Platforms of Last Resort

[najaB]

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.

If I remember correctly, that's pretty much why it was built - to provide a useful place to turn stock and for unusual operations (e.g. when the Haymarket tunnels are closed).

 

[John Luxton]

Exeter St Davids' Platform 2 and Clapham Junction's Platform 8 are the two that come instantly to my mind.

2 may now be the preferred platform for Okehampton trains. I arrived and departed from 2 on November 20 - reopening day.

 

[MP393]

Platform 1 at Manchester Oxford Road is very rarely used now, only when in need for regulation and I think a few Chat Moss Liverpool’s use it in an evening now to be overtaken. Another that that’s only accessible via the stairs too, and not by lift.

 

[DorkingMain]

The East facing bay at Bournemouth used to see regular terminating stoppers, but once the stoppers started running through to Poole sees very little use.

Nearby at Southampton the West facing bay used to see the stoppers to Salisbury but is no longer used. I'm not even sure it's still cleared for passenger use.

By the east-facing bay do you mean Platform 1?

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.

Problem with Platform 1 at Earlsfield is there's no corresponding up platform (which would be more useful than a down one). Usually if the down slow is blocked, trains will run non-stop on the down fast so as not to inconvenience long distance trains.

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.

Booked trains there on Sunday (the Kingston via Hounslow trains terminate there) but often cut from the timetable as a result of engineering works.

 

[MadMac]

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

The points giving access to them aren’t fitted with facing point locks, so would need to be clamped for passenger use.

 

[TheBigD]

Is there anything that uses the bay platform at Wellington? Don't think much has used it since Central Trains Wolverhampton to Wellington service ceased.

Also the bay platform at Huntingdon, though I'm pretty sure someone posted on here that it's out of use for passengers and just sees a tamper stabled from time to time.

 

[158747]

I’m not sure Platform 2 at Fareham is used frequently. I think it may only be GWR when they terminate there when there are engineering works.

Platform 2 is also used occasionally by GWR Cardiff - Portsmouth services when they terminate at Fareham due to late running.

 

[ivorytoast28]

Woking platform 6 rarely sees use during normal operation, though during disruption Portsmouth direct line trains sometimes terminate there

 

[Class800]

Exeter St Davids' Platform 2 and Clapham Junction's Platform 8 are the two that come instantly to my mind.

Exeter St Davids platform 2 was really only used for originating northbound XC services in times of disruption (usually a Dawlish line closure) with maybe the occasional GWR northbound stopper - but these are rare services and often use platform 6 (itself lesser used, but used more than platform 2 was, mainly for originating services either north or southbound). But the Okehampton services - except the very first one which used platform 6 - have used platform 2 when originating at Exeter St Davids, although some run through from Central, using platform 3.

 

[Class172]

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.

Haven’t got the sectional appendix to hand but I’m not sure it can even fit 2x23m in there — I’ve seen a 2 carriage 150 in there and it looked pretty tight. Not the most useful platform in the world.

It’s also reminded me that at nearby Bromsgrove platform 1 is not used in normal passenger service. I think there may be a weekend service that uses it (certainly been through it before but not common at all).

2 may now be the preferred platform for Okehampton trains. I arrived and departed from 2 on November 20 - reopening day.

That was mainly for the opening weekend, where services only ran to St David’s. The current timetable has the majority of services continuing to Central through platforms 1 and 3, though I believe a couple of services do still terminate at and use platform 2 at St David’s. If the Cardiff-Taunton trains ever get extended through to Exeter I imagine they would use platform 2.

 

[alangla]

Does P3 at Penrith get any passenger use? Had a look through for today and it’s only a Willesden to Shieldmuir mail train that’s booked.

 

[godfreycomplex]

By the east-facing bay do you mean Platform 1?

Problem with Platform 1 at Earlsfield is there's no corresponding up platform (which would be more useful than a down one). Usually if the down slow is blocked, trains will run non-stop on the down fast so as not to inconvenience long distance trains.


Booked trains there on Sunday (the Kingston via Hounslow trains terminate there) but often cut from the timetable as a result of engineering works.

Kingston bay is 8 car max which partially accounts for its somewhat sparse usefulness

 

[norbitonflyer]

Kingston bay is 8 car max which partially accounts for its somewhat sparse usefulness

Platform 1 has been used far too often as a convenient place (for Control, not the passengers) to terminate trains that were supposed to be going to Waterloo, thereby dumping a full train of passengers at a station two stops short of the main line. Inevitably not everyone would be able to get oin the following equally crowded train (especially when, on one memorable occasion, that one was short formed with only 4 cars!). The excuse was always "to relieve congestion" - obviously "Control" hadn't looked at conditions on the platform.

I have never seen a passenger service use Platform 1 (former platform 3) at Lincoln.

The island platform at Esher - I have seen both faces of this platform in use at once back in slam-door days - a points failure at Surbiton had prevented my train calling there so a special stop was put in on the fast line at Esher, with an up train, also given a special stop, waiting on the opposite face so that passengers could use it to get back to Surbiton.

 

[jamesst]

Platform 1 at Birkenhead North, normally only used for unit swaps or during disruption.
Rock Ferry 3 and 4 for the same reasons as North although a couple of early trains start there.

 

[tomwills98]

platform 3 at Bridgend, the west facing bay platform only accessible from the Maesteg branch. Used when the Maestegs are really late and terminate there to work back, usually when something's blocking the line to Cardiff too.

 

[Taunton]

Platform 1 at Taunton, that's the onetime Barnstaple departure bay. I don't know if there's anything scheduled from it nowadays. Handy for parking tampers and odd locomotives, but I haven't seen a train in there for ... maybe 50 years. Still features on the station map.

 

[Class800]

Agree it's mainly for stabling

 

[big_rig]

According to Realtime Trains it was used last Sunday

I’m not sure about that as the station was closed on Sunday with a bus replacement service on!

The outer platform at Balham (#4) likewise don’t often see much use.

 

[TFN]

I've been on an evacuation onto Acton Main Line's Platform 2 on a HEX 332 before. That's the only time I've ever seen it used.

 

[Bill57p9]

Dumbarton Central Platform 3?
Pretty sure nothing is booked to use it however it has been used this week to turnaround late running services to Helensburgh and was used by the Fort William sleeper to allow a broken 73/9 to be shunted off.

I believe Stranraer platform 2 has not technically closed. Been a very long time since it was used though.

EDIT: Just thought of this: you would need to be seriously desperate to use platform 2 at Corrour: even hand pumping points.

 

[option]

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

The bridge doorway is boarded up, & the platform is covered in growth. Can't remember if the platform edgings are still in place, they've been removed at Northfield.

 

[robbeech]

Doncaster platform 2, although I did see an EMR Lincoln service use it a few weeks ago due to a points / signalling issue.

Doncaster platform 7 doesn't get much use either.

Came here to mention P7, although i think P2 gets a bit more use than you might think on those EMR services.

 

[Matt Taylor]

No, they still have to do shunts in and out…

There is some talk of reopening p2 as a through platform but that would require replacing the road bridge which wasn't future proofed when it was built.

 

[CaptainBen]

Finsbury Park platforms 3 & 6. Mainly because they face the same roads as 2 & 7 respectively, and those platforms are the ones usually in use.

 

[superalbs]

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

It used to handle some Exmouth services on a Sunday. Also sees the odd 'last resort' 159 from London occasionally.

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

See above.

 

[Owen31]

DLR, not NR, granted, but the third platform at Mudchute isn’t exactly well-utilised.

If I right I’m thinking it’s never been used since the station opened

 

[Cricketer8for9]

Fast line platforms at South Croydon, Purley Oaks and Purley are not commonly used, but needed for engineering work diversions. Even managed the Up Fast at Purley in the down direction one very early morning. Similarly fast line platforms at Thornton Heath to Wandsworth Common (Selhurst gets some semi-regular use.) Battersea Pk down fast is a rarely used one, a bit similar to Earlsfield in that there is no up fast platform.

 

[swt_passenger]

There is some talk of reopening p2 as a through platform but that would require replacing the road bridge which wasn't future proofed when it was built.

Drifting off topic but I think the abutments of the bridge were futureproofed, even if the two decks weren’t. If you look at them using streetview there are unused plinths that would line up with a different steelwork layout.

 

[Dai Corner]

Platform 1 at Newport (South Wales) is the only one with level access to the main entrance. However from an operational point of view it's the least favoured as it's on the Down Relief line.

 

[Crossover]

Mirfield platform 2 - on the "through" line used by the fast services from Dewsbury to Huddersfield. Used to have one booked train a week, but I don't think does anymore. Does see very occasional use in disruption (I have used it once before when trains were stacked through platform 3 due to a train fault and the stopper was routed to p2 instead)

It also doesn't have a PIS screen (on the occasion of my use, I only caught it as I was watching RTT and saw which track berth the train disappeared into!)

EDIT: Just thought of this: you would need to be seriously desperate to use platform 2 at Corrour: even hand pumping points.

Unless I am missing something, I am sure I have been on a train which has passed another there