The Anonymous Widower

Train Lengths Between King’s Cross and Edinburgh

If you ask Google, what is the platform length at King’s Cross station, you get the following answers.

• Platform 0 – 305 metres
• Platform 1 – 304 metres
• Platform 2 – 285 metres
• Platform 3 – 289 metres
• Platform 4 – 290 metres
• Platform 5 – 270 metres
• Platform 6 – 288 metres
• Platform 7 – 288 metres
• Platform 8 – 289 metres
• Platform 9 – 276 metres
• Platform 10 – 276 metres

This OpenRailwayMap shows the tracks linking to the eleven platforms at King’s Cross.

Note.

1. The red tracks are the electrified platforms in King’s Cross.
2. The two pink tracks are the Piccadilly Line underneath the station.
3. Platform 0 is on the right and Platform 10 is on the left.
4. The platform number is shown alongside the track.

Platform 0 is the newest platform, which opened in 2010 and also the longest at 305 metres.

Many of the trains using the station are Hitachi Class 800, 801, 802 and 803 trains, which have cars of the following lengths.

• Driving car – 25.85 metres
• Intermediate car – 26 metres

These lengths mean that individual trains have the following lengths.

• Five-car – 129.7 metres
• Nine-car – 233.7 metres
• Ten-car – Pair of five-cars – 259.4 metres

Note.

1. It would appear that nine- and ten-car trains can use all platforms 0-8 in the main station.
2. Platform 5 may be short at 270 metres, but Real Time Trains shows it can handle nine- and ten-car trains.

Real Time Trains doesn’t seem to show any nine- and ten-car trains using Platforms 9 and 10. Is the approach just a bit tight?

These are some further thoughts.

LNER’s New Class 897 Trains

I asked Google how long will be LNER’s new ten-car Class 897 trains. This is the answer I received.

The Class 897 train will be 218.7 meters (717 ft 6 in) long, according to Wikipedia. These trains will be ten-car units.

Have these trains been designed, so they can fit in Platforms 9 and 10 at King’s Cross and other shorter platforms, that LNER serve?

Other train classes, that could use Platforms 9 and 10 at King’s Cross include.

• Five-car Class 800, 801, 802 and 803 trains – 129.7 metres
• Five-car Class 180 trains – 116.52 metres
• Five-car Class 222 trains – 116.16 metres
• Six-car Class 717 trains – 121.7 metres
• Eight-car Class 379/387 trains – 163.12 metres
• Eight-car Class 700/0 trains – 162 metres
• Twelve-car Class 700/1 trains – 242.6 metres

Real Time Trains or my eyes have observed all these trains, except for the twelve-car Class 700 trains in Platforms 9 and 10 at King’s Cross.

It does appear that the shorter ten-car Class 897 trains improve utilisation of the platforms at King’s Cross station.

Could Twelve-Car Class 800, 801, 802 and 803 Trains Run Into King’s Cross?

Consider.

• LNER and Lumo have both said, they want to win passengers from the airlines on Anglo-Scottish routes.
• Extra paths on the East Coast Main Line are at a premium and hard to come by.

In Do Class 800/801/802 Trains Use Batteries For Regenerative Braking?, I found this extract in a Hitachi document on their web site.

To simplify the rearrangement and management of train configurations, functions are provided for identifying the train (Class 800/801), for automatically determining the cars in the trainset and its total length, and for coupling and uncoupling up to 12 cars in
normal and 24 cars in rescue or emergency mode.

So if say LNER or Lumo wanted a twelve-car train, it would be possible. It also looks like one twelve-car train can rescue another.

Train lengths would be as follows.

• Five-car Class 800, 801, 802 and 803 trains – 129.7 metres
• Six-car Class 800, 801, 802 and 803 trains – 155.7 metres
• Nine-car Class 800, 801, 802 and 803 trains – 233.7 metres
• Twelve-car  Class 800, 801, 802 and 803 trains – 311.7 metres
• Twelve-car – Pair of six-car Class 800, 801, 802 and 803 trains – 311.4 metres

As Platform 0 is 305 metres and Platform 1 is 304 metres, I suspect that King’s Cross  station could accept twelve-car formations of Hitachi Class 800, 801, 802 or 803 trains, with fairly minor modifications.

But what about other stations?

Berwick-on-Tweed

Both platforms are around 233/234 metres, so twelve-car trains couldn’t call, unless the platforms were lengthened.

Bradford Forster Square

From the pictures, that I took in Bradford Forster Square Station – 20th May 2025, of a pair of LNER five-car trains, I suspect that the new Platform 0 and the extended Platform 1 will accept twelve-car trains, or could easily be modified.

Darlington

Both platforms, where LNER call are over 350 metres long, so Darlington can handle twelve-car trains.

Doncaster

Doncaster has four long platforms and I am fairly sure, the station could be easily modified to handle twelve-car trains.

Durham

Both platforms are over 260 metres, so twelve-car trains couldn’t call, unless the platforms were substantially lengthened.

Edinburgh Waverley

Platform 5 and 6 at Edinburgh Waverley station were both lengthened to 275 metres to accept ten-car LNER trains in 2016. I suspect more lengthening will be needed.

Leeds

Platforms 8 and 11 at Leeds station are both over 320 metres, so should be long enough to accept twelve car LNER trains.

Newark Northgate

Platforms 1 and 2 at Newark Northgate station are only 133 metres. Some platform lengthening would be needed for twelve-car trains to be able to call.

Newcastle

Platforms 2, 3 and 4 at Newcastle station are 362, 304 and 268 metres respectively. I believe with small improvements, that the station could be easily modified to handle twelve-car trains.

Northallerton

Both platforms are around 261/270 metres, so twelve-car trains couldn’t call, unless the platforms were lengthened.

Peterborough

Platforms 3, 4 and 5 at Peterborough station are only 265 metres. Some platform lengthening would be needed for twelve-car trains to be able to stop.

Wakefield Westgate

Both platforms at Wakefield Westgate station are only 255 metres. Some platform lengthening would be needed for twelve-car trains to be able to stop.

York

Four platforms at York station are over 315 metres.

Could A Twelve-Car Class 800, 801, 802 and 803 Trains Run Between King’s Cross And Edinburgh?

This would surely be the ultimate competition for the airlines.

Consider.

• It would use a single twelve-car Hitachi train or a pair of six-car trains.
• It could be fitted with batteries, so it could use the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line diversion, through Lincoln, when there is engineering works or overhead wiring troubles.
• It would use either Platform 0 or Platform 1 at King’s Cross.
• It would use a lengthened platform at Edinburgh.
• Peterborough, Doncaster, York, Darlington and Newcastle could be possible stops.
• I estimate an LNER layout would carry 696 Standard Class and 86 First Class passengers.
• I estimate that a Lumo layout would carry 965 Standard Class passengers.

Note that an Airbus A321neo single-aislr airliner can carry 244 passengers.

 

June 4, 2025 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Class 800 Train, Class 801 Train, Class 802 Train, Class 897 Train, East Coast Main Line, Edinburgh Station, Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line (GNGE), Hitachi, King's Cross Station, LNER, Lumo