Random Coventry Station Question (just curious)

[mattyb1405]

I was on a pendolino from London to Coventry / Birmingham - didn't get the set number and can not remember the time (meant to ask last Wednesday) but it went into platform 4 at Coventry which is not something I have seen ever I think (but not to say it doesn't happen) - originally I think it was due to terminate at Coventry as it was after the incident that closed the line between Cov and Bham. I thought it was a 9 car set but the display at Coventry indicated it was 11 - either way the front and back of the set looked like they just fitted in the platform. If it was a 9 car set does that mean in future 11 car sets can not use this platform or did I just miscount and it was 11 carriages?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Aye, it's quite rare for a Pendo to use platform 4. An 11-car set cannot fit on fully, so if it is ever needed to, SDO will be used (Selective Door Opening), where which doors open and which stay locked can be selected by the guard or driver (the driver does the doors normally, I'm just not sure what happens in SDO) when it arrives into the station. I believe similar happens at one platform at Wilmslow, and at Haymarket, and at Rugby platform 6.

As for a 9-car, I believe they just about fit on. It may be one of the rare cases on the WCML where 'X' stopboards are used, which basically indicates to a driver that they must stop at that exact point. Similar exists at Lichfield TV, but I can't remember in which direction.

Yes, I've noticed that quite a few times, the amount of coaches on the platform info screens and the amount of coaches in reality aren't the same; delightfully however the train is normally longer

 

[mattyb1405]

cheers!!