Trivia: Imbalanced Platforms

[Joseph_Locke]

My question is:

Is Manchester Piccadilly unique, in that its minority of through platforms (2) handle the majority (over 60%) of its passenger numbers? (the other 12 platforms see less than 40% of the annual footfall).

I know that London Bridge has just been balanced up vis-a-vis through vs terminus faces, and that Liverpool Lime Street is a potential (technical) candidate, having two through platforms on the Loop.

 

[318266]

Another candidate is Glasgow Central.

 

[nw-sparks]

Liverpool Lime Street is a potential (technical) candidate, having two through platforms on the Loop.

ONE through platform.

 

[Joseph_Locke]

ONE through platform.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Paddington would have been a candidate, in proper GWR days, with most passengers being on the through H&C platforms.
It will be a complex station when Crossrail provides another through option.
Purists will probably say the through platforms are TfL rather than "the railway".
It gets complicated when you think of St Pancras and the Thameslink core downstairs.
Waterloo had through platforms to SE-land at one time, also Liverpool St and King's Cross (and old St Pancras) to the Circle line.
Planned at Euston but never constructed.
Manchester Victoria has its through tram section in what was once the bays, but isn't really a main terminal station any more.
Bristol TM was originally a terminal, but is now a through station (the terminal shed might come back one day).
Aberdeen is another largely-terminal station with a through section to the north.

 

[pemma]

Chester's imbalanced as well. 3 bay platforms pointing east with 2 departures per hour between them most hours, while platform 7 has 4 departures towards Liverpool per hour.

 

[gsnedders]

Another candidate is Glasgow Central.

For all the passengers in Low Level, I don't expect they carry the majority of passengers; there's enough busy suburban services into high level.

 

[Intercity 225]

My question is:

Is Manchester Piccadilly unique, in that its minority of through platforms (2) handle the majority (over 60%) of its passenger numbers? (the other 12 platforms see less than 40% of the annual footfall).

Out of interest how have you measured this? Or have you just estimated?

 

[Joseph_Locke]

Out of interest how have you measured this? Or have you just estimated?

It was prompted by (as part of the day job) coming across some footfall counts that suggested this imbalance.

 

[Chester1]

It was prompted by (as part of the day job) coming across some footfall counts that suggested this imbalance.

I trust your information but it is still surprising that 1-12 only have 40% of footfall! It shows that the decison to have a several month gap between demolishing the old waiting rooms and installing the pod waiting rooms at the end of the year was neglecting passengers needs.

 

[Intercity 225]

It was prompted by (as part of the day job) coming across some footfall counts that suggested this imbalance.

Interesting, that means 13 and 14 will each handle around 8.4 million passengers every year - would that make them the most heavily used platforms in the country?

 

[IanXC]

With the current service pattern, and without any passenger numbers as such, I suspect Bridlington may be a candidate.

Platform 4 is a through platform that sees only northbound services to Scarborough (around every 90 minutes)
Platform 5 is a through platform that sees only southbound services from Scarborough (around every 90 minutes)
Platform 6 is a bay platform that sees (very nearly) all terminating trains from the south and their return workings.

The net result is that over two thirds of services use platform 6 and I'd be surprised if the passenger flow towards Scarborough was of a significant enough size to counteract that.

 

[ccityplanner12]

Essentially, Manchester Piccadilly is a Thameslink-like line (busy through line in a city centre) joining a line out of an intercity/suburban terminus. London Bridge is similar, as is Kings Cross St Pancras and would've been Waterloo (when it had through lines).

 

[Kite159]

Would Chathill count?

 

[DanTrain]

Interesting, that means 13 and 14 will each handle around 8.4 million passengers every year - would that make them the most heavily used platforms in the country?

I imagine so, along with much of the Thameslink core and Glasgow LL platforms.

I suspect the actual answer may lie below Liverpool on the 1 platform loop line.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

Would Chathill count?

No it wouldn't. Trains terminate from the south at the down platform and then run empty several miles north to reverse at the Crag Mill loops. On returning south they commence their journeys from the up platform meaning that such usage as exists at the station is likely to be evenly distributed between the two platforms. However the principle of a station only ever reversing trains and only from a single platform when a second exists would probably generate the answer to this question. Although another (technical) possibility might be Hartlepool if you consider the second platform as usable.

 

[yorksrob]

Brighton must count.

Only two and a bit platforms out of eight available for all Coastway West services.

 

[thenorthern]

Lichfield Trent Valley, at the moment about about two thirds of the trains using the station are on the high level platform and terminate there. I think there are also more trains on Platform 1 at Rugeley Trent Valley than Platforms 2 and 3.

At Nuneaton about of the trains using the station Platforms 6 and 7 while Platforms 1 is normally only used by the hourly shuttle to Coventry, Platforms 2 & 5 are used by the hourly London to Crewe and 3 & 4 are used by peak time Virgin Trains.

 

[Springs Branch]

At Ellesmere Port the Merseyrail Electrics use platform 1, whilst the Northern DMU towards Helsby uses platform 2 (according to RTT).
This means most trains and the huge majority of passengers will only use platform 1.

 

[snowball]

I would imagine Navigation Road. One platform has the Metrolink service, the other has the much less frequent national rail service.

 

[Y Ddraig Coch]

Chester's imbalanced as well. 3 bay platforms pointing east with 2 departures per hour between them most hours, while platform 7 has 4 departures towards Liverpool per hour.

Doesn't one of the bays point west? Wrexham/Shrewsbury/ Cardiff one. Platform 2 I believe, and It gets quite good usage.

 

[telstarbox]

Interesting, that means 13 and 14 will each handle around 8.4 million passengers every year - would that make them the most heavily used platforms in the country?

Canada Water NR handles 25 million with two through platforms, so 12.5 million each.

 

[DavidGrain]

Worcester Shrub Hill is an odd station in that platform 1 is used by GWR trains in both directions and the XC trains on diversion run through the platform line non stop.
Where as the other platform is used only by WMR trains from Birmingham either terminating or reversing to go on to Great Malvern or Hereford.

 

[Kite159]

Worcester Shrub Hill is an odd station in that platform 1 is used by GWR trains in both directions and the XC trains on diversion run through the platform line non stop.
Where as the other platform is used only by WMR trains from Birmingham either terminating or reversing to go on to Great Malvern or Hereford.

And the third platform sees only one booked departure a week

 

[vlad]

Honiton is the location of a passing loop that isn't used all that often.

As such, the majority of trains use platform 1, whilst platform 2 is only used by Salisbury-bound trains if they need to pass an Exeter-bound train.

I don't think it's the only example of where this sort of thing happens but I can't think others of any off the top of my head.

 

[Essan]

Most trains through Kingussie seem to stop at Platform 1, regardless of direction, although platform 2 is, I think, just as long (but, I believe, lower in height- which I assume is the reason?)

 

[InOban]

Same at Aviemore. Saves passengers crossing the bridge or going round by the road under the tracks which also gives access to the Speyside railway.

 

[edwin_m]

Doesn't one of the bays point west? Wrexham/Shrewsbury/ Cardiff one. Platform 2 I believe, and It gets quite good usage.

Correct. There are three east-facing bays (1, 5 and 6) for the Euston (terminating), Crewe and Mid-Cheshire services, but only one west-facing bay (2) which gets used by the Holyhead to Birmingham/Cardiff each hour.

 

[Kite159]

Honiton is the location of a passing loop that isn't used all that often.

As such, the majority of trains use platform 1, whilst platform 2 is only used by Salisbury-bound trains if they need to pass an Exeter-bound train.

I don't think it's the only example of where this sort of thing happens but I can't think others of any off the top of my head.

Other examples which come to my mind:

Haverfordwest
Bentley (Hampshire)
Dullingham (between Cambridge & Newmarket)

 

[railjock]

Glenrothes with Thornton. Very few services use platform 2.