The Anonymous Widower

The Platform 1 End Of Victoria Station – 2nd August 2023

I took these pictures of Platform 1 at Victoria station and Wilton Road, which runs along the side of the station.

This gallery shows Platform 1, how it is accessed and the retail units that you pass to access the platform.

Note.

  1. The glass barrier between the retail units and the toilets and Platform 2.
  2. Passengers for Platform 1 have to walk down to gates that are at the far end of the retail units.
  3. The Victoria end of Platform 1 is set back from the other platforms.

This gallery shows Wilton Road.

Note.

  1. Wilton Road is immediately outside of the station
  2. Parts of the outside of the station has quality stonework.
  3. There is a bus stand close to the station.
  4. There is a taxi rank on the other side.
  5. There is an entrance to the station.
  6. There is also an entrance to the Underground station, if you walk to the front of the station.

This gallery shows Hudson’s Place.

Note.

  1. The shops inside the station by Platforms 1 and 2 are behind the three-story Victorian facade.
  2. An M & S sign is in one window.
  3. There is an entrance to the station.

What is happening behind the hoardings in the middle of Hudson’s Place?

This gallery shows Platforms 1 and 2.

Note.

  1. Platform 1 is surprisingly long,
  2. I’ve seen steam specials in the platform with the engine at the country end.
  3. Platform 2 is also long.

This gallery shows the gateline upgrade and a few odds and sods.

Note.

  1. The platforms 3 and 4 would appear to be shorter and can only take eight-car trains.
  2. The gatelines in the two halves of the station are being upgraded and new destination boards are being upgrade.

This table gives the platform lengths for Platforms 1 to 7.

  • Platform 1 – 270 metres
  • Platform 2 – 359 metres
  • Platform 3 – 180 metres
  • Platform 4 – 203 metres
  • Platform 5 – 247 metres
  • Platform 6 – 245 metres
  • Platform 7 – 286 metres

Note.

  1. Platforms 3 and 4 will only take eight-car trains, which are 160 metres long.
  2. All other platforms will take twelve-car trains, which are 240 metres long.
  3. A single High Speed Two Classic Compatible Train os 200 metres long.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the platforms at Victoria station.

Note.

  1. The platforms are numbered starting with one on the right.
  2. The blue numbers give the platform numbers.
  3. Platform 1 is stepped-back from all the others.
  4. Platform 2 is the longest platform.
  5. Platforms 1 and 2 share an island platform.

This second OpenRailwayMap shows the North-East corner of the previous map to a larger scale.

Note that there are retail units for WH Smith, Cards Galore, McDonalds, M & S Simply Food and Starbucks, toilets and a reception area for British Pullman.

Could this area be revamped to be a Customs and Immigration are for passengers going to and from Europe?

  • I estimate the area available  is about twenty-five metres wide over a hundred metres long.
  • There are also two extra floors above the ground floor.
  • It might be possible to build over part of Hudson’s Place outside of the station.

I suspect that, if the space is efficiently used, that a secure and efficient Customs and Immigration facility, that would handle perhaps four trains per hour (tph) could be created.

 

 

August 2, 2023 - Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , ,

6 Comments »

  1. Platforms 1 and 2 were if my memory serves me right were used for the Golden Arrow and Night Ferry.

    Comment by Hugh Steave | August 2, 2023 | Reply

  2. 4 tph? Are you kidding? St Pancras International can’t cope with barely 2 tph half filled and they have a much bigger area to play with…

    Comment by Andrew Bruton | August 3, 2023 | Reply

    • Thet have the two floors to use about the shops. I also think, they could build out into Hudson’s Place.

      Comment by AnonW | August 3, 2023 | Reply

  3. As noted in my original comment (not published), yes, Platforms 1 & 2 were used for the Night Ferry, Golden Arrow and the VSOE/Belmond Pullman. The adjacent offices were used for customs & immigration. But these were one-a-day trains with small numbers of passengers; the space available would be totally inadequate for Eurostar services. And, no, they wouldn’t be able to build out into Hudson’s Place for any number of reasons. The congested tracks beyond the station – which would have to be totally reconfigured for the massive length of Eurostar sets – wouldn’t be able to handle regular international services. It would be easier to kick SWR’s much-reduced services out of the old Eurostar platforms at Waterloo.

    Comment by Stephen Spark | August 5, 2023 | Reply

    • The offices are three stories and I suspect could handle enough passengers.

      I know they wouldn’t hold Eurostar trains, but they would hold 240 metre Southeastern trains. Single High Speed Two Classic Compatible Trains are only 200 metres.

      It would give London a second European terminal.

      Comment by AnonW | August 5, 2023 | Reply

      • Track capacity (lack of) rules it out. It would also require major resignalling, for which there’s no money. A passenger ‘processing’ area spread over three floors would be a headache to manage. Victoria is Grade II listed, which would make major alterations such as building out into Hudson’s Place difficult, as would road congestion and objections from neighbouring residents and businesses. Victoria is a very different area from the old KX/StP – high-class residential, offices and leisure property rather than derelict industrial wasteland. A return to Waterloo won’t happen either, but it would make more sense than Vic as a second international terminal.

        Comment by Stephen Spark | August 6, 2023


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