(01 Oct 2026, 9:08 pm)Malarkey wrote I walked home yesterday evening over the Redheugh Bridge as I sometimes do when the weather is not to bad and the talk of the disused Forth Yards got me to thinking on whether you could feasibly put a 4 Platform Low Level Station into that area as part of revised planning developments to this area of the city.

I don't think it'd be worth it, as far as I'm aware there's not even issues with capacity in terms of number platforms at Newcastle anyway. The problems is platforms which can actually fit anything in them.

Platform 1: Upto 5 Car
Platform 2/3/4: All Trains
Platform 5: Upto 3 Car
Platform 6: Upto 4 Car
Platform 5+6: Upto 7 Car Class 8xx, Upto 9 Car Class 22x*
Platform 7: Unused (see below)
Platform 8: Unusable, can't fit anything that serves Newcastle in here
Platform 7+8: Upto 7 Car Class 8xx, Upto 8 Car Class 22x*
Platform 9/10: Upto 4 Car
Platform 11: Upto 5 Car
Platform 12: Disused

That's the problems with Central there's too many platforms which are unusable for the trains which serve it. Platform 5 being a serious issue as it's where the Northumberland Line serves and it needs 4 car trains (reason they're never doubled now) and Platform 9/10 being hopeless as it's where the XC and TPE 5 car trains should be but can't hence they need to block Platform 2/3/4.

The platforms need lengthening, even if it meant getting rid of some and I believe it was the plan in one of the million East Coast documents.

(lengths from here: https://www.railwaydata.co.uk/stations/o...w/?TLC=NCL)

* Not 100% sure on these, it was based on maths and it's tight.