Re: Platform O at Lidcombe

["David Proctor" <daproc@spam_this.umpires.com>]

Malcolm Purvis wrote in message ...

>If there are sufficient people to fill an 8 car train on the shuttle
platform,
>you might as well let it run from platform 1 and be done with it.

Except that this would interfere with mainline capacity.

>I would guess that Platform 0 would be used for taking people from lines
that
>don't have sufficient volume to justify a direct connection (such as the
lines
>through Regents Park) and for occasions where frequency of service is more
>important than volume.

Ok - so you get an eight-car train from Bankstown, and an eight car train
from Liverpool via Regents Park, and maybe a four car train from Carlingford
(there are some during the day) - wouldn't that make enough people for more
than four cars? I just think it is madness to not plan for the eventuality
that they *might* need more than four cars - they might think that four will
be enough, but surely it is better to have an eight car platform just in
case and find out that it is not needed, than to not have it and find that
it is?

>On the subject of Platform 0, yesterday I noticed that along the spur,
halfway
>between the platform and where it joins the line to Olympic Park, is what
>seems to be a set of lights, which may be signals (they look a bit
different),
>for trains going to the platform.  Given that you can see to the end of the
>line at that point, and that there is no point having a train on the spur
if
>there is already another train at the platform, I can't see why you would
want
>to stop a train there instead of at the platform.  Any ideas anyone?  Note:
>there is another set of signals for trains going to Olympic Park.

I saw that, and I was thinking the same thing - the only thing I can think
of is that it will be permanently set at Low Speed, and have a trip next to
it to force the train to come in at low speed - although why they could not
just have a trip is beyond me.

DaveP