Biggest Platform Gap in the country?

[158747]

Bristol Temple Meads can be pretty dangerous in places, especially PLatform 3

The horizontal gap between train and platform 3 on a 150 is a foot or more, not quite so wide on a 158 or other trains with doors at each end of the coaches.

 

[Jamie Price]

Earlestown platforms 3, 4 & 5 would be in with a shout. I was on a 195 at platform 4 recently and the gap from step to platform was what I would describe as a 'leap'.

I dispatched from there for the first time as a conductor last week and I nearly fell down the hole! Massive gaps on both platforms I've worked a train on! Gotta be worth a shout.

 

[snookertam]

Crosshill, inner circle platform, on the Cathcart Circle is a gaping chasm.

 

[Deepgreen]

For Clapham Junction, you can add Platform 16 (in parts). On platform 13, towards the London end, the gap is more vertical.

Considering its extremely high usage, CJ is dreadful in many places. I find it amazing, too, that the Waterloo fast platforms continue to be unable to accommodate full length trains. It's not easy to lengthen them (except possibly 9) but even so... P8 rarely has trains stopping, but has a big outside canted curve gap.

 

[Deepgreen]

Selhurst platform 1, north end has a huge step up/down, but is rarely used by passengers. The platform appears to have subsided over many years and now sits at about half of its original height.

 

[Inox]

Salford Central

 

[yrreb]

Marsden platform 2 used to have a humongous gap before work was done to resolve this. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-47265241

 

[al green]

Wolverton platforms 3 and 4 (slows) have a huge gap, combination of horizontal and vertical. About 10 years ago a woman did fall down the gap. Back in Silverlink days (or early LM) I did once see a unscheduled train pull up, loads of staff jumped out, took measurements at each door, leapt back on board and off it went. Didn't result in any changes being made to the track or platforms.

 

[reddragon]

Coombe Junction Halt - as the train usually stops a few hundred metres short of the platform edge!

 

[Tetchytyke]

My mum had her picture taken by the local press trying to get onto a train on Platform 3 (Up Fast) at Berkhamsted - but that was to show the problem of vertical height more than horizontal gap

I'd have said the gap on the down fast was worse. Up fast is bad at Apsley. Step into a 321 on the up slow at Apsley was a jump too.

Platform 2 at Shipley can be a bit of a leap!

It's not that bad.

Platform 5 (platform 2 at the time) was always really bad before they re-aligned the track and straightened the platform. Still pretty bad though.

 

[Cricketer8for9]

South Croydon, especially the country end of platforms 3-5 is at least a couple of feet. And I second Selhurst down fast which has the cant as well.

 

[Statto]

Manchester Piccadilly P13/14 can be a couple of feet between train & platform when the train stops on the curve

 

[jtuk]

Cheadle Hulme platform 3 can be a bit ropey

 

[2L70]

Market Rasen and Bingham.

 

[jon0844]

View attachment 70311

I'm going to suggest wherever this train stops, as you need to pole vault to get on it....

There's another line in between there. Obviously the train is at another platform and the driver is now in a lot of trouble....

 

[ijmad]

Probably not the biggest, but I always counted Wandsworth Town's P1 as among the worst I've regularly had to deal with in London, at least:

Been a few years since I've been there, so perhaps they've improved it in the mean time.

 

[WYSH]

Platform 1 at Worcester Foregate Street always seemed quite a jump, especially from a 150

 

[john prytherch]

While some of the gaps discussed in this thread are, I think, length gaps (most notably at Gourock because of the curve), my concern is with height gaps.

The down platform at Warrington Central has a serious height gap. I have for some time exercised great care in alighting; but a fortnight ago I had a little accident while boarding (a pacer!) and am still being treated for the graze received.

I share the concern expressed by several correspondents on this thread. I believe Network Rail have a standard platform to train step height gap (sorry I don't know what it is) while acknowledging that on many platforms, it is not met. As I think has been suggested in this thread, the problem may be getting worse at some locations. Manchester Oxford Road P4 has been mentioned. I am also finding the down platform at Knott Mill and Deansgate much harder than it was. The worst one in my experience is Bristol Temple Meads P7; there, the last two times I have boarded, I have requested the passenger behind me to give me a little push. The last time I travelled that route I was on the train from Bath, to avoid the expected difficulty at BTM.

I am aged 68, and too fat, and getting slower in all my movements, but I am not sure whether this problem is really me getting more infirm, or the platform gaps increasing, or a bit of both. Either way, I am shocked to realise that I cannot confidently use one of the platforms at one of my town's two principal stations without a risk level that is probably too high. I start most days out at Warrington Bank Quay (where there are no platform height issues) and am now having to finish there more often.

I get the impression that I am not the only ageing passenger for whom inadequate platform height is becoming a serious issue.

John Prytherch.

 

[CEN60]

While some of the gaps discussed in this thread are, I think, length gaps (most notably at Gourock because of the curve), my concern is with height gaps.

The down platform at Warrington Central has a serious height gap. I have for some time exercised great care in alighting; but a fortnight ago I had a little accident while boarding (a pacer!) and am still being treated for the graze received.

I share the concern expressed by several correspondents on this thread. I believe Network Rail have a standard platform to train step height gap (sorry I don't know what it is) while acknowledging that on many platforms, it is not met. As I think has been suggested in this thread, the problem may be getting worse at some locations. Manchester Oxford Road P4 has been mentioned. I am also finding the down platform at Knott Mill and Deansgate much harder than it was. The worst one in my experience is Bristol Temple Meads P7; there, the last two times I have boarded, I have requested the passenger behind me to give me a little push. The last time I travelled that route I was on the train from Bath, to avoid the expected difficulty at BTM.

I am aged 68, and too fat, and getting slower in all my movements, but I am not sure whether this problem is really me getting more infirm, or the platform gaps increasing, or a bit of both. Either way, I am shocked to realise that I cannot confidently use one of the platforms at one of my town's two principal stations without a risk level that is probably too high. I start most days out at Warrington Bank Quay (where there are no platform height issues) and am now having to finish there more often.

I get the impression that I am not the only ageing passenger for whom inadequate platform height is becoming a serious issue.

John Prytherch.

Effectively the standard offset from the rail to the platform edge should be between 730mm & 745mm with the height from the rail to the edge of platform being 900 - 915mm (these dimensione are what are referred to as "planar rail dimensions" ie projected along the plane of any cant the track has. However other the other factor that influences the "gap" is the type of rolling stock that runs. Some types of trains have "steps" that are much higher than others. There is also a standard that covers "stepping" it the distance you have to step up or down to a platform.

I should point out that just because there is a standard doesn't necessarily mean that existing platform comply with it! As someone who works within the track design industry - it is like trying to hit a moving ball and goalpost at times - NR are actively trying to eradicate issues with "gaps" where they can - but is can be expensive as reconstructing a platfrom can be difficult and more often than not affects a whole raft of other infrastructure. Bottom line its expensive and complicated but can be done.

 

[jymiee]

This is a very specific one but if you alight a Southbound LNER HST at Newcastle from the south end of coach G on P3 at Newcastle you'll find a substantial gap. I've heard stories of staff (guards mainly) ending up on the ballast in between the train and the platform while dispatching from P3 although not necessarily from coach G.

 

[leytongabriel]

St James Street on the Chingford branch has a nasty combination of height and width gap. One of the few places where the safety announcement about alighting with care makes sense! Wondering if Tfl's access team will get onto it eventually.

 

[Class195]

Shipley platform five?

 

[kev1974]

The Bakerloo Line platforms at Waterloo always seem a ludicrously large gap to stride across to me, depending whether you're at the carriage end or carriage middle. I always thought it should have moving platform edge "gap fillers" that go out to meet the train once it's stopped, like South Ferry in New York has (or had?).

 

[FishUK]

Has to be Earlestown platforms 4 and 5, right?

 

[Quakers Yard]

Pentrebach