Stations with the most disused platforms?

[Purple Orange]

Which station has the most number of platforms out of use, mothballed, disused and abandoned?

It fascinates me whenever I pass through a station with abandoned platforms, I wonder what used to run from there, why they are no longer in use or how long they have remained unloved. A relic from our past that once had purpose, but could possibly come back to life.

Preston and Stafford spring to mind. Newcastle Central strikes me as one of the more shocking cases, where 7 platforms have been filled in and lost to car parking, technically they could be brought back in to use, but I can’t see a case for reopening all of them. Four other platform faces were added (if you include the Metro station and P5/6 and P7/8 as two platforms rather than four).

So, which station has the most platforms not in use?

 

[Anonymous10]

Which station has the most number of platforms out of use, mothballed, disused and abandoned?

It fascinates me whenever I pass through a station with abandoned platforms, I wonder what used to run from there, why they are no longer in use or how long they have remained unloved. A relic from our past that once had purpose, but could possibly come back to life.

Preston and Stafford spring to mind. Newcastle Central strikes me as one of the more shocking cases, where 7 platforms have been filled in and lost to car parking, technically they could be brought back in to use, but I can’t see a case for reopening all of them. Four other platform faces were added (if you include the Metro station and P5/6 and P7/8 as two platforms rather than four).

So, which station has the most platforms not in use?

i know this has less but is also relatively rural Carmarthen once had 5 platforms and appears to have also had a considerable amount of sidings some platforms still exist and most of the old track work as well but only 2 platform's are now in use

 

[d9009alycidon]

Surely Crewe with the big island platform with four bays and only one of two through platforms in use

 

[DoubleO]

Hull has, I think, 4 platforms that are still intact - including track - but aren't used by passenger services. I can't see how platforms that have been fully removed count as they're not disused they're non-existent!

 

[Purple Orange]

Surely Crewe with the big island platform with four bays and only one of two through platforms in use

Aren’t those still available to use though?

 

[lachlan]

Aberdeen must be a contender with two through platforms in situ but out of use (the track between them has been singled so they can't be used any more), one south facing platform still operational but only ever used for storage, and I think four north facing platforms completely lost to redevelopment and parking. The platforms in use are numbered 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 IIRC.

Cleethorpes has three out of use platforms and I'm not sure if the three operational platforms are all used regularly

 

[Snow1964]

There were some with extra platforms for horse racing
eg Esher had 7 platforms, now only 2 in use
Tattenham corner had 7, now just 3 remain

 

[plugwash]

IIRC Stockport also used to have a bunch of bay platforms, most of which have now been filled in though i'm not sure how many. I believe both platform islands had both north and south facing bays but I can't remember how many platforms each bay had. The aerial photos suggest to me that the platforms on the platform 1/2 island had only one platform in each bay, while those on the platform 3/4 island had two platforms in each bay. So that would suggest 6 platforms of which 4 have been filled in, 1 has no track and one is still in (infrequent) use.

 

[d9009alycidon]

Aren’t those still available to use though?

Track has been completely removed from the bays and they are slowly disappearing into the undergrowth, the disused through line has partial track in place but it is not a designated platform

 

[MarlowDonkey]

Hull has, I think, 4 platforms that are still intact - including track - but aren't used by passenger services.

Hull Paragon has converted part of the station under the overall roof into a bus station. It's makes for a relatively rare example of local transport integration.

 

[lachlan]

Hull Paragon has converted part of the station under the overall roof into a bus station. It's makes for a relatively rare example of local transport integration.

Going a little off topic here but there must be other examples where former railway land has been used to make a bus interchange? I believe (though not 100%) that Aberdeen bus station was railway land up until the 50s.

 

[d9009alycidon]

Going a little off topic here but there must be other examples where former railway land has been used to make a bus interchange? I believe (though not 100%) that Aberdeen bus station was railway land up until the 50s.

Hamilton Central comes to mind, centre roads were taken out and the southbound platform realigned with new much smaller buildings, bus interchange built on the land freed up

 

[martinsh]

Surely Crewe with the big island platform with four bays and only one of two through platforms in use

Aren’t those still available to use though?

I assume he means the area beyond the current platform 12. Prior to the 1985 remodelling this used to have 1 extra through platform and 4 extra bays, though even then the south facing bays were only used for parcels traffic.

All current platforms are in use. I'm not sure if anything is actually scheduled to use 12, but it would rare for a day to go by without it being used for "overspill".

 

[The Planner]

Aren’t those still available to use though?

No, P13 as it would be is blocked off by the RRB walkway and has been for many many years.

 

[Mogz]

Hooton has to be a contender?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Hooton has to be a contender?

Contender for what?

 

[TrainTrackJack]

Worcester Shrub Hill has 2 former mail platforms at the London end of Platform 1 - some track remains in them, although the connection to the Down line was removed at some point during the last decade.

 

[Mogz]

Contender for what?

For having many disused platforms.

At present, only two in regular use.

Originally had seven.

 

[Journeyman]

I don't think there's anything particularly "shocking" about Newcastle. The general abolition of loco haulage and the loss of many local services to the Metro has allowed comprehensive track layout rationalisation, while allowing better services on most routes than you'd have had 40 or 50 years ago.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

As others have pointed out, if the platform structure has been demolished/removed/filled in/otherwise buried under development then it can't really count. At the very least there should be some physical remains in situ even if the track has been removed. For example at Bristol Temple Meads I'd count the west side bays which are still physically there, but not the platforms which used to be in the Brunel shed. Likewise the platforms at Manchester Mayfield would count (though as a closed station that opens a whole other discussion!) but Manchester Victoria's lost platforms wouldn't, as no trace remains of them.

 

[Failed Unit]

Cleethorpes has three out of use platforms and I'm not sure if the three operational platforms are all used regularly

they were on Saturday. TPE, Northern and EMR trains all present at the same time.

Lincoln has lost 3. But the bays have lost the routes they served as well.

 

[Statto]

I assume he means the area beyond the current platform 12. Prior to the 1985 remodelling this used to have 1 extra through platform and 4 extra bays, though even then the south facing bays were only used for parcels traffic.

All current platforms are in use. I'm not sure if anything is actually scheduled to use 12, but it would rare for a day to go by without it being used for "overspill".

Crewe does have trains scheduled to call/pass through P12, not just used for overspill.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

I don't think there's anything particularly "shocking" about Newcastle.

The shocking thing about Newcastle is none of the four south end bays can take 5 coaches thus ruling out Voyagers and Azumas in 5 car formations and the new TPE stock but was subject to a like for like only two or three years ago when some rationalisation should have been considered particularly as XC were effectively restricted to running 4 car Voyagers on services where five might have been more appropriate - so what if one (or even two) bays would be lost, they are of minimal practical use as they are and require terminating five car trains to clog up through platforms. .

 

[gordonthemoron]

How many platforms has Manors lost?

 

[swt_passenger]

How many platforms has Manors lost?

Seven. At its greatest extent there were four platforms for the mainline and coast via Heaton, two for through loop trains via Jesmond, and three north facing bays.

 

[trebor79]

March is a shadow of its former self, with derelict remains of what was once quite a large station.
Similarly Spalding is down to 2 platforms from I think 6 through platforms at one point, plus at least 1 bay. Thought he bay has been filled in and the site of at least 2 platforms is now under a housing development.

 

[Spartacus]

I think York's lost 6, 3 filled in, but sill under canopies on the station, used for car and bike parking, but in theory could be used again in the unlikely event of lines reopening, two empty track beds and one converted to a siding.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Worcester Shrub Hill has 2 former mail platforms at the London end of Platform 1 - some track remains in them, although the connection to the Down line was removed at some point during the last decade.

Platform 3 at Shrub Hill is unused at the moment, too.

Old diagrams and maps suggest that there was a westbound bay, too (i.e. the other side of the current platform 1B), though I don't know if it was ever in passenger use.

 

[satisnek]

Wow - 28 posts and no-one has mentioned Skegness...

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Wow - 28 posts and no-one has mentioned Skegness...

You just have. Six platforms, numbered 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 still in place but only two (3 + 4) normally ever in use.

When did platform 1 at Skeggy go?