Rich said:
I see, so, would that suggest anything about the train arrival time, and therefore which platform. For example, if you are advised to leave then minutes, then that may be because the train is a through train (not a terminating train), so in Piccadilly's case, Platform 14, rather than platforms 1-12.
Do you understand what I'm getting at?
As TicketMan explained, the those times apply to stations, hence, whatever trains you're changing to/from, it'll always recommend 10 minutes. at Manchester Piccadilly.
There are some minor exceptions to this rule such as extra time is recommended if the train is a eurostar etc.
I think the recommended time is 5 minutes where no time is shown. In some cases where a quick change is possible, the number shown may actually be less than 5 minutes. Not sure quite how but I think London bridge is 3 minutes!
It's nothing to do with whether trains are through or not, more with things like are there steps between platforms, can the station get busy with lots of people etc. I have a feeling some of the times are designed with 80 year olds in mind though as they tend to be rather generous.
As a final note, always obey the times when planning a journey. Because if your train runs say 5 minutes late and you miss a key connection, you probably won't have a leg to stand on when it comes to compensation if you didn't allow the recommended time.