Platforms of Last Resort

[NSE]

Platform 1 at Earlsfield. I’ve travelled at all times through that neck of the woods and never seen it used. I’ve had a 444 on a late night Raynes Park stopper, 455’s running non-stop to Waterloo, the Wimbledon - East Putney tube curve etc, I’ve seen all sorts of booked and ad hoc oddities but never seen that platform used.

 

[Speed43125]

Platform 4 and 5 Stirling don't see anything other than stabling and ECS to my knowldege

 

[josla1]

Platform 1 at Manchester Oxford Road is rarely used as it isn’t disability compliant.

 

[Parallel]

Platform 1 at Exeter Central. Was used back in February of this year when a Second World War bomb was found and Exeter New Yard just being inside the 400 meter evacuation zone. Would be useful for Barnstaple/Okehampton terminatiors to stable but not in the right location, would need to rotate the whole of Exeter Central 180 degrees to make use of Platform 1

I recall Platform 1 at Exeter Central being used when there were extra Summer Sunday trains between Exeter Central and Exmouth a couple of years ago. I think SWR also use it too if terminating short occasionally.

 

[Ken H]

what about the fast line platforms at kings Norton. I got off a cross country train there when they renewed this bridge back in the 80's, and cross country could not get to New St. Have they been used since.

 

[xotGD]

Platform 2 at Wigan Wallgate

I departed from there recently as a result of a set swap.

 

[Gloster]

Not NR, but what about the Jubilee line platforms at Charing Cross.

 

[deltic]

Platform 1 at Earlsfield. I’ve travelled at all times through that neck of the woods and never seen it used. I’ve had a 444 on a late night Raynes Park stopper, 455’s running non-stop to Waterloo, the Wimbledon - East Putney tube curve etc, I’ve seen all sorts of booked and ad hoc oddities but never seen that platform used.

According to Realtime Trains it was used last Sunday

 

[edwin_m]

Platform 6 at Nottingham (now platform 7) was for many years special use only. It came into more general use around 2000, but mostly for westbound trains as eastbound trains had to run "wrong line" for quite a way to use it. At the time it was only accessible via the middle bridge, but it eventually got stairs and a lift. With the 2013 re-modelling it is now fully bi-directional and the main platform for London departures. c

Platform 7 at Derby faces onto a depot access track and as far as I know can't be used, though I think it was for a time during the re-modelling.

 

[pnepaul]

Do the platforms on the fast lines at Wolverton, Leighton Buzzard, Cheddington etc see many trains stopping at them?

 

[infobleep]

What about non-tube / non-Overground Queens Park (London) platforms? Do they get any use? Up to 2013 at least they still had screens?

 

[Watershed]

Manchester Piccadilly platform 12 is also rarely used - I think this is because of the track layout meaning a train heading to/from the platform blocks off the south side of the station. It seems it's used in the morning for a train to arrive, then the unit stays there all day till it's needed in the evening.

It's no different to platforms 9-11 in that respect (they're all accessed via the southern end of platform 9). It's more that it's quite short - 98m - so not every train will fit there.

Is the planned Northern York - Scarborough service likely to happen?

There should indeed eventually be a standalone York-Scarborough service (though it depends on the DfT signing it off, as with all such changes nowadays). There are also other instances where trains will continue to be booked to use platform 2.

what about the fast line platforms at kings Norton. I got off a cross country train there when they renewed this bridge back in the 80's, and cross country could not get to New St. Have they been used since.
View attachment 106360

There are still remnants of the platforms, which are very much out of use.

Do the platforms on the fast lines at Wolverton, Leighton Buzzard, Cheddington etc see many trains stopping at them?

They are used whenever the Slows are blocked (including overnight and on Saturday evenings/Sunday mornings).

 

[APT618S]

Platform 8 at Newcastle. Despite having booked work, it’s only actually used when there’s no alternative, as nothing that currently serves Newcastle will fit and therefore will foul one of the two signals at the end of the platform.

Actually on last Sunday I had a first with a double XC Voyager (1V58) leaving from platforms 7+8. I have left from 2, 3 or 4 and 5+6 numerous times with double Voyagers but never 7+8 till then.

 

[najaB]

What about non-tube / non-Overground Queens Park (London) platforms? Do they get any use?

Pretty sure I remember reading that they were being used during disruption at Euston.

Edit: Just remembered that, but for the pandemic, Great North Western/Grand Central would've been using it for their services to Blackpool.

 

[richw]

Platform 1 at Exeter Central. Was used back in February of this year when a Second World War bomb was found and Exeter New Yard just being inside the 400 meter evacuation zone. Would be useful for Barnstaple/Okehampton terminatiors to stable but not in the right location, would need to rotate the whole of Exeter Central 180 degrees to make use of Platform 1

There was regular use of P1 a few years back but I can’t remember what for.

 

[Class172]

Platform 1 at Exeter Central. Was used back in February of this year when a Second World War bomb was found and Exeter New Yard just being inside the 400 meter evacuation zone. Would be useful for Barnstaple/Okehampton terminatiors to stable but not in the right location, would need to rotate the whole of Exeter Central 180 degrees to make use of Platform 1

Also gets used during engineering works west of Central, which has happened a couple of times this year I recall.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

Manchester Piccadilly platform 12 is also rarely used - I think this is because of the track layout meaning a train heading to/from the platform blocks off the south side of the station. It seems it's used in the morning for a train to arrive, then the unit stays there all day till it's needed in the evening.

Platform 12 was in daily use pre Covid, although probably predominantly in the peaks, perhaps less trains mean less requirement to use?

The operational constraints for the use of platform 12 are same for platfrom 11, and, with less restrictive length, for platform 10 as all share a common single lead for arrivals and departures. Platform 12 however is (or was and I assume still is) more challenging for revenue protection which may be why it sees least use.

 

[Bertie the bus]

Platform 7 cannot be used by passenger services due to no protection from the sidings

Platform 7 at Preston is used by passenger services but it is literally as a last resort. The very, very few times it has been used is when there is major disruption on the WCML, Preston is being used as a terminus and all the other platforms are occupied.

Platform 12 at Crewe sees very little use. They normally use anything but 12 with the odd service using it for various reasons.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Leeds platform 14 (formerly 11) always used to be very under-used. Not sure if that's changed recently.

 

[Class 170101]

How much use do all the platforms at Inverness have? Platform 7 can't get much use, I would have thought.

2H74 and 2H77 use this platform between 20:44 and 21:06 as HSTs / Class 80x sets block the other lines whilst being fuelled here

 

[scragend]

Platform 2 at (...) Wigan Wallgate

Do you mean Platform 3, i.e. the bay?

Platform 2 is the Manchester-bound through platform.

 

[duffman82]

Platform 6 at Wolverhampton.

It does have booked move but it never shunts into 6 & stays on Platform 1.

 

[Andyjs247]

Platform 4A at Darlington gets little use. And Platform 2 at James Street is not normally used.

 

[The exile]

Not really in the scope of the question as I believe it’s not signalled for passenger use, but when was platform 2 at Bristol TM last used? To say nothing of platform 14…!

 

[SteelWeelApeal]

Platform 3 at Theale is used only during engineering works. Also I believe 1 and 4 at Barnetby see very little passenger use. It has a lot of platforms for the number of services.

 

[IanXC]

Platform 1 at Hartlepool only has booked use on Sundays, and even then only for 2 trains per Sunday.

 

[ld0595]

Platform 0 at Haymarket is only used to stable empty stock IIRC. However it was used by the additional Fife Circle services when the Forth Road Bridge was closed.

 

[plugwash]

Is that the one usually only ever used by the weekly "Denton Flyer"?

Yes it's the remaining north facing bay platform.

The only regular passenger serivice is the weekly service from/to staylybridge. It's also used dialy to reverse an empty coaching stock train on it's way From Manchester Picadilly to Stockport carriage maintiance depot. https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:G56831/2021-11-29/detailed#allox_id=0

It's not that there is really anything wrong with the platform itself though, It's just that given the topology of the network, terminating trains at stockport from the north doesn't really make any sense. It does see use during engineering works when one or more of the lines south of stockport is closed. It's also useful when a train develops a fault and they want to get it out of service in a way that causes minimal disruption.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

I don't think anything's currently timetabled for platform 3 at Worcester Shrub Hill - it was formerly used for a few Wessex services from Bristol. It's very short.

 

[Springs Branch]

Do you mean Platform 3, i.e. the bay?

Platform 2 is the Manchester-bound through platform.

Wallgate's west-facing bay (Platform 3) has been used quite consistently over the years for trains between Wigan/Kirkby or Wigan/Southport - especially if the train was coming into/going out of service at Wallgate Carriage Sidings. Generally it was only one or two per day though, sometimes none, and changed year-on-year with each timetable revision.

At present it seems Wallgate Platform 3 is only normally booked for use by ECS which reverse there and not in public service - although this could easily change with future timetable revisions (or as @xotGD found, in event of disruption)

Some others:-

• Kentish Town:- currently has one public departure per day from Platform 3 (16:11 to Orpington, coming into service from Cricklewood Sidings).
  
  
• Harrow & Wealdstone:- seems to have one train per day booked to stop on the Up Fast Platform 4 (05:05 Northampton - Euston, calls at HRW at 06:07, before the first Pendolinos of the day have had chance to get this far south).
  All other LNW trains through the day stop at the Slow Line platforms (5 & 6).
  This probably gets changed quite regularly due to night/weekend engineering work on the slow lines, meaning all traffic funneled onto the Fasts and HRW's P.3 & 4 are pressed into service (along with Fast Line platforms at Wembley Central and Bushey and suburban stations north of Watford Jn)
  
  
• Kingston:- for many years had one train per day starting or terminating in the Platform 1 bay.
  Usually the last train from Waterloo via Strawberry Hill, which stabled overnight, then started out from there the following morning. At present it looks like Kingston's bay is only booked to reverse some Rail Head Treatment Trains.
  Presumably Platform 1 would be available "as a last resort" for a defective train, or to turn passenger trains back to the Strawberry Hill direction in event of problems on SWML.
  
  
• Harrogate:- not sure whether or not Platform 2 (north side bay) is available for passenger use as a last resort - suspect it isn't.
  Currently used to stable a unit overnight which arrives / departs ECS from/to Knaresborough.