Trivia: Most sparse platform at a major station

[py_megapixel]

Not sure if that was sarcasm...

But of course not.

Sorry, that wasn't intended as sarcasm at that point but honestly it was a stupid question on my part.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Wakefield Kirkgate, platforms 2 & 3. Nothing - not even a shelter as the old one's been demolished and work has stopped on its replacement.

 

[Recessio]

Brighton platform 8. Seperated from the other platforms by a paved (presumably service access) road, and is still made of wood when the others are all concrete, serving the lonely East Coastway line.

Admittedly does have a few knackered NSE benches, but staring across the road into platform 7 is not a spectacular view.

 

[Norther Monkey]

Platform 1 in Aberdeen. Essentially just an ostrisised bay at the top of the station used for stabling moves.

No signage, no number, no tactles, nothing but crooked concrete muck. Expected, for a platform not used by passenger services in decades.

Does 'Platform 1' actually exist at Aberdeen? The lowest numbered platform is 3. If you include platform 1 in this debate then what about platforms 8 and 9?

I presume this situation arose to avoid having to change the signalling when the station was reorganised. It's raised another question for me though. Where was platform 2 (which I presume existed at some point). As far as I can see there is, and was, only one platform face before platform 3.

 

[LancasterRed]

Preston Platform 7 is barely even used! It has nothing of note apart from a bike shop.

The new platform at Leeds could be in with a shout and I can recall one at Sheffield being quite similar, but that was years ago.

 

[Ianno87]

Preston Platform 7 is barely even used! It has nothing of note apart from a bike shop.

The platform 7 line is designated as a goods line and is not available for normal passenger service (in spite of even having a '7' platform sign hung on it)

 

[hexagon789]

Platform 2 at Largs
Platform 4 at Ayr
Platform 4 at Kilmarnock
Platforms 9 & 10 at Stirling
Platform 3 at Perth

 

[YorksLad12]

The new platform at Leeds could be in with a shout and I can recall one at Sheffield being quite similar, but that was years ago.

That's a temporary replacement for platform 1 while it is being rebuilt with the new platform 0. The end of the old platform 1 (1A) was a bit of a hike from civilisation, as are the ends of 4, 5 & 6

 

[Bevan Price]

Platform 3 at Shrewsbury. You have to pass through the barriers twice to get to the toilets or food outlet.
Platform 12 at Crewe.

 

[Class195]

Castleford anyone?

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Castleford anyone?

At the moment yes, but work on the upgrade is coming along nicely.

'Significant improvement' promised as upgrade work begins on Castleford Railway Station

Work has begun on a multi-million pound upgrade at Castleford Railway Station, which will see the site become a ‘gateway’ to the town.

www.pontefractandcastlefordexpress.co.uk

"The £2.8 million upgrade will see new high-quality passenger waiting facilities, a ticket vending machine, a disabled toilet and sheltered cycle parking, as well as improved links to the town centre and nearby bus station."

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Castleford anyone?

Is Castleford a "major" station as defined by the OP?

c. Half a million passengers a year so maybe just scrapes in as Category C.

 

[Skie]

Liverpool Central. Cat B station, 3 platforms, ~16million passengers a year

0 platform facilities. There’s about 10 seats if those count

 

[matchmaker]

Doesn't the early/late LNER service often end up in there?

Are the Perth end bays (at Stirling) now signalled for passenger use?

No. Entry to both is over a set of hand points. They are used for empty stock stabling and servicing.

 

[Llandudno]

Liverpool Central. Cat B station, 3 platforms, ~16million passengers a year

0 platform facilities. There’s about 10 seats if those count

Maybe, but there is every conceivable type of fast food takeaway within a 100 yards of the station. The nearby pubs aren’t too shabby either!

 

[Amlag]

Bristol TM plats 4,6,8,10 & 12 ie the west half/ ends of divided platforms.

They are very basic for passengers waiting for trains, with minimal seating, no waiting rooms, no handy refreshments, and despite being mostly roofed they are very exposed to wind, rain and even snow !

 

[scrapy]

Maybe, but there is every conceivable type of fast food takeaway within a 100 yards of the station. The nearby pubs aren’t too shabby either!

Yes Liverpool Central seems a strange choice. Whilst seating limited, the platforms are fully enclosed so no need for waiting rooms, they have PIS, help points, are generally well staffed. Add to that the average wait for a train (except Ellesmere Port/Sundays) is about 7.5 minutes even if you'd just turned up, but many passengers will wait less as they would have looked times up so I'm not sure what else you'd need especially for such a short time.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Various platforms at Leeds have been mentioned a couple of times, but for me the narrow platform 9-11 island is the one that sticks out as being a bit spartan. A shelter about halfway between the two footbridges is all you get for facilities... said shelter used to contain a vending machine which was usually broken, but now has just a departure screen IIRC.

 

[YorksLad12]

Various platforms at Leeds have been mentioned a couple of times, but for me the narrow platform 9-11 island is the one that sticks out as being a bit spartan. A shelter about halfway between the two footbridges is all you get for facilities... said shelter used to contain a vending machine which was usually broken, but now has just a departure screen IIRC.

Now you mention it... what about platform 16, which no longer has its enclosed shelter? It is in the main section so under the roof, but water still comes in when it rains heavily.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Now you mention it... what about platform 16, which no longer has its enclosed shelter? It is in the main section so under the roof, but water still comes in when it rains heavily.

Feels a bit like an afterthought in terms of facilities (despite being the main platform for westbound inter-city journeys) but apart from the odd idiot who doesn't know how escalators work and decides to congregate at the bottom, it isn't all that bad.

 

[Morayshire]

Does 'Platform 1' actually exist at Aberdeen? The lowest numbered platform is 3. If you include platform 1 in this debate then what about platforms 8 and 9?

I presume this situation arose to avoid having to change the signalling when the station was reorganised. It's raised another question for me though. Where was platform 2 (which I presume existed at some point). As far as I can see there is, and was, only one platform face before platform 3.

Re Aberdeen.

Platform 1 does exist and along with platform 2 is normally used for stabling 170s or 158s. Platform 1 is a short bay however and is easily hidden if platform 2 is full with units.

Platforms 8 & 9. 8 has been resurfaced along with 7. A small part of 9 is used as access to the adjacent depot. Neither 8 or 9 have tracks adjacent like 6 or 7. Where the tracks were is now the headshunt for the carriage washing plant.

 

[johntea]

Wakefield Kirkgate, platforms 2 & 3. Nothing - not even a shelter as the old one's been demolished and work has stopped on its replacement.

This has been in the press today, apparently a Grand Central project but they’ve gone AWOL so Northern have now promised to rig up a temporary shelter with it being their station and coming up to winter!

 

[DorkingMain]

Various platforms at Leeds have been mentioned a couple of times, but for me the narrow platform 9-11 island is the one that sticks out as being a bit spartan. A shelter about halfway between the two footbridges is all you get for facilities... said shelter used to contain a vending machine which was usually broken, but now has just a departure screen IIRC.

Leeds has always felt like a collection of different stations stuck together, rather than one cohesive one

 

[Deepgreen]

Platform 0 at Redhill has a small 'bus shelter' and a very short canopy which protects against only some of the rain. Most of the reversing (GW) trains have two of their three cars beyond the canopy anway because no-one can find £20 for a 3 car stop board!

 

[DB]

Leeds has always felt like a collection of different stations stuck together, rather than one cohesive one

Yes, it's not well laid out, and in winter is normally freezing and windy despite much of it being under a roof.

The most remote-feeling platform of all is the single east-facing bay (7, I think).

 

[Bald Rick]

9/10 at Stratford. A few seats and shelters, but used by a LOT of people.

 

[Efini92]

At most major stations, each platform has a range of facilites, usually some kind of coffee shop; toilets; a waiting room and possibly more. But some stations have very sparse platforms with not many facilities.

Which platform is the most sparse at a major station? I'm going to define "major station" in this case as anything which is DfT category A or B or similar sized stations in Scotland (though feel free to discuss larger stations in category C if you feel it's relevant). Bonus points if it's short or curved enough that there are trains serving that station that can't use that platform, if it takes a long time to walk to, or if anything else makes it incovenient!

I'll start with Stockport platform 0. There is a tiny waiting room (though it is properly indoors and is heated), there is step-free access from the entrance to platform level, the platform is covered by a canopy and there are dot matrix indicators and automated announcements.

I think 0 is actually out of use at the minute.

 

[YorksLad12]

Leeds has always felt like a collection of different stations stuck together, rather than one cohesive one

To be fair... it is. Two stations, anyway.

 

[py_megapixel]

I think 0 is actually out of use at the minute.

Indeed it might be, though I don't think it's closed for the installation of new facilities unfortunately. (I believe it was in use in June, when this thread was created... not sure why it's suddenly had lots of activity again; the forums work in mysterious ways )

 

[91103eastcoast]

Platform 4 and Platform 2 at Nottingham. Miles from the concourse and only a bus shelter