Trivia: Simultaneous departures from multiple platforms

[Par]

We, as signallers, work to the booked timetabled routes as far as possible. That said we can, and do, use other lines when trains depart Euston to free up the platform a bit quicker if we can. The problem with the move today though is that the 12:54 Tring departure might get a slight tickle if that is on time.

Thanks

 

[Western 52]

I've seen 4 leave simultaneously from Cardiff Central, 2 from each end. Two mainline and two valley lines.

 

[SE%Traveller]

AT Denmark Hill:

XX13/ XX43:
Clapham Junction to Dalston Junction (p2)
Victoria to Gravesend (p4)

XX28/XX58:
Clapham Junction to Dalston Junction (p2)
Welwyn to Sevenoaks (p4)

XX07/ XX37
Dalston Junction to Clapham Junction (p1)
Orpington to Luton (p3)
(Peak only)

 

[HST43257]

Today at Manchester Piccadilly...

1258 to York (TPE) from Platform 1

1258 to Saltburn (TPE) from Platform 14.

Both trains call at Huddersfield and York.

And both are so slow that they almost arrive into York simultaneously!

 

[GatwickDepress]

As Brighton is essentially three stations in one - West Coastway, Central, and East Coastway - it comes as no surprise that multiple departures happen regularly there.

However, I don't recall every seeing all three 'sections' scheduled to depart at the same time. Unless someone knows otherwise?

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

In some hours Bristol TM has xx00 departures to Paddington, Manchester and Cardiff (most of the latter are xx57 but it depends on platforming and the slot across Patchway junction.)

I think quite a famous example of simultaneous departures was on the LNER at Kings Cross in the mid-1930s when there were two 4.0pm departures; the ‘Coronation’ streamliner to Edinburgh and (I think) a Leeds/Harrogate/Hull express? The latter was routed via the Down Slow and there is a well-published photograph of two Gresley A4 Pacifics climbing Holloway Bank in unison on their respective services.

 

[YorksLad12]

I wonder how many simultaneous departures there are at the likes of Leeds, where there are two sets of operations back-to-back along with through services (i.e. bay platforms at both ends that are, in a railway sense, separate)? And if there are any stations with all the platforms departed from simultaneously that have more than two?

In theory, you could have seven simultaneous departures and arrivals; one at the east end, six at the west end. In practice, I'm not sure there are six separate routes westwards; the Airedale and Harrogate services hare the route out, for example.

Most I've seen from my garret is four arrivals and four departures at the west end, pre-pandemic.

 

[DanNCL]

King’s Cross this afternoon has two departures at 1427, a Grand Central to Sunderland from P8 and a GN stopper to Royston from P10.

The theoretical maximum number of simultaneous departures from the whole King’s Cross and St Pancras complex, including LU, is 14: 2 from King’s Cross, 1 MML, 1 HS1 and 1 each direction Thameslink at St Pancras, 1 each direction Victoria Line, 1 each direct Piccadilly Line, 1 each direction Northern line and 1 each direction sub surface lines. No idea if that is ever actually achieved.

 

[Peter0124]

Motherwell has two Glasgow Central trains at xx:17.

One goes via Bellshill into the High Level.
The other goes via Hamilton into the Low Level, continuing on towards Dalmuir.
The Bellshill train arrives approximately 10 minutes earlier.

What makes this one interesting is the fact the Hamilton train heads south, with the Bellshill one heading north, so they're leaving in opposite directions, from the same island platform.

 

[aliceh]

Slightly related, I now find myself wondering which station has the most consecutive minutes with simultaneous departures. Most I've found is nine minutes at Clapham Junction, with at least two departures timed on each minute between 1721 and 1729

 

[sjm77]

It's not a surprise to read about simultaneos departures at busy stations so I will give a more obscure example; Church Fenton

It has simultaneos departures first stop York at 08:46 and 19:46.
For many other hours the ex-Hull and ex-Blackpool depart just one or two minutes apart. Often on this forum people complain that a two trains per hour service is not evenly spread when the split is 20/40 etc. Well at Chuch Fenton it can be split 0/60 so think on!

 

[HST43257]

It's not a surprise to read about simultaneos departures at busy stations so I will give a more obscure example; Church Fenton

It has simultaneos departures first stop York at 08:46 and 19:46.
For many other hours the ex-Hull and ex-Blackpool depart just one or two minutes apart. Often on this forum people complain that a two trains per hour service is not evenly spread when the split is 20/40 etc. Well at Chuch Fenton it can be split 0/60 so think on!

I can confirm - it’s always ’lovely‘ to photo something at Church Fenton and know there’s 55 mins until my train back home on a 2-3tph service

 

[voyagerdude220]

In the mid-90s, Birmingham New Street had simultaneous departures at 15:55.

Both departures were Cross Country services.

Both departures went to Edinburgh.

One via York and the ECML, the other via Carlisle and the WCML.

There were a number of instances of passengers getting the wrong one, especially for intermediate stations, so eventually the via York service was re-timed to 15:58.

This happened again at Birmingham New Street soon after Voyagers entered passenger service.

Both trains left New Street at 18:03 to Edinburgh. One was a Bournemouth to Edinburgh via Preston/Carlisle working.

The other was a Plymouth to Edinburgh working via York/Newcastle.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

There are trains at 1733 from P1 (slow) and P3 (fast) at Bromley South both going to London Victoria by more or less the same route

 

[gmaguire]

AT Denmark Hill:

XX13/ XX43:
Clapham Junction to Dalston Junction (p2)
Victoria to Gravesend (p4)

The Bexleyheath trains used to be XX17 / XX47. I really wish they’d change it back.