[Talk-GB] Standardize railway platforms names & refs

[Colin Smale]

> On 28/08/2022 18:55 Dave F <davefoxfac63 at btinternet.com> wrote:
> 
>  
> On 28/08/2022 13:28, Colin Smale wrote:
> > Just my $0.02 - In many countries (e.g. Germany and the Netherlands) the paradigm is to label the *tracks*, and not the *platforms*. A subtle difference, but it might be relevant here. Long "platforms" that have space for two (short) trains behind each other, with appropriate crossovers half way along, would be numbered for example "12A" and "12B". If there is a track without a platform, for through trains or for "shunting" type activities, it still gets a number, even though it is never displayed for passengers.
> >
> 
> Do the public & public fronted signage/documentation refer to platforms 
> as 'track'?

Yes. Although there is a Dutch word for a platform (perron), the train is said to be standing at/leaving from "spoor 1" (track 1). A "perron" is never numbered (in public), and a single "perron" can have tracks on each side.

> For 'small' stations ie two tracks, two platforms, 'Gliess/Spoor 1' is 
> the same irrelevance as 'Platform 1' as it isn't a name.

Well, you could call it a name as there are signs saying "Spoor 1", but you could also use ref=1 and make it the renderer's problem to construct a label, possibly in different languages. An English map might want to show "Track 1" (or "Platform 1"?).

> Unsure how that systems works at large stations where tracks split to 
> serve multiple platforms.

As I mentioned above the "12A" / "12B" can be used where trains can join/depart the platform halfway. Is this the scenario you are thinking of? It's actually dying out because the trend these days is for trains to terminate in regional stations rather than the big cities. Trains don't "hang around" in the big stations like they used to, so less "platforms" are needed.

Did you know there are cases in the UK where a single track has a platform on each side?

> 
>  From a brief perusal the majority which have names appear to be tagged 
> with the station name.
> 
> DaveF