on the Brighton Main Line, has an 12 car platform on the Northbound side, but only an 8 car platform on the Southbound.

Barnsley · 15 Aug 2020

Barnsley stations Down platform is nearly double the length of the Up platform, from the time when it was the only one (one end is fenced off, but its all still there)

MarlowDonkey · 15 Aug 2020

Bourne End can accommodate a five car 165 in one platform and only a 2 car in the other. It's because the line to Marlow branches off about halfway down the station.

At off peak times only the short platform is used. Trains arrive from Maidenhead, reverse and then continue to Marlow. At peak times, there's a shuttle using the long platform between Maidenhead and Bourne End and another between Bourne End and Marlow.

It wasn't built that way, originally the line to High Wycombe continued across a level crossing on a major road and the Marlow platform was a separate bay. Trains longer than about three or four carriages would make two stops, blocking the level crossing.

RichardKing · 15 Aug 2020

Newhaven Harbour has a short down platform (4 cars max), yet the up platform can accommodate 8 (maybe more) cars.

SWTCommuter · 15 Aug 2020

Weston=super-Mare: platform 2 is about 30% longer than platform 1

Yatton: platform 1 is 162 metres long, platform 2, is 121 metres long

lxfe_mxtterz · 15 Aug 2020

Gainsborough Lea Road has got to be up there.

Edit: Or maybe not anymore! Apparently they've built a new platform.

sussexbythesea · 15 Aug 2020

Portslade station has a 12 car Eastbound platform (1) but only a 7 car westbound platform (2). Platform 1 was probably extended to stop longer trains from fouling the very busy level crossing.

The Planner · 15 Aug 2020

geoffk said:
I'm posting this as I recently had occasion to use St. James Park station in Exeter. The train was terminating there and the guard came through advising everyone (just me, I think) to move forward to the front door to alight. I was surprised how short the Exmouth-bound platform was (37m according to Wikipedia compared to 73m for the down platform). I assume a 150 can call but anything longer must use selective door opening if available or just a single door (it was a 3-car 158).

Wikipedia also says "plans were announced in May 2019 to extend Platform 2 to fit two coach trains (sic), with works proposed to begin in Spring 2020". Work is no doubt delayed by Covid.

Anyone know of other similar examples?

Best looking at the Timetable Planning Rules and the platform length section, easy to see any discrepancies between platforms there. Some that stand out are Bury St Edmunds, Kew Gardens, Kings Lynn, Lakenheath, March, Thetford, Woodbridge, Lowdham, Mansfield Town, Newark Castle, Radcliffe, Spondon, Ashburys, Bentham, Chelford, Cov Arena, Gt Missenden, Greenfield, Kidsgrove, Longport, Lye, Parton, Perry Barr, Prestbury, Reddish North and many many more.

A more interesting one is stations with substantial lengths no longer used, the Cumbrian coast has several stations fitting that.

2392 · 15 Aug 2020

Pickering Platform 1 is longer than Platform 2. OK I know it's on a Preserved line the North Yorkshire Moors, but, the OP hasn't separated the Heritage network from National network........

61653 HTAFC · 15 Aug 2020

Bending the rules slightly to include the three-platform station at Bradford Forster Square which has 1&2 capable of taking a full-length IC225 set, and 3 which only takes a 4-car EMU. Funnily enough, Bradford Interchange is similar but each platform is double-sided giving four faces, two long and two short.

Hadders · 15 Aug 2020

At Foxton platform 2 (for trains to Cambridge) was extended in Summer 2017 to allow 8-car trains to call without fouling the level crossing of the A10. Platform 1 was not lengthened, as it is located before the crossing and 8-car trains use selective door opening to open the doors on the front four carriages only.

adamedwards · 15 Aug 2020

Dovey Junction is a curious 2 platforms in a V shape. The Aberystwyth platform is huge as it's designed to allow 2 trains in opposite directions to use it at the same time. Quite a hike if getting off a train from Barmouth changing for Aber

SteelWeelApeal · 15 Aug 2020

Reading West has one ridiculously long platform, while the other is "normal" length (not sure how long, but shorter than an HST when they called there)

CC 72100 · 16 Aug 2020

Kemble used to have quite a difference, could accommodate 5x Mark 3 on the up, but 7 (technically 8, but very tight so more likely 7 coaches unlocked) on the Down.

Sprinter107 · 16 Aug 2020

Malvern Link up platform is longer than the down platform.

Flange Squeal · 16 Aug 2020

Ash is 4 cars on the down (towards Aldershot/Reading) and 8 cars on the up (towards Guildford). No idea why - most other stops on the North Downs Line have relatively short platforms and have traditionally always been served by single multiple units. Some posters have commented about stations having longer platforms in one direction to avoid longer trains blocking a level crossing - that isn’t the case here as the level crossing is at the Guildford end of the station. I can only assume it may date back to when what is now industrial units was once a yard, so access to that preventing platform extension, though that still doesn’t explain the other platform’s extension on a line that’s never really seen long trains stopping.

Farncombe I believe this is 12 on the up (London-bound) and less on the down (Portsmouth-bound). Used to be 8 car pre-ASDO, not sure if its accommodation is more now. The reason for platform 1’s additional length in this case probably was to allow full length trains to clear the country-end level crossing when stopping.

superjohn · 16 Aug 2020

Kensington Olympia. The southbound side was replaced with a new shorter platform built over one of the through lines. The original platform remains on the northbound side and is much longer.

Mcr Warrior · 16 Aug 2020

superjohn said:
Kensington Olympia.

9 car Southbound, 12 car Northbound. What's the lengthiest train now calling at Kensington Olympia now that Manchester -> Brighton services no longer do so (and haven't for quite some time)?

Railwaysceptic · 16 Aug 2020

Mcr Warrior said:
9 car Southbound, 12 car Northbound. What's the lengthiest train now calling at Kensington Olympia now that Manchester -> Brighton services no longer do so (and haven't for quite some time)?

Probably the 8-car Milton Keynes/East Croydon trains.

Mcr Warrior · 16 Aug 2020

Ta! Only ever been on that service when operating as a 4 car unit.

SteveyBee131 · 16 Aug 2020

Great Coates platforms are strictly speaking the same length. However the starting signal on the westbound platform is positioned partway along the platform, making the usable part of this platform considerably shorter than the eastbound platform.

BrettSy96 · 16 Aug 2020

Correct me if I’m wrong but I think there’s a difference in the two platform lengths at Haddiscoe on the Wherry Lines. The platform for trains to Norwich is shorter I think anyway.

Mcr Warrior · 16 Aug 2020

BrettSy96 said:
Correct me if I’m wrong but I think there’s a difference in the two platform lengths at Haddiscoe on the Wherry Lines. The platform for trains to Norwich is shorter I think anyway.

You may well be right. Railway Track Diagrams (Eastern) - Fourth Edition (2016) has Haddiscoe with a 4 car length platform on Platform 2 (towards Lowestoft) but only 2 car length on Platform 1 (towards Norwich).

BrettSy96 · 16 Aug 2020

Mcr Warrior said:
You may well be right. Railway Track Diagrams (Eastern) - Fourth Edition (2016) has Haddiscoe with a 4 car length platform on Platform 2 (towards Lowestoft) but only 2 car length on Platform 1 (towards Norwich).

Yes I thought that was the case as I remember them announcing the train was too long for the platform on the way to Norwich but on the way back it wasn’t mentioned!

james60059 · 16 Aug 2020

Coventry Arena, on the Nuneaton - Coventry line.

The Coventry-bound platform is at least twice the length of the Nuneaton-bound one.

30907 · 16 Aug 2020

Flange Squeal said:
Ash is 4 cars on the down (towards Aldershot/Reading) and 8 cars on the up (towards Guildford). No idea why - most other stops on the North Downs Line have relatively short platforms and have traditionally always been served by single multiple units. Some posters have commented about stations having longer platforms in one direction to avoid longer trains blocking a level crossing - that isn’t the case here as the level crossing is at the Guildford end of the station. I can only assume it may date back to when what is now industrial units was once a yard, so access to that preventing platform extension, though that still doesn’t explain the other platform’s extension on a line that’s never really seen long trains stopping.

In this case the signal protecting the LC is a couple of coach lengths back from the platform end, so the Up needed extending (though why it got the full 8 cars I don't know).
As well as the goods yard, Ash had up and down bays for the former shuttle to Aldershot (which disappeared almost completely with electrification); the platforms were unusually narrow for double-sided (no wider than now) and IIRC were identical length.

ABB125 · 16 Aug 2020

If you ignore the bay platform at the western end, Gloucester has two platform faces, one significantly longer than the other (I seem to remember reading somewhere that it is the second longest platform face in the country?). However it is treated as two separate platforms operationally with a crossover halfway along so may not be eligible.

DorkingMain · 25 Aug 2020

Virginia Water platforms 1, 2 and 4 are 10 coaches long, while Platform 3 (Up Chertsey) is 6 coaches.

Trivia - two-platform stations which have huge variation in platform length

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