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Odd platform allocation Manchester Piccadilly

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323Matt

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Hi all,
Yesterday I was waiting for a train on platform 13 at Manchester Piccadilly and an announcement was made that a delayed EMT service to Liverpool Lime St would be arriving on platform 13b (heading towards Oxford Road), which it then did! At the time there was a FTPE train, also to Liverpool at platform 14 (where the EMT would usually come in on) but this departed seconds after the EMT arrived on 13.

Firstly, would they really divert a (delayed) train onto a different platform just to save those few seconds it would have taken to wait for the FTPE to depart?
and secondly, how often does this happen, a north/west-bound train arriving on 13, I've certainly never seen it happen before, it is standard practice?

Any information is appreciated!
 
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ChrisTheRef

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In this case, it was stop the EMT becoming further delayed by chasing yellows following the TPE into Liverpool.

That'd probably make the reactionary delay on the train's next working lesser.
 

323Matt

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The thing is, it departed Picc after the TPE anyway so it wouldn't make much difference unless it overtook at Oxford Road.
 

142094

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It does happen from time to time at Piccadilly, for operational flexibility. One thing to consider is that the two through platforms generally get very congested, both with trains and passengers. So it could be possible that they wanted to get people waiting for the EMT service onto the train to free up room on the platform.
 

Nym

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Or they could have needed to free up the approaches on the slow lines to allow the services coming in behind the xx07 to Liverpool L St (TPE) into the main shed.
 

Welshman

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I was once on a late-running EMT Norwich-Liverpool [due Piccadilly x36-x37, which was diverted to platform 13b to overtake the x44-x46 TPE Manchester Airport to Blackpool North, loading in 14.

I though it was smart operating, until I realised that now meant instead of a same-platform interchange from my EMT train from Grantham with the x50 ATW to Llandudno, I now had to cross all the way from 13b to 14 with heavy cases!

Seriously, I'm surprised they don't seem to use the flexibility of the bi-directional platforms 13 & 14 more often.
 

John55

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It does happen from time to time at Piccadilly, for operational flexibility. One thing to consider is that the two through platforms generally get very congested, both with trains and passengers. So it could be possible that they wanted to get people waiting for the EMT service onto the train to free up room on the platform.

I doubt if there are so many passengers for Widnes that it is necessary for the EMT train to clear the platform. The TPE train on P14 will clear any passengers for the other stations who can actually get on.

It makes sense for the EMT to go first from Oxford Rd as it doesn't stop at Birchwood while EMT are first stop Warrington. I suggest the question is Did the EMT cross over onto the normal west bound track or did it go to Oxford Road "wrong line" and overtake the TPE train?
 

323Matt

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I suggest the question is Did the EMT cross over onto the normal west bound track or did it go to Oxford Road "wrong line" and overtake the TPE train?

Unfortunately I wasn't able to get to the end of 13/14 to see but it possibly did as a TPE Scarborough service, due in 13a as the EMT departed, was delayed by 6 minutes. Having said that, it would have been unnecessary as the EMT departed after the TPE Liverpool service and would have been able to overtake conventionally at Oxford Road.
 

John55

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Unfortunately I wasn't able to get to the end of 13/14 to see but it possibly did as a TPE Scarborough service, due in 13a as the EMT departed, was delayed by 6 minutes. Having said that, it would have been unnecessary as the EMT departed after the TPE Liverpool service and would have been able to overtake conventionally at Oxford Road.

It may have been quicker to use 13 and overtake wrong line. I have never seen this happen but the switches and crossings for bi-directional working are all polished when I go through so they must use them sometimes.
 
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