Platform 4 at Moorgate...

Moorgate is normally only used by the Met when there are delays and trains need to be short worked to make up time (by missing out Liverpool Street and Aldgate).

Moorgate can also be used when engineering works are taking place and Aldgate is not accessable.

I'm not sure what the situation is now but Circle and Hammersmith & City trains regularly used platform 3 to reverse in when the service was being moved about and I presume this is still the case. Platform 3 is better being more accessable but I wasn't aware platform 4 was out of use?

I would guess that some trains will use platform 4 as a 'rusty rails' move.

The standard Met TTN when trains reverse at Moorgate necessitates the use of both platforms 3 and 4.

I think the "site" between farringdon and moorgate would make an ideal maintainence depot (as in several locations on the Paris metro). It has plenty of lenght , is under cover of some sort for most of its area,and is accessible for most lines without too much difficulty.

It is possible that the ex-Thameslink platforms would be an ideal site for that. I don't think 3 and 4 could be taken out otherwise the Met would have to be curtailed to Baker Street. The A Stock reversing at King's Cross would create a bottleneck.

When I began my LT career the widened lines between Moorgate and Kings Cross were LT signalled and controlled from LT cabins. In fact one of the very first jobs that I worked on circa 1977 was Farringdon, Barbican and Moorgate resignalling all done on a single Saturday night. Back then of course Liverpool Street platform 3 was regularly used for reversing trains and there was also the Barbican siding where a train was stabled overnight IIRC. Liverpool Street platform 3 is permanently closed but I see no reason why the Barbican siding could not be relaid if required, or several, if the widened lines were to be used once more by LU stock.

I must admit to being somewhat puzzled though. I surveyed Liverpool Street, Moorgate, Barbican and Farringdon for the CrossRail project in 1995/6 and at that time Farringdon was expected to become a major rail hub within 15-20 years. I recall doing some additional survey work at Farringdon at the time as the Farringdon expansion was already apparently on the drawing board and would impact upon the sidings area and LU/BR boundary.

Moorgate used to have a few booked Met reversers on the peak shoulders, more so in the days when the city service was peak hours only.

@ railtechnician, from your surveys, is there potential to extend DLR from Bank to Farringdon using the old Widened Lines, terminating on the east side of the station?

mrjrt, that's an interesting idea that I've had festering for years.

This proposal would have allowed Thameslink services to split at Farringdon with separate platforms for Snow Hill (Blackfriars) and Barbican (Moorgate). They could have taken 12-car trains, and would have used the old GN goods depot from the north and the Smithfield sidings from the south. Historically these were separate, but between them they provided passage through to Snow Hill station, close to where City Thameslink now is.

Here's an old plan which shows the network of tracks alongside Farringdon Rd (click for larger pic):



And here's a diagram showing just the Smithfield Sidings from the south. For those interested, that website also has track/signal diagrams for Farringdon and Moorgate, and the lines south through Blackfriars.

An office development now fills the space alongside Farringdon platforms, and the new Thameslink/Crossrail station is now being built on the corner block south of Cowcross St. But the rest of the old GN depot remains as car park, alongside the Smithfield Sidings.

In theory you could still redevelop these as terminal platforms from the south, which would provide a more useful interchange than Blackfriars. Difficult to check but it appears that the platforms could open straight onto the new Thameslink ticket hall.

I agree mrjrt, every development along that route has reduced future options, ironically including new cross-London rail projects, e.g. Crossrail at Farringdon, City Thameslink, the new Blackfriars station.

Would four-tracking to Farringdon still be possible? You'd have to close City Thameslink and use the platform space, but I'm not sure about the box under the development just north of Blackfriars.