Trivia: Stations with more platforms than they need for regular service

[Megafuss]

Shawford? Although the third platform is useful for adhoc useage when they need to get a SWR stopper out the way of a late running Cross Country or Weymouth rrain

 

[Parallel]

Perth

Perth is a good shout - The station could probably survive with two fewer platforms, although I think these platforms see stabling overnight.

Aberdeen probably has a platform or two more than required too.

Hereford could probably survive without Platform 4 - I don’t think this sees any booked departures currently but maybe it does see some during engineering works south of Hereford?

 

[gingerheid]

Largs is always an odd one as platform 1 I believe hasn't been used in quite a few years but has been fully updated and maintained

Isn't platform 1 needed once or twice a day?

 

[hexagon789]

Isn't platform 1 needed once or twice a day?

3 times currently.

 

[L401CJF]

The bay platforms at Rock Ferry are used for stabling trains overnight.

Perhaps Hooton, P1 gets used for stabling at night and occasional turnbacks, but P0 is used once every few years!

 

[BluePenguin]

Seaside terminal stations seem to be somewhat known for this. Skegness springs to mind

As does Margate

 

[John Luxton]

Rock Ferry

The bay platforms which were the originally the terminal platforms for the Mersey Railway are used for stabling at quiet times so I suppose are used. Most BLS railtours including this year's Batteries Not Included usually stop have a stop in the bay. Hooton has the curious terminal platform 1 which has also been used occasionally for a rail tour and of course the unnumbered platform which could be used to turn around loco hauled excursions as the run round lies beyond the bridge.

Perhaps Hooton, P1 gets used for stabling at night and occasional turnbacks, but P0 is used once every few years!

Actually saw a train stabled in 1 during the day about 2 weeks ago.

Having used the Ellesmere Port line a few times in the last year or so - it does appear rather lightly used during the day compared to Liverpool - Chester.

One wonders if a shuttle could not operate out of P1 to Ellesmere Port and connect with Chester / Liverpool trains and give P1 some more usage off peak?

 

[Scotrail84]

Carstairs.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Shawford? Although the third platform is useful for adhoc useage when they need to get a SWR stopper out the way of a late running Cross Country or Weymouth rrain

There are quite a few trains booked to call on the down slow which wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t there

 

[plugwash]

I would argue stockport.

It has 6 platforms total, 3 southbound through (0,1 and 2), 2 northbound through (3 and 4) and 1 north facing bay (3A).

The extra southbound platform is (or at least was pre-covid) sometimes used for overtaking moves, but It's utility is somewhat limited by the fact that access from the fast lines to platform 1 requires running over some very tight pointwork and by the fact there is no corresponding extra northbound platform.

The bay sees one passenger service a week. At least pre-covid it also saw some late night empty coaching stock reversals but I suspect those could be handled in platform 1 if 3A wasn't available. Alternatively the junction could be tweaked to let trains from manchester run into the carriage maintinance depot without the current double reversal.

 

[Clip]

Did you mean to say 'doesn't need'?

No i really meant i think it does need it - its also by the depot so you are going to need spare capacity should a train breakdown in the station to shunt another one in and once a month they also have a network rail train that spends all day in platform 2. Seems quite sensible foresight to me

 

[Some guy]

Preston they need to reopen the Royal Mail platform and could even make platform 7 useable again

 

[thenorthern]

Not sure what's still operational at Skeggy.
Platform 2 and 7 I'm pretty sure have been out of use for years. Not sure about 3/4/5/6 though.

I think all 4 are still in use, really it only needs 2 platforms.

 

[BeijingDave]

Although now long closed, it always seemed incongruous that Ditton had 5 platforms, and very few services.

3 too many for most of its latter years.

 

[Watershed]

Could Watford Junction manage with 2 or 3 platforms for the Overground services instead of 4, whilst Watford Met has 2 for the same (or higher during peak times) frequency?

Most of the time it could manage with just one platform - LO effectively operate out of one platform at Euston. With a 15 minute frequency and 12 minute turnarounds you don't really need more than that. The only issue is stabling - many of the stations suggested here have platforms used overnight or at weekends etc. for stabling.

To scrap these 'unnecessary' platforms you'd need to build additional sidings and increase the length of driver turns to walk/get a taxi to such sidings, so it's easiest to simply keep things the way the way they are.

Id say Blackpool North needs all 6 platforms - it has 4 departures an hour 5 with Avanti every couple of hours over a 2 track railway to preston -

It could certainly make do with fewer, though having 6 platforms does afford a greater level of flexibility.

Nuneaton. Used to have five platforms but that was increased to seven when they binned the through Coventry to Nottingham service.

Nuneaton probably doesn't strictly need platforms on the Fast Lines, but as the island platforms are in place to serve the Slow Lines, there's no point not having Fast Line faces to those islands. The Coventry 'bay' and Leicester platforms are all needed and it's a reasonably rare example of a station where different lines are fully segregated in this manner.

Rock Ferry

The bays are used for stabling.

Bridlington
Cleethorpes
Perth
Southport

Bridlington, yes that could probably make do with fewer platforms, though having the ability to pass trains as well as recessing them can be useful at time.

At Cleethorpes, the platforms are used for stabling as well as enabling 'stepping back'. There would also be no capacity for the Northern Brigg service or mooted LNER London service without additional platforms.

Perth, again platforms are used for stabling.

Southport is probably one of the rare examples where there really is an excessive number of platforms, certainly on the non-electrified side of the station. Even with excursion trains and 2tph Northern services you could make do with just 2 platforms.

Huddersfield doesn't need platform 5 for the foreseeable...

There's also the fast line platforms at Esher and Walton on Thames, although they're blocked off and disused so probably don't count.

Huddersfield certainly could do with more platforms - very little flexibility there. It will be better after TRU.

I would argue stockport.

It has 6 platforms total, 3 southbound through (0,1 and 2), 2 northbound through (3 and 4) and 1 north facing bay (3A).

The extra southbound platform is (or at least was pre-covid) sometimes used for overtaking moves, but It's utility is somewhat limited by the fact that access from the fast lines to platform 1 requires running over some very tight pointwork and by the fact there is no corresponding extra northbound platform.

The bay sees one passenger service a week. At least pre-covid it also saw some late night empty coaching stock reversals but I suspect those could be handled in platform 1 if 3A wasn't available. Alternatively the junction could be tweaked to let trains from manchester run into the carriage maintinance depot without the current double reversal.

Stockport can, at times, be a limiting factor on capacity in and out of Piccadilly. It could certainly do with an additional northbound platform

 

[mike57]

Hull Paragon

Earlier in the year there were rumours that the feasibility of bringing the unused platforms on the south side of the station back into use was being undertaken. At certain times of the day it is quite busy, the Scarborough - Sheffield services pass at Hull and often exchange staff, you have stoppers to York and Doncaster, Hull - Brid shuttle during the summer months, TPE (hourly) and Hull Trains (every 2hr or so) services, as well as 1 LNER service a day and a few Northern services to Halifax.

Scarborough

If you count normal service trains then yes, but station is used for stabling at night, and there are regular (Thursdays last year) Summer steam hauled services as well as the other occasional excursions.

Bridlington

Now has just the one bay platform, you could manage without it but any delays would quickly escalate as there would then be nowhere to park an out of service train.

 

[Geeves]

After Covid could Waterloo and Victoria be added onto the too many platforms list?

 

[whale]

After Covid could Waterloo and Victoria be added onto the too many platforms list?

Waterloo does have an abundance, but it is (was) the busiest station on the network at nearly 100mil passengers, I’d say both of them are justified for the service frequency they provide. Victoria (SN side) runs on half the number of platforms that Waterloo has, for a very intensive service.

 

[A0wen]

Northampton - has 3 through platforms and the 2 north facing bays which are rarely used.

Bletchley - currently has 6 platforms, soon to be 8......

 

[Clansman]

Perth is a good shout - The station could probably survive with two fewer platforms, although I think these platforms see stabling overnight.

Aberdeen probably has a platform or two more than required too.

For its services levels, Perth could make do with 5 at a push but any less would give you problems given the geography of the station and what ScotRail need from it.

Outside of Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central, it's the largest crew depot in Scotland, and the largest diesel stabling depot station in Scotland, so in that sense it's exactly the size it needs to be, and going forward in future it may need to be larger (each night it regularly sees around 15-30 DMUs, 1-5 HSTs, and up to 10 miscellaneous coaching stock and locomotives).

A perfect case of a station that is a depot as much as it is a station.

 

[dk1]

I’d very much echo these thoughts - Great Yarmouth and Cromer to add to the seaside list.

Why Cromer? Trains are booked to pass there twice weekday mornings. Both platforms are also used together for the NNR dining train to operate & during Cromer Carnival and through autumn when the RHTT traverses the line.

 

[stut]

IBM

 

[scotraildriver]

Perth is a good shout - The station could probably survive with two fewer platforms, although I think these platforms see stabling overnight.

Aberdeen probably has a platform or two more than required too.

Hereford could probably survive without Platform 4 - I don’t think this sees any booked departures currently but maybe it does see some during engineering works south of Hereford?

Perth is absolutely rammed on the nightshift with stabled units and fuelling. Every platform is full from about 23.45.

 

[170TurboFan]

I’d very much echo these thoughts - Great Yarmouth and Cromer to add to the seaside list.

Cromer often needs both platforms in the autumn for the RHTT services and as slack in the event of disruption.

 

[transportphoto]

Why Cromer? Trains are booked to pass there twice weekday mornings. Both platforms are also used together for the NNR dining train to operate & during Cromer Carnival and through autumn when the RHTT traverses the line

Good point, well presented.

 

[dk1]

Good point, well presented.

Thank you. I have my moments rare as they are lol.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Southport is probably one of the rare examples where there really is an excessive number of platforms, certainly on the non-electrified side of the station. Even with excursion trains and 2tph Northern services you could make do with just 2 platforms.

Interesting that. Something like 31 scheduled departures from Southport today (towards Wigan Wallgate).

Today it's fourteen trains departing from Platform 4, plus ten from Platform 5 and seven from Platform 6.

Even this Sunday, when there's only the 15 departures, the three non-electrified platforms all seem to be in use during the day, with two departures from Platform 4, six from Platform 5 and seven from Platform 6.

Suppose the current arrangements allow some element of redundancy if it's ever necessary to leave an out-of-service or failed train in one of the three platforms.

 

[gg1]

A few more bay platforms which wouldn't really be missed:

Wellington
Rugby
Wolverhampton north facing bay

 

[plugwash]

Stockport can, at times, be a limiting factor on capacity in and out of Piccadilly. It could certainly do with an additional northbound platform

Unfortunately AIUI the signalling is old and the junctions in and out of the station are rather space-constrained.

If the access to platform 1 from the fast line could be improved (access currently exists but AIUI it has very tight pointwork resulting in a very low speed limit) and then platform 2 could be made bidirectional then that would IMO be a major improvement in resilience but I don't know if that would be feasible given the space constraints.

I still think loss of 3A would barely be noticed.

 

[Watershed]

Unfortunately AIUI the signalling is old and the junctions in and out of the station are rather space-constrained.

Understatement and a half! It's an outpost of 19th Century Absolute Block amongst a sea of TCB controlled (though partly using axle counters) signalling.

Stockport Viaduct immediately to the north of the station constrains the S&C as you say.