 Joined: 21/04/2014(UTC) Posts: 122 Location: ENGLAND
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Given that there are two sets of passing tracks at a station.
If I was at a German railway station and then I was to go out and stand on the platform, would the train arriving, come in on my right or left hand side?
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Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,443
Location: DE-NW
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By standard, trains run on the right-hand track. But on many lines both tracks can be used in both directions, so you never know for sure.
Defective turnouts, signals, or trains or delayed trains can lead to trains running on the left-hand track.
At big stations, some platforms will be used in both directions. |
Regards Tom --- "In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS  |
 2 users liked this useful post by H0
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 Joined: 09/11/2013(UTC) Posts: 335 Location: Toronto, Canada
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From my experience train watching in a few German cities, platform traffic can arrive from either direction. |
My Layout Build | Märklin CS3+ | K-track | Merkur | Viessmann | LDT | iTrain | Modeling primarily DB EpIV-VI
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Joined: 04/05/2015(UTC) Posts: 777 Location: England, London
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At last I have found something prototypical about my layout - not so much which side the trains run but more:
"Defective turnouts, signals, or trains or delayed trains can lead to trains running on the left-hand track"
I have all of them!
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5 users liked this useful post by Rwill
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 Joined: 22/09/2009(UTC) Posts: 2,073 Location: Edinburgh,
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On planning my layout I built it for right hand traffic but in my main station the points allow approach from any side, to allow for everything mentioned  |
1957 - 1985 era
What's digital? |
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 Joined: 14/03/2005(UTC) Posts: 15,870 Location: Gibraltar, Europe
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It also depends on whether the station has an island platform between the running tracks or platforms along the outside of them, or both.
Even if platform tracks are not used bidirectionally, the direction the train approaches from can be from the left or from the right. |
Ray
Mostly Marklin.Selection of different eras and European railways
Small C track layout, control by MS2, 100+ trains but run 4-5 at a time.
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1 user liked this useful post by RayF
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Joined: 21/04/2014(UTC) Posts: 122 Location: ENGLAND
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Thanks - I hadn't expected so many variations to what I thought was a simple question.
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 Joined: 10/08/2009(UTC) Posts: 3,443
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In The Netherlands trains usually follow the roadtraffic.
So they run on the righthandside track and arrive at stations from left to right.
This also matches with signalposts which are located on the righthandside of track as a rule.
Of course,there is always room for the odd exception.
When a local train has an endstation which is in fact a transitstation for other trains,it will depart in the reverse direction and signals need to be installed for that.
When travelling by train from Rotterdam to Groningen,the train will depart in the reverse direction at Utrecht,handy to know when you leave Rotterdam if you do not like sitting with your back towards the loco.
In Belgium,railtraffic is on the lefthandside (British system!),which means trains from The Netherlands travelling to Belgium need to change tracks at the border.
Believe same applies for Switzerland and Sweden. |
Have more than you show,speak less than you know (Shakespeare). |
1 user liked this useful post by NS1200
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 Joined: 04/12/2013(UTC) Posts: 2,261 Location: Hobart, Australia
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Originally Posted by: NS1200  In The Netherlands trains usually follow the roadtraffic.
So they run on the righthandside track and arrive at stations from left to right.
This also matches with signalposts which are located on the righthandside of track as a rule.
Of course,there is always room for the odd exception.
When a local train has an endstation which is in fact a transitstation for other trains,it will depart in the reverse direction and signals need to be installed for that.
When travelling by train from Rotterdam to Groningen,the train will depart in the reverse direction at Utrecht,handy to know when you leave Rotterdam if you do not like sitting with your back towards the loco.
In Belgium,railtraffic is on the lefthandside (British system!),which means trains from The Netherlands travelling to Belgium need to change tracks at the border.
Believe same applies for Switzerland and Sweden. Hello Paul, And I seem to recall French trains also traveling on the lefthandside when I have journeyed on them. Is that so Märklineers? Regards, PJ
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Joined: 29/01/2012(UTC) Posts: 1,422 Location: Montreal, Canada
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Paul, now you have me thinking of practice in various places.
I was just discussing this with my wife to remind myself how it is in Portugal.
With Portugal's close relationship with England, we assume that it is like English road traffic, arriving from your right and going to your left as you stand in front of the tracks. That is on the Lisbon-Sintra line and the Lisbon-Cascais line. However, when there are many lines coming into a main station like Rossio in Lisbon, there is a platform on either side of the train and you can exit or enter on either side. She thinks this is nation wide. Alterstreek would certainly know, among other members who are currently residents of Portugal. The irony is that the driving on the road system is the same as the European standard.
Metro/subway traffic depends on the station in Montreal, but usual like our roads. And then,
"Via" and "Go Train" service in Ontario to my recollection, almost always boarding and exiting also as the Canadian/USA road system; except major stations, like Union in Toronto, where you can board on both sides; at least for most Go Trains.
Trying to remember my favorite commute in Cape Town, South Africa, I believe it is also as the English and South African roads.
Please correct me if my memory is fuzzy on some of these.
- Mark |
DB DR FS NS SNCF c. 1950-65, fan of station architecture esp. from 1920-70.
In single point perspective, where do track lines meet?
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 Joined: 01/03/2008(UTC) Posts: 2,883 Location: South Western France
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Originally Posted by: PJMärklin Originally Posted by: NS1200 In The Netherlands trains usually follow the roadtraffic.
So they run on the righthandside track and arrive at stations from left to right.
This also matches with signalposts which are located on the righthandside of track as a rule.
Of course,there is always room for the odd exception.
When a local train has an endstation which is in fact a transitstation for other trains,it will depart in the reverse direction and signals need to be installed for that.
When travelling by train from Rotterdam to Groningen,the train will depart in the reverse direction at Utrecht,handy to know when you leave Rotterdam if you do not like sitting with your back towards the loco.
In Belgium,railtraffic is on the lefthandside (British system!),which means trains from The Netherlands travelling to Belgium need to change tracks at the border.
Believe same applies for Switzerland and Sweden. Hello Paul, And I seem to recall French trains also traveling on the lefthandside when I have journeyed on them. Is that so Märklineers? Regards, PJ Correct. France's trains are normally running on the left track and signals and other infrastructures are reflecting that. Only exception is the northeastern network (aka Alsace and Lorraine regions) which were outfitted with RR by Germany (in the days that followed the 1870 Annexation) and thus reflect German practice. After 1918 and the return to France the cost of conversion was deemed prohibitive, and the infrastructure, to this day, has been left unchanged. Trains change side in Nancy station. |
Jacques Vuye aka Dr.Eisenbahn
Once a vandal, learned to be better and had great success! |
2 users liked this useful post by jvuye
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Joined: 15/09/2015(UTC) Posts: 107 Location: Queensland
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In Australia trains run on the left hand side if they are traveling on the outer suburban network but once they enter the inner suburban network they run according to allocated platform number
Inbound trains use even numbered and outbound use odd numbered platforms
This applies throughout Australia
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Joined: 01/06/2016(UTC)
Posts: 2,465
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 Originally Posted by: oranda Thanks - I hadn't expected so many variations to what I thought was a simple question. Oh, your question is indeed simple, for normal citizens. But here is a certain kind of bureaucracy at work.  And exceptions approves the regulations, always.  But one thing in Germany happens and may help you, if you understand the German language, There is always an announcement via loudspeakers, if the train has an irregular use of a platform. My problem - as a rare train user in Germany: what is the regular used platform?  What I learned, almost every platform has a car locator board. This tells me the regular used platform by the train.  But sometimes, very quick sprints between the platforms helped me too. Since I am getting older  , I prefer asking the station and/or platform manager.
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Joined: 10/08/2009(UTC) Posts: 3,443
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As TEEWolf says,there are many last minute alterations to the printed schedule.
Many times you are waiting for a train on a given platform,only to be told over the loudspeakers that your train will leave from another platform.
In Holland,Amersfoort is a major transitstation with very long platforms.
It happened to us one day that we needed to change trains,the second train waiting at the very beginning of an extended platform.
We had to run for our lives so to speak,only to catch the last coach,just.
As a rule,all trains overhere depart right on time,and are not waiting for laggards.
At the age of 60,i see this as a free fitnesstest....... |
Have more than you show,speak less than you know (Shakespeare). |
1 user liked this useful post by NS1200
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Joined: 28/11/2007(UTC) Posts: 8,226 Location: Montreal, QC
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Originally Posted by: oranda Given that there are two sets of passing tracks at a station.
If I was at a German railway station and then I was to go out and stand on the platform, would the train arriving, come in on my right or left hand side?
This is not that simple. Yes, trains in Germany travel on the right side. As far as determining from which direction your train would be coming, that would depend on where you were, where the train was coming from and where it was going. If the station is north-south, then trains from the south would generally be on the east side and trains from the north on the west side. If the station is east-west, then trains from the west would be on the south side and trains from the east would be on the north side. If a north-south train is on a segment of track heading east-west, the train would be considered an east-west train for practical purposes. If the station is situated on a diagonal line (e.g. NW-SE), look at the signs and figure it out, but the basic rule of travel on the right usually applies. The last rule (non-written) is that if you arrive at a station at the last minute, the train will be on the furthest track from where you are located. Regards Mike C
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Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,443
Location: DE-NW
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Originally Posted by: mike c Originally Posted by: oranda Given that there are two sets of passing tracks at a station.
If I was at a German railway station and then I was to go out and stand on the platform, would the train arriving, come in on my right or left hand side? [...]If the station is north-south, then trains from the south would generally be on the east side and trains from the north on the west side. True - but this does not answer the question. Take Cologne Central Station as an example: there are 11 tracks - odd numbers have platform edges facing north-east, even numbers face south west. Trains scheduled for track 7 will often arrive on track 8 and vice versa. Trains scheduled for track 2 will often arrive on track 3 and vice versa. In both cases the platform does not change and people do not have to run downstairs/upstairs. If it is 1, 4 , or 5 instead of 2 or 3 then people have to use the stairs. At big stations there is no general rule whether a west-bound train will arrive on the northern or southern edge of a platform. Funny to see that this thread was idle for six months, but was reactivated by an off-topic post. |
Regards Tom --- "In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS |
1 user liked this useful post by H0
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 Joined: 15/10/2006(UTC) Posts: 2,319 Location: Washington, Pacific Northwest
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The answer depends on many things including how many platforms there are per direction of travel and their arrangement.
In Germany the trains run on the right track of a 2 track run, just like road traffic. When they enter a station, they come from that right track direction, but then will end up on whatever side of the platform as is needed for the layout.
So if the train is coming in from the east heading west, it can be that there is a single island platform that has 2 platform areas - on on the north side of the island and one on the south side of the island. The train can stop at either of them.
If it stops on the north side, then a person waiting there would see the train approaching from their right (as they are facing north and the train comes from the east).
If it stops on the south side of the same platform, the person waiting would see the train approach from the left (as they are facing south and the train comes from the east).
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