Platform 5 at London Bridge

[shortygoldtooth]

I am a south londoner who has the misfortune to have to travel via the dreaded platform 5 on many an occasion. It seems you enter a different dimension there, stinking toilets, 10 seats for hundereds of folk, and endless delays. it's worse than any other railway experience in my humble opinion. I would so like to demolish it and just have platforms 4-6...

 

[Donna Ferentes]

You want to try the Platform 8 Mass Shuffle coming in to Victoria.

 

[guinnessdrinker]

if they demolish the platform, what's going to replace it? where will your train stops? will there be space for it?

 

[shortygoldtooth]

Just demolish it!

 

[Belushi]

They should demolish the whole of London Bridge and start again.

 

[guinnessdrinker]

They should demolish the whole of London Bridge and start again.

the bridge as well

 

[Poi E]

They should demolish the whole of London Bridge and start again.

The new parts only!

 

[beeboo]

At least they have free loos on platform 5 - tis about the only London terminus station loos where you don't have to pay 20p for the priviledge.

My trains always go through platform 5 later on in the evening which means to me its associated with slightly drunk/crazy people on the last train home.

What I want to know is WHY IS THERE NO PLATFORM SEVEN AT LONDON BRIDGE?? WHY DAMMIT?!

 

[davesgcr]

Platfrom 7 is the up through CX loop ......( a by pass track to sneak another train through Borough Market Junction whilst another train is calling at Pf6) as there are only 2 tracks into Waterloo East and Charing Cross - its the only way of stuffing 26 trains an hour into the terminus - that about 2 more than theoretically possible and a tribute to the bloody good skills of the generations of train crew and signalpersons.

A renumbering would put your mind to rest - but there are various plan for London Bridge - Thameslink 2000 et al.

 

[guinnessdrinker]

- that about 2 more than theoretically possible

how can this be possible what was wrong with the theory?

 

[davesgcr]

The theory is based on actual capacity (headways and signal clearance times over junctions + time taken to unload passengers etc) - but as there are always practical considerations like drivers using their trains to practical limits within safety considerations - there has laways been a "realistic" approach to timetabling to squeeze extra trains through.

A judgement between theoretical capacity (say 24 trains in an hour) against running 26 (which can be done) - versus the risk of leaving 2 x 1000 passengers without a service and / or packed into a lesser number of trains.

Someone once said London Bidge was a "daily miracle" - on balance I thnk thats right - note what happens when the job goes tits up - trains backed up to New Cross or Peckam.

Think about the M25 in this scenario ....

 

[beeboo]

Platfrom 7 is the up through CX loop ......( a by pass track to sneak another train through Borough Market Junction whilst another train is calling at Pf6) as there are only 2 tracks into Waterloo East and Charing Cross - its the only way of stuffing 26 trains an hour into the terminus - that about 2 more than theoretically possible and a tribute to the bloody good skills of the generations of train crew and signalpersons.

A renumbering would put your mind to rest - but there are various plan for London Bridge - Thameslink 2000 et al.

excellent station facts!

so was this ever an actual platform, or has this always been a loop only?

 

[shortygoldtooth]

At least they have free loos on platform 5 - tis about the only London terminus station loos where you don't have to pay 20p for the priviledge.

My trains always go through platform 5 later on in the evening which means to me its associated with slightly drunk/crazy people on the last train home.

What I want to know is WHY IS THERE NO PLATFORM SEVEN AT LONDON BRIDGE?? WHY DAMMIT?!

Well I had the misfortune to have to have a crap whilst on Platform 5. The toilet door was missin off of one stall, the other was occupied and as the need was great i had to have a long and noisy crap in full view of 50 plus people in the q.

At least at Victoria you can pull the turnstile towrads you and get into the lovely clean looo's for nowt.

Demolish platform 5!!!!!!!!!

 

[davesgcr]

Thank you - the up platform loop was created in 1976 when the power signalbox was put in...

There is an ace DVD called "Operation London Bridge" made by BR and recently released which explains the logic of the operations in the area and how they tried to plan for the future.

I think they did a good job - it works - the genius was one Roy Bell a diamond geezer (in the vernacular) who spent months in the old signbalboxes working the frames and getting a real understanding of how it worked.

Triains used to be 3 yards apart in the old layout - yes 3 yards - with no computer gizmos to stop them hitting each other - just the skills of the old generations of South London drivers from Slade Green etc.

Try doing that in fog and blackout ! day in and day out. 1000 people behind you and 250 tons of metal and a straight air brake which was all or nothing !

 

[Poi E]

Thank you - the up platform loop was created in 1976 when the power signalbox was put in...

There is an ace DVD called "Operation London Bridge" made by BR and recently released which explains the logic of the operations in the area and how they tried to plan for the future.

I think they did a good job - it works - the genius was one Roy Bell a diamond geezer (in the vernacular) who spent months in the old signbalboxes working the frames and getting a real understanding of how it worked.

Triains used to be 3 yards apart in the old layout - yes 3 yards - with no computer gizmos to stop them hitting each other - just the skills of the old generations of South London drivers from Slade Green etc.

Try doing that in fog and blackout ! day in and day out. 1000 people behind you and 250 tons of metal and a straight air brake which was all or nothing !

Bring back BR!

Makes me feel all reverent, these dedicated types who keep London moving.

 

[teecee]

I am a south londoner who has the misfortune to have to travel via the dreaded platform 5 on many an occasion. It seems you enter a different dimension there, stinking toilets, 10 seats for hundereds of folk, and endless delays. it's worse than any other railway experience in my humble opinion. I would so like to demolish it and just have platforms 4-6...

Although you can cross to Platform 1&2 and use the toilets there, normally a bit cleaner and fewer people

And as for the last few trains of the night , normally more croweded than rush hour, why do the think they need only send a train with half the carriages missing ...bastards!

 

[sam/phallocrat]

I used to love doing cheeky lines of k/skinning up in the london bridge platform toilets at silly o'clock of a sunday morning . . .

 

[Poi E]

I used to love doing cheeky lines of k/skinning up in the london bridge platform toilets at silly o'clock of a sunday morning . . .

On the way back from the Drome...