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  • Level island platform that is high-level on one side only?

  • General discussion about railroad operations, related facilities, maps, and other resources.
General discussion about railroad operations, related facilities, maps, and other resources.

Moderator: Robert Paniagua

 #1343236  by BostonUrbEx
 
Anyone have examples of a level island platform (completely flat across, no ramps, no stairs) which is a high platform on one side and a low level on the other? This is obviously achieved by the track beds themselves being at differing elevations.

Any examples of this in the world?
 #1343296  by The EGE
 
North Station (MBTA subway) - southbound Green and Orange Lines
Camden Station - southbound Baltimore Light Rail and terminating Camden Line

I believe there are some British examples as well.

Kenmore (MBTA subway) was designed for the center tracks to be dropped for heavy rail conversion, but this was never done.
 #1343470  by ExCon90
 
In Stockholm, the Alvik station on the Tunnelbanan is a connection point with a light-rail line (formerly the 12, later something else, today maybe 12 again, or 112) to Nockeby. The station (above ground) has 4 tracks with 2 island platforms; the T-banan uses the outside, and the light rail terminates on the inner tracks, providing cross-platform transfer with the T-banan. The platforms are entirely flat, with the light-rail tracks in the center at a higher level than the outside T-banan tracks, which have floor-level boarding (sort of the opposite of what was planned for Kenmore). An unusual wrinkle is that the T-banan is left-hand running, and so was the light rail until Sweden changed over from left- to right-hand road traffic in September 1967. At that time they put in a diamond crossing so that now the light rail leaves Alvik station running on the left and immediately crosses itself on the diamond to become right-hand running; this was done to avoid confusing motorists, who all had to be coached to look left instead of right, as they had done all their lives until then, at intersections. They felt that a trolley line running left-handed in the median or alongside of a right-handed roadway would be asking for problems.

I have an idea there may be some examples in Brussels, but I can't remember for sure. Both Brussels and Stuttgart have stations where part of a platform is low and the rest high, with steps to climb from one to the other and trains (running on the same track) stopping at the appropriate part of the platform, but whether either city has a station meeting
the criteria I don't know.

In Vienna there's a station on the U-Bahn (I think Laengenfeldgasse), a 4-track station with 2 island platforms, where the U4 and U6 have a cross-platform transfer, the U4 being heavy rail and the U6 light rail. I can't remember which line is on the outside, but if it's the U6 it would be an exact example of the plan for Kenmore.
 #1343574  by BostonUrbEx
 
Thanks for the examples, you two! I should have remembered some of those MBTA ones.

It seems all these examples involve a light rail transfer, though. Any examples for railroads? I'm specifically thinking of needing a clearance track for freights, with a preferred passenger platform for quicker boarding, but the flexibility of a second, low-level platform if necessary. I imagine a majority of situations would simply warrant a gauntlet track -- but I'm curious if anyone knows of any examples of this.