London King’s Cross - recent reduction to 11 platforms again

[William3000]

One thing I could never quite understand when they took platform 10 out of service and renamed 11 to 10, was that it was needed to enable 8 car trains to fit in those platforms.

Was there a reason why the 8 car trains couldn’t be moved to the main trainshed and the shorter 5 car long distance services moved to the ancillary shed. I appreciate the longer distance stock have longer carriages but imagine the 5 car trains to Lincoln, Hull, Bradford Interchange, and Sunderland would have fitted into there?

Given that the trains all have to cross over from slow to fast lines and the fast trains to King’s Lynn do sometimes use the ancillary bay anyway I just wondered why they had retained 12 platforms and moved shorter trains there?

 

[swt_passenger]

One thing I could never quite understand when they took platform 10 out of service and renamed 11 to 10, was that it was needed to enable 8 car trains to fit in those platforms.

Was there a reason why the 8 car trains couldn’t be moved to the main trainshed and the shorter 5 car long distance services moved to the ancillary shed. I appreciate the longer distance stock have longer carriages but imagine the 5 car trains to Lincoln, Hull, Bradford Interchange, and Sunderland would have fitted into there?

Given that the trains all have to cross over from slow to fast lines and the fast trains to King’s Lynn do sometimes use the ancillary bay anyway I just wondered why they had retained 12 platforms and moved shorter trains there?

They reduced to two platforms to provide a faster exit speed, using simpler standardised S&C stretched out over a longer distance, and also because the P10/11 island was considered too narrow for passenger safety. The 3 platforms were each at least 160m long, the two remaining are now 172m, so not much different.

The problem with transferring long distance operators to the ‘suburban shed’ is that they also want to be using the fast lines for arrival and departure, so you’d have to increase weaving between fast and slow somewhere else.

 

[The exile]

Were there any 5-coach InterCities at that point? Surely the removal of the 3rd platform in the suburban station predates the IETs?

 

[ainsworth74]

Were there any 5-coach InterCities at that point? Surely the removal of the 3rd platform in the suburban station predates the IETs?

No it happened between around 2019 and 2021. They'd been on order for a while by then though weren't fully introduced yet when the project got started.

 

[Kite159]

No it happened between around 2019 and 2021. They'd been on order for a while by then though weren't fully introduced yet when the project got started.

And even before the Azumas came into use, 5 coach 180s had been using King's Cross for a good few years

 

[ainsworth74]

And even before the Azumas came into use, 5 coach 180s had been using King's Cross for a good few years

Yep very good point! Short long-distance trains were not new. HT with 222s as well of course as well as GCs HSTs.

 

[Failed Unit]

I understand another part of the logic to remove it was safety, it wasn’t wide enough. However if that is try why didn’t they widen it.

 

[Zomboid]

They did, but in order to do so they had to take a track out.

 

[MarkyT]

They did, but in order to do so they had to take a track out.

They didn't widen the platform. It was likely considered a little too narrow to be an island with tracks on either side. Removing one track was enough to make it safer, but I'm surprised they didn't erect a fence along the abandoned rear face. Another consideration is 'standback' from bufferstops and starting signals. Modern designs favour the driver being able to see and read departure signals clearly so signals are placed accordingly. Some legacy terminal station layouts are poor in this respect. Perhaps one day they'll relay some isolated track in the old #10, label it platform 9 3/4 and install a fake red painted hall and a couple of mark1s there as a static exhibit!

This aerial view illlustrates just how constrained in length the throat is between the platfrom ends and Gasworks tunnel.

 

[Hadders]

The old platforms 10 and 11 could take 8-car trains and did so every day.

I think I'm right in saying that it was a very tight fit and with the narrow platform the opportunity was taken to simplify things. It was all done when the layout around the Kings Cross throat was changed and the 3rd tunnel bought back into use - I suspect trains from P10 can now reach the fast lines more efficiently than before.