Is there a way to tell in which direction a London Tube train will pass the station platform?

Is there a way to tell in which direction a London Tube train will pass the station platform? - Asian man standing on platform in underground

Many transit apps and websites provide information on the optimal Tube train section

or carriage

to enter as part of journey planning.

But in order to make use of this information (unless one wants to risk running along a busy platform through gathering crowds as the train arrives), one needs to know from what direction a Tube train will pass the station platform.

Is there a general way, while standing on a platform, to determine — perhaps from subtle signage clues, or track arrangements, or even something about the infrastructure of the platform — from which direction a Tube train, especially a deep tube train, will pass the station platform? Is there a way to anticipate (other than an announcement) the sequel while riding on a train: on what side the doors will open?



Best Answer

Look for the end of the platform with TV screens. These are at the front of the train in the direction of travel because the driver uses these screens to view when it is safe to close the doors.




Pictures about "Is there a way to tell in which direction a London Tube train will pass the station platform?"

Is there a way to tell in which direction a London Tube train will pass the station platform? - Train riding on railroad station
Is there a way to tell in which direction a London Tube train will pass the station platform? - Side view of faceless male passenger in protective mask wearing warm outerwear standing on platform of metro station near train
Is there a way to tell in which direction a London Tube train will pass the station platform? - Silhouettes of anonymous people standing on railway platform






More answers regarding is there a way to tell in which direction a London Tube train will pass the station platform?

Answer 2

Here's a some things an observant rider will see:

  • Which direction are the local riders watching for the train.
  • Which end of the platform has White (Victoria and Central) or Green (all other lines) signal lights.
  • Which way are other trains going (you'll also have to note the type of platform Transfer and Local vs Express). This is often useful on the Circle, District or Hammersmith & City Lines.
  • From which direction is the breeze coming.

To know which side the doors will open will require either local knowledge/experience, or station maps. MTA / New York City Subway has the station maps on their website. I would expect (don't know though) London Transport to has the same.

Answer 3

Ask a station attendant (if there are any) or one or more people waiting.

Answer 4

  1. Look at a map to determine the cardinal direction of the track for your line in the direction of your destination.

    For instance, let's say you are at Aldgate waiting for the Circle Line anticlockwise toward Euston and Kings Cross. The standard tube map, which should be posted in the station, shows the line running north; but this map is only schematic and may not always be geographically accurate. Standard online map apps, such as Apple Maps or Google Maps, have a transit layer which shows transit lines overlaid on a street map, which show, with reasonable accuracy, where the lines actually run. (If you don't expect to have mobile internet access underground, the Google Maps phone app at least will let you pre-download map tiles with the "Offline Areas" feature.) This shows the line actually runs to the northeast.

  2. If your smartphone is equipped with an electronic compass (for instance, recent iPhones have a Compass app), you can orient yourself in the appropriate direction. Or you can carry a magnetic compass with you (though you might look a bit silly checking it). Or, you can note your orientation (with respect to the streets) as you enter the station, and try to keep track as you turn corners within the station.

Answer 5

While thinking about this question, I found a web site with diagrams of London Underground stations, 3D maps of every Underground station. Using this does require Internet access, not just on-the-platform observation.

For example, at Tottenham Court Road the front of the Eastbound Central Line trains is at the ticket hall end of platform 2. The platform is on the right side of the train, facing forwards.

Answer 6

The enthusiast map at http://carto.metro.free.fr/cartes/metro-tram-london/ shows, among other things, where the platforms are located relative to the tracks at each station.

Knowing that the trains usually run on the left (the exceptions are noted on the map too, notably Central Line at White City, Northern Line at London Bridge and Bank, and Victoria Line between Warren Street and St Pancras), this should enable you to predict which direction the train will go when you stand on the platform facing the train.

Answer 7

One thing that surprisingly hasn't been mentioned; there's usually a digital (or possibly sometimes analogue?) clock right at the end of the platform at which the front of the train stops.

enter image description here

In this photo the digital clock is above the blue box on the right.

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Ryutaro Tsukata, Zeeshaan Shabbir, Enric Cruz López, 39422Studio