Birmingham new street platform 5M?

[whole diary]

[johoare]

I have a very confused daughter who is waiting for a (cross country) train at Birmingham new street which is supposed to be going from platform 5M.. except there is no 5M.. Any ideas?

Looking online there should be a 5A and 5B 

[ChrisB]

Advise her to go to platform 5....it's not far then to walk to wherever the XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) train comes to a stand

[ChrisB]

They do seem to be adding sections of platforms that are new - a train to Shrewsbury is leaving platform 4C at 1005.

I thought there were only A & B sections at New Street?...

[stuving]

Realtimetrains lists 5M - next train 10:12 LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) to Rugely - not many others, and no XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) trains I can see, using it.

Later, there's 7M too for an XC service. Is it just supposed to mean "5 middle" - someone trying to be helpful, and not succeeding?

[stuving]

Just before that 10:12 departure, an LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) train arrives at 5A from Rugely. So I guess it's being split, and 5M is the B-end half of a train in 5A. The other half goes ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) to the depot from 5A later on.

[ChrisB]

Yes, I suspect that's 'middle' too....but where is the C section? On the tracks beyond 'B'? :-)

So, there now seems to be A, B, C and M sections....too many, IMO^▸ (in my opinion)

[Red Squirrel]

....but where is the C section? On the tracks beyond 'B'? :-)

I'd go for the BWH - much more hygienic: http://www.bwhct.nhs.uk/

[ChrisB]

Not so sure about that with all the hospital bugs we keep hearing about :-)

[stuving]

Refresh RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) and now that LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) train arrived and left from 5. So maybe they didn't split it after all.

Or maybe the label "5M" was introduced for special cases like that train split, but one of the people keying in platform data likes to use it where everyone else uses plain "5". Later on there is an XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) train that supposed to turn in 5M, and much later a goods train that passes through 4M. Those look like they should be "5" or "4".

However, after midnight two XC trains arrive successively in 5B and 5M before one train goes from 5 to Barton Under Needwood Rsmd. That does look like the two are joined together, so 5M makes some sense (though not to passengers in this case).

 

[paul7575]

They do seem to be adding sections of platforms that are new - a train to Shrewsbury is leaving platform 4C at 1005.

I thought there were only A & B sections at New Street?...

4C is a west facing bay in the end of P4, I've used it a few times for Liverpool EMU^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit) services.

Paul

[johoare]

Well no wonder she was confused