Trivia: Platforms you cannot freely 'roam'

[tram21]

A thought popped into my head recently, considering that there are some stations/platforms which you cannot freely 'roam'. In the majority of stations in this country, once, in many cases, you have got through the barriers, you are free to walk around the station freely and get onto all platforms, no-one will really question you wandering a station. The majority of rural stations you can just walk onto at any time, and no-one will stop you.

But: there are some stations which you are only allowed onto platforms if a train is ready for boarding, and you are catching that train. You cannot freely roam these stations, and if you did you would be asked to leave.

A couple of examples I can think of:
-London St Pancras EMR: you can only enter the platforms once a train is ready for boarding, and you can only get to that platform when it is. Access to these platforms is heavily restricted.
-Blackpool North: similarly, you are held until a train is boarding

And on the other end of the scale:
-Peartree (near Derby): access to this 'halt' is only allowed via locked gates which are opened for passengers who use the provided intercom, when a train will soon arrive.

So, what examples can you think of, of platforms like this?

P.S. this doesn't include platforms which are locked at night.

 

[InkyScrolls]

Lympstone Commando!

 

[The exile]

And on the other end of the scale:
-Peartree (near Derby): access to this 'halt' is only allowed via locked gates which are opened for passengers who use the provided intercom, when a train will soon arrive.

Not sure what counts as “soon”. I was let on with a good half hour to go.

 

[Western Gaffer]

A couple of examples I can think of:
-London St Pancras EMR: you can only enter the platforms once a train is ready for boarding, and you can only get to that platform when it is. Access to these platforms is heavily restricted.

Isn't this also the case at the other London termini for long-distance services, such as St Pancras's neighbours to the east and west?

And of course Altnabreac isn't renowned for roaming potential!

No trains to call at Altnabreac for the foreseeable future

No trains calling at Altnabreac for the foreseeable future. A quote from the Friends of the Far North Line facebook page A very concerning situation has been developing for a while at Altnabreac Station on the Far North Line. The station is in a remote part of Caithness and there is no road...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[stadler]

Lympstone Commando!

You can spend as much time as you want there. I had no issue when i last visited. The station is on railway land and there is a public footpath entirely on public land separating the station from military land.

 

[geoffk]

You can spend as much time as you want there. I had no issue when i last visited. The station is on railway land and there is a public footpath entirely on public land separating the station from military land.

This is on my local line. Last time I passed, the signs still read "persons alighting here must have business with the camp" but I don't know anyone who has tested the arrangement!

 

[stadler]

This is on my local line. Last time I passed, the signs still read "persons alighting here must have business with the camp" but I don't know anyone who has tested the arrangement!

I think those signs are outdated and are certainly not actually enforced. I have boarded and alighted and spent time on the platform without issue. The platform is on railway property and the station exits on to a public footpath and cycle path that can be used by any member of the public.

 

[kacper]

Eurostar platforms?

 

[Class15]

Wembley Central Platforms 5 & 6

 

[Dr Hoo]

Many stations on four-track lines where the Fast tracks are barriered off to deter vulnerable individuals.

 

[philthetube]

Wembley Central Platforms 5 & 6

I suspect this is the only answer so far of the type the op was looking for.

 

[Class15]

I suspect this is the only answer so far of the type the op was looking for.

Indeed. It’s certainly the only one I’ve seen. The approach always puzzles me to be honest!

 

[yorkie]

Romford Down Fast line platform is controlled similarly to Wembley Central (though perhaps not quite as strictly).

(Edit: to clarify, the Up Fast line isn't controlled in this manner)

 

[kkong]

But: there are some stations which you are only allowed onto platforms if a train is ready for boarding, and you are catching that train. You cannot freely roam these stations, and if you did you would be asked to leave.

The staff at Inverness are particularly keen to not allow anyone onto platforms 3-6 until they are "ready".

To the extent of setting all the ticket gates leading to these platforms to "exit only" mode and occasionally placing tensabarriers in the way too.

 

[Jan Mayen]

Access to platforms 5,6,7 at Gatwick was barried off today. So no access to the newish eastern exit

 

[bramling]

A thought popped into my head recently, considering that there are some stations/platforms which you cannot freely 'roam'. In the majority of stations in this country, once, in many cases, you have got through the barriers, you are free to walk around the station freely and get onto all platforms, no-one will really question you wandering a station. The majority of rural stations you can just walk onto at any time, and no-one will stop you.

But: there are some stations which you are only allowed onto platforms if a train is ready for boarding, and you are catching that train. You cannot freely roam these stations, and if you did you would be asked to leave.

A couple of examples I can think of:
-London St Pancras EMR: you can only enter the platforms once a train is ready for boarding, and you can only get to that platform when it is. Access to these platforms is heavily restricted.
-Blackpool North: similarly, you are held until a train is boarding

And on the other end of the scale:
-Peartree (near Derby): access to this 'halt' is only allowed via locked gates which are opened for passengers who use the provided intercom, when a train will soon arrive.

So, what examples can you think of, of platforms like this?

P.S. this doesn't include platforms which are locked at night.

I’ve never had an issue at St Pancras. Whilst they certainly keep the gateline closed to incoming at certain times, if you slip through and find somewhere quiet to wait on a platform I’ve never had anyone bat an eyelid.

King’s Cross seem to be occasionally closing the gates to incoming for the suburban platforms recently, and I have even been pestered by staff there whilst waiting on platform 10. This is an unfortunate development as King’s Cross has always been quite chilled especially since the new concourse opened.

As far as the original question goes, Skegness can be added to the list. Exmouth used to be as well, but not sure if this is still the case. Totally don’t understand why Exmouth ever worked like that.

I think Bordesley and perhaps Polesworth are kept locked.

Then there’s Acton Bridge where a local resident didn’t like certain types of people using the station, though we don’t seem to have heard of trouble here for a while now, so perhaps the troublesome couple have moved away now.

Another old one was Lelant Saltings, where they at times seemed to operate a queuing system, which involved having the platform cordoned off with a tensa barrier. I remember bemusing the staff there when to circumvent this arrangement in order to take some photos of the station we arrived by train and remained on the platform - the member of staff wasn’t bothered, but couldn’t understand how we’d managed to get on the platform! This is all history now as the park & ride has moved, but there may still be queueing systems at St Ives and possibly St Erth at very busy times. St Ives seems to have gained some shouty staff in respect of the yellow line, which is rather daft at a small station where trains approach at crawling speed.

 

[Parallel]

The staff at Inverness are particularly keen to not allow anyone onto platforms 3-6 until they are "ready".

To the extent of setting all the ticket gates leading to these platforms to "exit only" mode and occasionally placing tensabarriers in the way too.

Similar happens at Aberdeen - usually tensabarriers are in use to stop passengers going much beyond the concourse onto the platforms, until the trains are 'ready'.

 

[bramling]

I think those signs are outdated and are certainly not actually enforced. I have boarded and alighted and spent time on the platform without issue. The platform is on railway property and the station exits on to a public footpath and cycle path that can be used by any member of the public.

Does this extend to taking photos?

 

[tram21]

I’ve never had an issue at St Pancras. Whilst they certainly keep the gateline closed to incoming at certain times, if you slip through and find somewhere quiet to wait on a platform I’ve never had anyone bat an eyelid.

You must be lucky, although I do tend to travel at busier times. Whenever I'm there you are held before the barriers, then when ready for boarding they let you through but other platforms are more or less barriered off!

 

[kkong]

Similar happens at Aberdeen - usually tensabarriers are in use to stop passengers going much beyond the concourse onto the platforms, until the trains are 'ready'.

As a regular user of the station, this is thankfully no longer (typically) the case.

 

[Ashley Hill]

You can spend as much time as you want there. I had no issue when i last visited. The station is on railway land and there is a public footpath entirely on public land separating the station from military land.

Lympstone Commando is definitely a private station. The gate may be open but there is no right of use except on military business. Even national railway enquiry site says the same.
Platforms 5/6 Queens Park London.

 

[JD2168]

Blackpool North, platforms barriered off until boarding commences.

 

[Starmill]

Lympstone Commando is definitely a private station.

Aren't all railway stations by that definition? Unlike, say a bus stop which is on a public highway?

The gate may be open but there is no right of use except on military business.

If you show up on foot on the footpath you'd face nothing saying you weren't permitted to be there. On what basis might it be argued that you aren't? Public footpaths and bridleways are usually rights of way. None of this is land subject to MOD restrictions.

Even national railway enquiry site says the same.

It does?

 

[tram21]

The gate may be open but there is no right of use except on military business. Even national railway enquiry site says the same.

It does say that on the website. But I thought there was now public access? I doubt people would care if you alighted, or better boarded, here?

It does?

It does; I was surprised by this too...

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/lympstone-commando/

Private station

Lympstone Commando station is a private station for access only to those on pre-arranged business with the Commando Camp.

The public must use the next station, Lympstone Village to access the village centre.

 

[Starmill]

It does say that on the website. But I thought there was now public access? I doubt people would care if you alighted, or better boarded, here?


It does; I was surprised by this too...

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/lympstone-commando/

There has been public access for many years now. Presumably the warnings are from before that, and nobody has updated them.

At any rate, there's basically no point in putting a warning on the website, where the vast majority of people walking to the station won't think to check for such a warning.

 

[Kite159]

I think Bordesley and perhaps Polesworth are kept locked.

Bordesley is kept locked (I can recall one time someone forgot to unlock the exit, trapping a couple of station visitors on the island platform until control got another train to make a special stop to collect them.

Pretty sure Polesworth is kept unlocked as a "look what you could have won" situation for that large village

 

[Tetragon213]

Euston station platforms are usually not even announced until close to departure time. And yes the gates are locked until then.

They really should fix that before someone dies in a stampede.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Does the platform at Altnabreac qualify for this thread?

 

[CarltonA]

Scarborough: Walking down to the signal box caused two members of staff to follow us down the platform. They were discussing wether we were allowed to walk there or not. As far as I could tell there was no logical reason why we shouldn't have done that though trains rarely stop at that part of the platform I believe.

 

[tram21]

Does the platform at Altnabreac qualify for this thread?

Not anymore thankfully!

There has been public access for many years now. Presumably the warnings are from before that, and nobody has updated them.

At any rate, there's basically no point in putting a warning on the website, where the vast majority of people walking to the station won't think to check for such a warning.

That's good to hear. Its definitely on my list to visit.