Great Western Coffee Shop

With regular 8 coach HST services, arguably certain mainline stations within Cornwall (and elsewhere) are candidates for platform extensions (space permitting). Having a platform long enough to accommodate an 8 coach HST rules out the need to tell departing passengers to move forward at this station or move back at another station and makes operating generally easier. The retrospectively fitted Selective Door Opening system sometimes keeps doors locked at the end of the train which are nonetheless platformed, resulting in passengers stood near the end of platforms sometimes trying to open doors that won^t open. 

I know that the cost of extending platforms can be raised as an issue but once the platform is extended the cost of maintenance in theory should be fairly low. The full length of the lengthy down platform at Dawlish was reinstated after last year^s storms (and it sits above the sea at high tide) and it is only on Summer weekends that it is fully utilised. This action presumably demonstrates the importance of having sufficiently long platforms for the related service.

With this in mind, the down platform at St Austell, for example, has room to be extended at the west end, and sees 9 HSTs and a sleeper train on an average day. So arguably, where the service level, and space to extend, permits, some Cornish mainline stations are good candidates for platform extensions (unless of course the platform is already the full length of the train!).
 :o

Just thinking of the stations I use frequently
Hayle - no room, viaduct in the way and a cutting the other way
Camborne - no room, level crossing in the way,
Redruth - no room, viaduct one end, tunnel the other.

I would tend to agree regarding Redruth and Camborne, I would suggest that Hayle has some room at the east end of the up and down platforms. Sometimes even a small extension can make a bit of a difference, even if it doesn't get rid of the problem altogether. :o

Lostwithiel Down, no room.  Level crossing and access to clay sidings.  Space at Country end of up side.

I believe that whilst some Cornish rail stations could benefit from longer platforms, many stations not just in the western region but all over the country could equally benefit. On the Cotswolds Line where there are many short platforms I understand that most platforms will be lengthened to take 6 carriages to cope with the situation when the Hitachi SETs come into use with 2 x 5 car bi-modes on the peak hour services so that 3 coaches of each 5 car train can be positioned on a 6 coach platform. At present at Hanborough there can sometimes be over a hundred people waiting on the platform to board the 2 unlocked coaches of a peak hour HST. With the continuing growth in rail travel numbers across the country I suspect that many other stations face similar problems.

We've already got a thread on this topic.    For link see:-

    www.greatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?=150

This link doesn't appear to work? :o

I noticed this week Truro has an asterisk to indicate short platform on the route sheet in the window of the Cornishman.

I'm not quite sure what is short about truro, but if it was short a down HST would be fouling either the bay platform and I believe a signal or the level crossing which I've never seen

The platform lengths are 199 m (down) and 211 m (up). An 8+2 HST is 8x23+2x18=220 m long. So yes, there is a problem, unless local circumstances can justify using some extra length at the ends (quite a lot of it for down trains). 

HST easily fits on the platform at Truro with the power cars part way next to the ramps at either end of the platform. This allows for the train to be within the signal and the level crossing too.

I assume the platform lengths don't include the ramps? An 8+2 fits between signal at platform end and the level crossing.

As I understand it stated platform lengths do not include the ramps.  I also understand that fairly recently (2005-ish) the Group Standards were changed so that ramps are no longer a general requirement at the end of platforms.  In fact good practice now seems to be to NOT include ramps, I imagine because they increase cost and trespass risk.  Many recently built platform ends for example at Reading, lack ramps.  If staff access to the track is needed, a gate and steps are provided.

Replacing the ramps with a section of level platform would have potential for lengthening the platform without increasing land take on constrained sites, 

This was done at the west end of the main island at Salisbury when upgrading from 9 - 10 car, as in the photo below, as you say they just demolished the ramp and levelled over a very similar length.   I expect there are platforms all over the country where the combined length of the two ramps will provide almost a coach length, the main issues then become signal positioning, and often S&C position will be foul of a 'full height' platform end.

Paul

Thanks Paul.

Looks like a nicely done job in traditional brick too.