Side platform in the context of "Hospital de Bellvitge metro station"

An island platform (also center platform (American English) or centre platform (British English)) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are sometimes used between the opposite-direction tracks on twin-track route stations as they are cheaper and occupy less area than other arrangements. They are also useful within larger stations, where local and express services for the same direction of travel can be accessed from opposite sides of the same platform instead of side platforms on either side of the tracks, simplifying and speeding transfers between the two tracks.

The historical use of island platforms depends greatly upon the location. In the United Kingdom the use of island platforms on twin-track routes is relatively common when the railway line is in a cutting or raised on an embankment, as this makes it easier to provide access to the platform without walking across the tracks.

A cross-platform interchange is a type of interchange between different lines at a metro (or other railway) station. The term originates with the London Underground; such layouts exist in other networks but are not commonly so named. In the United States and Canada, it is often referred to as a cross-platform transfer.

This configuration occurs at a station with island platforms, with a single platform in between the tracks allocated to two directions of travel, or two side platforms between the tracks, connected by level corridors. The benefit of this design is that passengers do not need to use stairs to another platform level for transfer. A cross-platform interchange arrangement may be costly to build due to the complexity of rail alignment, especially if the railway designers also arrange the track with flyovers (which is typically done to increase efficiency).

Ballston–MU station is a side-platformed Washington Metro station in the Ballston section of Arlington County, Virginia. The station opened on December 1, 1979, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). The station is part of the Orange and Silver Lines and serves the transit-oriented community of Ballston, Ballston Quarter, and Marymount University (MU).

Ballston–MU is also a central Metrobus transfer station. The station entrance is at North Fairfax Drive and North Stuart Street, near Wilson Boulevard and North Glebe Road. West of this station, the tracks rise above the ground inside the median of Interstate 66.

Hackettstown station is a New Jersey Transit station in Hackettstown, New Jersey. It is the only active train station in Warren County and is the western terminal of the Morristown Line and the Montclair–Boonton Line, with limited weekday only service on both routes. The station has one low-level side platform with a mini-high platform for accessibility.

Hamar Station (Norwegian: Hamar stasjon) is a railway station of the Dovre Line and the Røros Line located in downtown Hamar, Norway. Located 126.26 kilometers (78.45 mi) from Oslo Central Station, it is served by long-distance and regional trains on the Dovre Line, as the terminus for regional trains on the Røros Line. All trains are operated by SJ Norge, except the regional trains between Lillehammer and Oslo, which are operated by Vy. A side platform and an island platform are in regular use. The station handled 1,062,300 passengers in 2008.

The station opened on 23 June 1862 as the western terminus of the narrow-gauge Hamar–Grundset Line, today the Røros Line. The first station building, in Swiss chalet style, was designed by Georg Andreas Bull. Increased traffic caused the construction of a second station building, designed by Balthazar Conrad Lange. It opened in 1880 with the first part of the Dovre Line, which connected Hamar to Oslo. The current station building is designed by Paul Due in historicism. It received major renovations in the 1970s and ahead of the 1994 Winter Olympics. The Dovre Line past Hamar will be upgraded to double track, and in conjunction with this moving the station is being considered.

Fruitvale station is a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station located in the Fruitvale District of Oakland, California, United States. The elevated station has two side platforms. The station is served by the Orange, Green, and Blue lines.

Merced station is an intercity rail station located in Merced, California, United States. The station is served by seven daily round trips of the Gold Runner and is a transfer point between trains and Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) buses serving Yosemite National Park. Merced station has side platforms adjacent to the tracks of the BNSF Railway Stockton Subdivision.

The Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) opened through Merced in 1872, followed by the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad in 1896. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF) purchased the latter railroad in 1899 and erected a larger station in 1917. Service on both the SP and AT&SF ended in 1971; Amtrak San Joaquin service began on the AT&SF line in 1974. In 2000, the city replaced the 1917-built station with a modern facility of similar design.