[Trivia] How many stations? And when does one station become two?

[etr221]

For National Rail retailing purposes, all the stations I mentioned are treated as a single entity.

The purpose for which I asked my question is regarding counting, listing and visiting purposes. Retail purpose may - or may not - give the same answer.

My thoughts are tending towards saying if you enter a station, what you can get to without exiting that station (or requiring special authority to get to, e.g. by crossing tracks) is one station; if you have to exit, and then enter, you have entered a different station - whether that is a case of the exit from one being the entrance to the other, or requiring use or cossing over a public road (or othe non-railway land).

Where this perhaps does make an (unexpected) difference is those stations where there is no 'in station' route between up and down platforms, but you have to leave the station to do so.

On a couple of particular instances that have come up: on London Underground, I regard Bank and Monument as one (as TfL do, at least for some purposes).
And Paddington, as a whole, I think is 4: National Rail; TfL Elizabeth Line; LU Bakerlo/Circle/District (what was once referred to as Praed Street); and LU H&C (formerly Suburban/Bishops Road)

 

[Magdalia]

Up GN trains to Moorgate were shown in 1960s timetables as stopping at both York Road and Kings Cross (Met)

Midland trains to Moorgate stopped at Kings Cross (Met) in both directions.

The first all line timetable in 1974 has a bizarre inconsistency. Table 25 (GN trains) calls the station King's Cross Metropolitan but Table 52 (Midland) uses King's Cross L.T.

GN use of Widened Lines to Moorgate ended in 1977

Passenger trains finished in November 1976 but some trains terminated at King's Cross York Road or started at the Hotel Curve platform during the remodelling of King's Cross for electrification in 1977.

The non corridor Mark 1 stock for the Eastern and LM Regions were all short underframed (Western and Southern Regions were long underframe); some of the LM ones were 'Metrogauge' (repositioned ventilators and modified periscopes to be slightly lower) to work through to Moorgate; ER ones were normal and ok for their link)

It is a myth that full length coaches could not be used on any parts of the widened lines. I went from Finsbury Park to Brighton and back on a Sunday excursion in the 1960s, and it was all main line (Gresley or Thompson) corridor stock; loco was a Class 24 (D5052). Route was via York Road and widened lines, emerging near Blackfriars, and then via East Croydon to Brighton.

Well yes and no. Gresley stock was 61'6", shorter than Mark Is which were 63'6" and not permitted. ER excursions to the SR via the Widened Lines or East London Line specified ex LNER stock.

 

[xotGD]

Where this perhaps does make an (unexpected) difference is those stations where there is no 'in station' route between up and down platforms, but you have to leave the station to do so.

This would be a very unusual way to define "two stations". I don't think anyone would consider Saltaire to be two stations, for example.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

This would be a very unusual way to define "two stations". I don't think anyone would consider Saltaire to be two stations, for example.

Plenty of stations have 2 entrances and no bridges, the list could go on for hours.
I feel like no matter what wording for what counts as one station and/not 2 will have exceptions.

I understand where the "unique entrance" concept comes from, but trying to apply it to small stations around the country would probably cause the number of stations to go up by hundreds.

 

[plugwash]

And Paddington, as a whole, I think is 4: National Rail; TfL Elizabeth Line; LU Bakerlo/Circle/District (what was once referred to as Praed Street); and LU H&C (formerly Suburban/Bishops Road)

And yet you can walk between all four of them without ever leaving to the street.

Plenty of stations have 2 entrances and no bridges, the list could go on for hours.

And what do you make of navigation road?

Two different networks (mainline rail, and manchester metrolink), each with a seperate platform and a seperate entrance.

And yet if it wasn't for signage and/or local knowledge anyone would think it was just another two track suburban station.

Or what of limehouse? the DLR station and the mainline station are connected via a raised paved area. Said area is outdoors, but the location of the signage suggests it is not considered part of "the street".

 

[pokemonsuper9]

And what do you make of navigation road?

Two different networks (mainline rail, and manchester metrolink), each with a seperate platform and a seperate entrance.

And yet if it wasn't for signage and/or local knowledge anyone would think it was just another two track suburban station.

I'd consider Navigation road's two separate, the divide between Metrolink and NR is usually quite clear (Altrincham and Airport are the exceptions there)

Or what of limehouse? the DLR station and the mainline station are connected via a raised paved area. Said area is outdoors, but the location of the signage suggests it is not considered part of "the street".

It's an interesting spot, since (if I recall correctly) Limehouse has a single barrier line between NR (from Southend/Tilbury) to DLR (towards Lewisham/Canary Wharf/Beckton).
That makes me inclined to consider it two, but I'm not really certain, as at Stratford there is more distance between "High level" and "low level", but are under the same roof and are behind the same barriers.

This stuff is a complex issue and I'm still not entirely on my own rules for my map.