Trivia: Stations which have had platforms removed.

[stadler]

Surprisingly in recent years there has been a few stations that have lost platforms. So i am trying to make a list of stations which have had the amount of platforms reduced.

I am sure there are probably hundreds and hundreds of examples back in the Beeching days. Especially when many lines were singled and stations were reduced. So i guess for the purpose of this thread i am looking at platforms removed in recent times. So maybe since the 1990s.

I can think of the following six:

• Blackpool North - Went from 8 to 6 platforms. It lost P7 and P8 in 2016. This was done to provide space to extend and widen the other six platforms.

• London Euston - Went from 18 to 16 platforms. It lost P17 and P18 in 2019. This was done to make space for the new HS2 station construction.

• London Liverpool Street - Went from 18 to 17 platforms. It lost P18 in 2021. This was done to provide space to extend and widen P16 and P17.

• London Paddington - Went from 14 to 13 platforms. It lost P13 in 2016. This was done to provide space to extend P12 and widen P14.

• Newcastle - Went from 12 to 11 platforms. It lost P12 in 2023. This was done to provide space for a signal to be relocated so longer trains could use P11. This platform still fully exists but has just simply had the track removed so there is an empty trackbed.

• Portsmouth Harbour - Went from 5 to 4 platforms. It lost P2 in the mid 1990s (not sure on the exact year). This was done because of some structural problem. This platform still fully exists but has just simply had the track removed so there is an empty trackbed.

I am sure there are probably others i have missed? Can anyone think of any other stations that have lost platforms in recent years?

 

[Magdalia]

Surprisingly in recent years there has been a few stations that have lost platforms. So i am trying to make a list of stations which have had the amount of platforms reduced.

Losing platforms and reducing the number of platforms are not the same thing.

Take Peterborough as an example. It lost the old platform 1 (the bay on the up side) but gained a new platform on the up fast and a new island on the down side, three new platforms but a net gain of only 2.

The number of platforms at London Kings Cross has changed three times since the 1977 electrification remodelling, when the number of platforms was reduced to 10. Platform 11 was added in the 1980s and platform 0 more recently, pushing the total number of platforms up to 12. But the last remodelling removed what had been platform 10, so Kings Cross is now back down to 11 platforms again.

 

[Llanigraham]

Cardiff Central lost a Bay platform but gained platform 0.
Cardiff Queen St I think has lost a platform.
Plenty of stations down in South Wales lost platforms when their lines were singled.
Aberystwyth has lost 2 platforms.

 

[Western Sunset]

Westbury - 4 to 3

 

[AMD]

Wigan North Western - platform 2 was taken out to extend the length of P3
Glasgow Central - gained one platform overall when 11a was taken out and the lines run into the shed for what is now 12 & 13
Edinburgh Haymarket - gained P0
Largs - lost two platforms as part of the electrification programme in the mid 80s
Wemyss Bay - lost its P3 at some point 1987 or 1988

 

[Falcon1200]

Stations on once-double lines which lost platforms when singled, only to regain them when redoubled;

Charlbury
Dunlop
Stewarton

 

[swt_passenger]

Westbury - 4 to 3

Isn’t the platform at Westbury still there, and it could be reopened if they chose to do so?

 

[Western Sunset]

Isn’t the platform at Westbury still there, and it could be reopened if they chose to do so?

Need to relay some track though...

Thought of another one; Spondon - 3 to 2.

 

[themiller]

Whitehaven lost the one open platform on the island and the subway is closed. This happened after the mid-1980s.

 

[Western Lord]

The examples mentioned pale into insignificance compared to the original Birmingham Snow Hill!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Liverpool Lime Street lost a platform in the last few years.
Mirfield platform 2 was dug up last year.

 

[Whistler40145]

Blackpool North had platforms removed during electrification work

 

[steamybrian]

West Croydon lost one platform in 1997 with closure of the line to Wimbledon (via Mitcham)
Eastbourne lost platform 4 in around 1993 in connection with resignalling.
Folkestone Central lost 2 platforms (one island) in the 1990s following reduction of line to Cheriton Jn from 4 tracks to 2

 

[sh24]

Salisbury, though both track and platform remain in situ.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Stations on once-double lines which lost platforms when singled, only to regain them when redoubled;

Charlbury

Also Ascott-under-Wychwood and Honeybourne on the same line.

 

[themiller]

Sellafield lost a platform face on the island platform. It still exists and the track is still in situ but there’s a fence along the edge. When the class 108s were still in use, a northbound and a southbound train arrived at the same time so it was possible (and practice by the Sellafield workers) to access the island platform through the southbound train.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Manchester Victoria will have lost several platforms when the station was extensively remodelled / rationalised in the early 1990s. Now down to six NR platforms, plus you could perhaps add those which are now used by Metrolink trams. But just how many were there in use immediately before then? Anyone know?

 

[Efini92]

Manchester Victoria will have lost several platforms when the station was extensively remodelled / rationalised in the early 1990s. Now down to six NR platforms, plus you could perhaps add those which are now used by Metrolink trams. But just how many were there in use immediately before then? Anyone know?

17 but it lost 4 in the 70’s for the pic-vic tunnel project.

 

[BeijingDave]

Warrington Bank Quay - don't know the year, maybe early 90s. Platform 4 is still a bay used only for stabling. Platform 5 (usually Manchester services from Chester, and Liverpool starters from WBQ) was renumbered as Platform 4.

 

[Mat17]

Lincoln lost original platforms 1 & 2. Huddersfield lost 3 and 7.

 

[Efini92]

Stockport lost 3 bay platforms and gained platform 0.

 

[Trackman]

• Blackpool North - Went from 8 to 6 platforms. It lost P7 and P8 in 2016. This was done to provide space to extend and widen the other six platforms.

Not forgetting Blackpool South, must have lost least 3.

17 but it lost 4 in the 70’s for the pic-vic tunnel project.

Really, why if no work had taken place?

 

[D365]

17 but it lost 4 in the 70’s for the pic-vic tunnel project.

Was a remodelling done at Victoria in anticipation of the tunnel project?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Really, why if no work had taken place?

British Rail were apparently quite confident that the Picc/Vic underground tunnel beneath Manchester, that had been proposed in 1970, would indeed be proceeding.

 

[Greetlander]

I hesitate to say Penistone, in case it kicks off the never should have closed debate, so instead I give you Halifax. Six through platforms and one (or two) bays down to a single island.

 

[Trackman]

British Rail were apparently quite confident that the Picc/Vic underground tunnel beneath Manchester, that had been proposed in 1970, would indeed be proceeding.

Which platforms went? I imagine it's on the side where the Bury electrics went from, or indeed where the tram stop is now.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Which platforms went? I imagine it's on the side where the Bury electrics went from, or indeed where the tram stop is now.

It was the old platforms 1-4 on the Southern-most side of the station (Long Millgate side) that were taken out of use in early 1973. The Bury services were then transferred to the adjacent platforms 5-8. A schematic of the then (early 1970s) layout at Manchester Victoria would be of use, as it's some time before I ever used the station.

 

[davews]

Twickenham platforms 1 and 2. Platforms still there but inaccessible.

 

[ajs]

Portsmouth & Southsea - 2 platforms lost at low level when they built a DiY Store and car park.

 

[Seanesheep]

Rugby has gone from 8 to 6.
Current platforms 2 & 4 were numbered 1 & 2. 3-6 were North end bays (now filled in) Current platform 3 bay was platform 7 bay and the thunderbird siding was platform 8 bay.
Loss of 5 bays, but gained the new platforms 1, 5 & 6 which were just freight lines.