Trivia: Platforms where you can only alight or only board.

[ValleyLines142]

No, it was the North facing bay I was thinking of, which categorically cannot be used by arriving passenger traffic as there is no signalled route into it. I dont know how you've seen trains routed into it, there isn't a crossover to allow that move.

Saw a TfW 150+158 in there a few months back.

 

[Cricketer8for9]

For a short while Paddington (Elizabeth Line) will have counted. Alight on what is the Westbound Platform, get on on what is now the Eastbound platform.

 

[zwk500]

Saw a TfW 150+158 in there a few months back.

Had it shunted in?

 

[william.martin]

IIRC Paignton has a platform that is arrival only for signalling reasons, and Wolverhampton P5 (I think) is similarly departure only.

Currently mothballed, but Ebbsfleet and Ashford Internationals' international platforms are pick-up or set-down only to and from France, although all lines are bi-directionally signalled.

Are there any platforms at stations such as Polesworth where access is one-directional for reasons to do with buildings or safety rather than the specific signalling setups?

Wolverhampton plat 5 does not count as you board and alight from the same piece of whatever they make platforms out of these days.

Saw a TfW 150+158 in there a few months back.

I remember that, I believe it had failed.
The P.I.S screens certainly don't work as they were showing "please visit WWW.virgintrains.co.uk to find out live times"

 

[Efini92]

Had it shunted in?

It must have done, it’s the only way to get in there.

 

[plugwash]

Platform 1 at Paignton you can only alight onto, the signalling and track layout doesn't allow for any in service train to depart from Platform 1. Trains have to either shunt via the north end or via goodrington sidings to get back to Platform 2 when they can commence their return working.

Could a railtour heading from the mainline network to Kingswear use platfrom 1?

 

[Sean Emmett]

Could a railtour heading from the mainline network to Kingswear use platfrom 1?

Yes, and that's exactly what happens in practice. Not sure it is possible to depart from P2 towards Kingswear?

But returning charters from Kingswear do of course use P2 at Paignton.

 

[plugwash]

When I look at tracksy and opentraintimes, there does appear to be a signal to depart platfrom 2 in the direction of The Carriage sidings and Kingswear.

 

[DanNCL]

I am guessing that both Ashford International and Ebbsfleet International possess a pair of platform faces that (pre-Covid) were either set down only (towards London) or pick up only (towards France) due to it being prohibited to travel domestically within the U.K. on Eurostar services?

Ebbsfleet definitely counts, it's two completely separate platforms and the arrivals platform has no public access from the concourse. Ashford has an island platform and whilst departures and arrivals did usually use opposite sides, bidirectional running did sometimes happen.

 

[moogal]

- I'm not sure of the situation at White City on the Central with two central platforms (serving one track). Does one platform get used as Alight Only for terminating trains, the other as Boarding Only for departures?? (Of course, the platforms are 'the wrong way round' at White City)

Yes - a terminating service from the east that is using the central track will arrive and open doors on platform 2 for a cross-platform interchange to other westbound services. It will then close them and open doors on platform 3 for eastbound passengers to join the train for its return trip.

 

[Efini92]

Clitheroe Monday-Saturday.

 

[Jrocks]

When I look at tracksy and opentraintimes, there does appear to be a signal to depart platfrom 2 in the direction of The Carriage sidings and Kingswear.

Signals at the south end of the station are permenantly set to danger, with position lights and a call to the signaller having to be made to pass said signal.

Yes, and that's exactly what happens in practice. Not sure it is possible to depart from P2 towards Kingswear?

But returning charters from Kingswear do of course use P2 at Paignton.

Yes trains can depart to Kingswear from plat 1 however they are all set down only at PGN, I've never heard of a railtour picking up passengers at Paignton for Kingswear!

 

[satisnek]

Does anything depart from Worcester Shrub Hill Platform 3 these days?

 

[infobleep]

Effingham Junction has through trains so this may not count.

However, prior to covid, there use to be a train terminating and starting at Effingham Junction.

As I recall, platform 1 was the departing platform and platform 2 was the arrivals platform.

When a train was late, it could delay trains via Cobham as the train from Eddinghsm junction would need to shunt to platform 1.

This might then cause later calls between Surbiton and Waterloo to be skipped on the via Cobham service.

 

[Falcon1200]

Neilston P2 is alight only, P1 is join only. Arriving trains in P2 proceed to a single line headshunt to reverse, before entering P1.

Absolutely correct of course, but I did once alight on Platform 1; Coming home off a nightshift, the passenger in front of me did not press the Door Open button because it did not light up, and before I could tell her to press it anyway we were away on an unscheduled trip into the headshunt!

 

[BeijingDave]

Yes - a terminating service from the east that is using the central track will arrive and open doors on platform 2 for a cross-platform interchange to other westbound services. It will then close them and open doors on platform 3 for eastbound passengers to join the train for its return trip.

I believe this is known as 'The Spanish Solution' as it is common especially on metro services there. They also use this at Beijing airport's metro station - a platform on one side for alighting, then the doors are opened on the other for boarding. It's actually very good in busy environments where you don't want a counter-flow of passengers preventing boarding.

 

[Lifelong]

Effingham Junction has through trains so this may not count.

However, prior to covid, there use to be a train terminating and starting at Effingham Junction.

As I recall, platform 1 was the departing platform and platform 2 was the arrivals platform.

When a train was late, it could delay trains via Cobham as the train from Eddinghsm junction would need to shunt to platform 1.

This might then cause later calls between Surbiton and Waterloo to be skipped on the via Cobham service.

It does still happen owing to delays. Depending on how quickly the train needs to be turned, sometimes gets put into the siding, or sometimes shunted on the running line. Obviously the former is less disruptive, but by definition it's usually a rush job so I see the latter approach being used quite a lot

 

[CHAPS2034]

How about the platforms at St James terminal on the Tyne and Wear Metro?

I've only been there a couple of times and that was some while ago and my memory might be faulty. After arriving, I seem to remember that the train goes into a head-shunt and comes out on the other side of the island ready for departure. Not sure there is a capability to do arrivals into the normal departure platform and vice-versa?

 

[Kite159]

How about the platforms at St James terminal on the Tyne and Wear Metro?

I've only been there a couple of times and that was some while ago and my memory might be faulty. After arriving, I seem to remember that the train goes into a head-shunt and comes out on the other side of the island ready for departure. Not sure there is a capability to do arrivals into the normal departure platform and vice-versa?

Normal platforms at St James.

 

[pdeaves]

Manchester Piccadilly Metrolink used to be like this, before the extension eastwards.

I think there is (or was) a platform at Stratford-upon-Avon that could only have departures, the arrival requiring a shunt.

 

[Steve Harris]

Manchester Piccadilly Metrolink used to be like this, before the extension eastwards.

I think there is (or was) a platform at Stratford-upon-Avon that could only have departures, the arrival requiring a shunt.

Re Stratford-upon-Avon, I think you could be right. I certainly remember being on a charter which arrived in one platform, had to shunt to clear the platform for service trains, and left from another. That was years ago... in fact the charter had visited MOD BAD Kineton when the Nightstar stock was being stored there (so 90's?).

 

[Railsigns]

It's been possible to arrive at and depart from all three platforms at Stratford-upon-Avon since 2010, when a facing crossover was provided.

 

[Steve Harris]

It's been possible to arrive at and depart from all three platforms at Stratford-upon-Avon since 2010, when a facing crossover was provided.

Thanx for the update. As I pointed out, it was a few decades since I've been there, lol

 

[GtNortherner]

Huntingdon’s P1 is no longer used in service, but certainly used to fit the criteria - some northbound trains used to terminate at P3 before running empty a little way north and using the slow to fast and northbound to southbound crossovers to change direction, then running through P2 before reversing into the southbound-facing bay P1 as this was the only way the platform could accessed. As a result, it was only possible to board at this platform unless you somehow managed to miss the fact that the train was terminating and weren’t seen by station staff before it left to make the crossover.

 

[BarryD]

Hereford platform 4 can only be used to depart. There is no crossover to allow trains to access it directly. I don't think there are any services using it in the current timetable.

 

[Steve Harris]

Huntingdon’s P1 is no longer used in service, but certainly used to fit the criteria

'twas already mentioned in post #24, lol

 

[Kingston Dan]

Huntingdon’s P1 is no longer used in service, but certainly used to fit the criteria - some northbound trains used to terminate at P3 before running empty a little way north and using the slow to fast and northbound to southbound crossovers to change direction, then running through P2 before reversing into the southbound-facing bay P1 as this was the only way the platform could accessed. As a result, it was only possible to board at this platform unless you somehow managed to miss the fact that the train was terminating and weren’t seen by station staff before it left to make the crossover.

I've often wondered how Huntingdon P1 used as I remember a train in it many moons ago and each time I travel through there I've looked for a crossover southbound - the first I think is at St Neots and I couldn't imagine reverse running that far on the up slow. I'd assumed there was one at the south of the station that had been taken out.

 

[GtNortherner]

'twas already mentioned in post #24, lol

Apologies - thought I’d checked the entire thread before mentioning… obviously I hadn’t…!!

 

[mlambeuk]

Does Starr gate on the Blackpool tramway count?.

 

[moocowe]

Platform 3 at Dunblane is for terminating services only. Trains are shunted empty from there over to platform 1 for their return journey.