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Trivia: Lines which never closed with the most re-opened platforms

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Grecian 1998

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A somewhat clunky title, but which lines have had the most station platforms reopened without the line itself ever having been closed to passengers?

The Settle & Carlisle probably wins given eight stations with two platforms each closed in 1970 and reopened in 1986 (save that Ribblehead didn't get a new northbound platform until 1993), making 16. It did have a fairly useless service for most of those 16 years with just two trains a day in each direction serving only Appleby between Settle and Carlisle AIUI.

Salisbury - Exeter has 8 (albeit 2 are replacements), fairly notable considering it's always had plenty of open stations and at least a 2 hourly interval service since numerous platforms and stations were closed in 1966-67:

Templecombe - up platform reopened 1983. Down platform extended and reopened 2012 (in place of up platform in order to close footbridge).
Yeovil Junction - (current) down platform reopened 1975.
Axminster - up platform reopened 2009.
Feniton - down platform reopened 1971.
Whimple - up platform extended and reopened 1991 (in place of down platform in order to close footbridge).
Pinhoe - both platforms reopened 1983.

Technically some of those have been demolished, so replacement platforms can count as long as they're primarily in the same location.

There have been a fair few redoubling projects over the last 30 years so there might be a few lines which can beat that.
 
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MadMac

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Depends how you define "Closed to passengers": is it "No stations but scheduled passenger services still operating over it" or "Still available for passenger use but only carried irregular or diverted services"? I can't come up with eight in Scotland, but the Rutherglen and Coatbridge line carried diversions and a scheduled service (Glasgow Central - Perth) after passenger service was withdrawn. Two stations (Carmyle and Mount Vernon) were reopenings, and Kirkwood is virtually on the site of Langloan station. The Maryhill line carried West Highland services throughout, but actually had only one reopened station (Maryhill itself).
 

cle

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Do new platforms count? Or just reopening/reinstating?

Reading seems to have gained a fair few net-new, as has Leeds.
 

norbitonflyer

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The Maryhill line carried West Highland services throughout, but actually had only one reopened station (Maryhill itself).

what about Ashfield, Possilpark & Parkhouse, Gilshochill and Summerston, all on the same line as Maryhill?
 

MadMac

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Just took another look at this. Possilpark & Parkhouse is more or less on the site of Possilpark (closed 1917]. I believe the others are new.
 
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Brissle Girl

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How do you define a “line”? Paddington to Swansea has over 30 platforms opened or reopened since 1980 with 24 between Newport and Swansea inclusive.
 

30907

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Yeovil Junction - (current) down platform reopened 1975.
Have I missed something? I thought the current down platform was the former Up Passenger Loop, which was for some years the only through platform, because the former branch platform had no western exit (since corrected!). (The former Down platforms are the Railway Centre.)
 

Ianno87

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Do new platforms count? Or just reopening/reinstating?

Reading seems to have gained a fair few net-new, as has Leeds.

Bolton-Euxton Junction has done quite well in the last 35 years, with:

-Lostock [Junction] re-opening in 1988
-Horwich Parkway new station in 1999
-Buckshaw Parkway new station 2011
-Bolton Platform 5 re-opening 2018
 

Grecian 1998

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Do new platforms count? Or just reopening/reinstating?

Reading seems to have gained a fair few net-new, as has Leeds.


I'm thinking of reopened or reinstated ones, as a measure of decline and revival of sorts.

How do you define a “line”? Paddington to Swansea has over 30 platforms opened or reopened since 1980 with 24 between Newport and Swansea inclusive.


I would count a line as one with at least a daily service (Sundays excluded) calling at all the stations with reinstated platforms. I wouldn't really count any suburban stations at the east end of the GWML as on the same line as Newport to Swansea if there is not and probably has never been a regular direct service e.g. Hanwell and Pontyclun, as whilst the same train may run through both it doesn't call at either (I don't know if Hanwell has had reinstated platforms - just picked it as an example of a suburban station).

Have I missed something? I thought the current down platform was the former Up Passenger Loop, which was for some years the only through platform, because the former branch platform had no western exit (since corrected!). (The former Down platforms are the Railway Centre.)


I should perhaps clarify I meant platform face rather than platform in itself. AIUI only the up side of the platform was in use for passenger traffic - the down side remained as an engineer's siding but not for public use. I don't think it was used for terminating services in public use. The double track was then extended through the station in 1975.
 

30907

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I should perhaps clarify I meant platform face rather than platform in itself. AIUI only the up side of the platform was in use for passenger traffic - the down side remained as an engineer's siding but not for public use. I don't think it was used for terminating services in public use. The double track was then extended through the station in 1975.
Ah! We're using different terminology. The through platform face was on the south side of the northern island platform, the north side was officially a bay until 1975; it was (and is) only accessible from the Reversible and Branch lines.
I distinctly recall seeing a down Exeter in it during out of course running when it was still a bay; history doesn't relate whether it then reversed out and went forward, or was terminated short there.
https://www.s-r-s.org.uk/html/srm/S3408.htm
https://www.s-r-s.org.uk/html/srm/S3406.htm
 

james60059

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For it's length, and locally to me, the Nuneaton - Leamington line is a contender (Bedworth reopened in 1987 = 2 platforms, Kenilworth reopened in 2018 = 1 platform but will there a be a second?).

New stations at Bermuda Park and Coventry Arena, being near the sites of the closed stations at Chilvers Coton and Longford & Exhall respectively with 2 platforms each.
 

Class195

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Leeds to Skipton with the following:

Kirkstall Forge
Appley Bridge
Saltaire
Crossflats
Steeton & Silsden
Connolly
 

Taunton

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You could count the Goblin, Gospel Oak to Barking, where the recent reconstruction and lengthening of all the stations almost wholly was just reinstating and reopening platform length which had been closed off and abandoned in the 1970s, mostly just laying there weed-strewn in the interim.
 

61653 HTAFC

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Another planet...
Leeds to Skipton with the following:

Kirkstall Forge
Appley Bridge
Saltaire
Crossflats
Steeton & Silsden
Connolly

Also Shipley- which originally had no platforms on the Leeds-Skipton axis of the triangle, and only gained them in the late 1980s (current P2) and late 1990s (current P1). However these are the first platforms on the site and the station itself never closed, so may not be quite right for this thread.
However Appley Bridge is on the Wigan to Southport line (as opposed to Apperley Bridge) and Connolly station (as opposed to Cononley) is in Dublin, so both would be quite the diversion... ;)
 

scrapy

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Bolton-Euxton Junction has done quite well in the last 35 years, with:

-Lostock [Junction] re-opening in 1988
-Horwich Parkway new station in 1999
-Buckshaw Parkway new station 2011
-Bolton Platform 5 re-opening 2018
Add to that Chorley got its Preston bound platform replaced when the track alignment was changed during electrification.

Just south of Bolton, Moses Gate and Farnworth also had their platforms replaced during electrification.
 

30907

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Add to that Chorley got its Preston bound platform replaced when the track alignment was changed during electrification.

Just south of Bolton, Moses Gate and Farnworth also had their platforms replaced during electrification.
A bit of a stretch to call those re- opened platforms?
 
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