Les Bird Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Travelling on the East Coast Main Line into London yesterday, I tried in vain to plot the train's progress by reading station name signs as we went through them at high speed. In times past, there has been a large sign as you ran into the platform displaying the station name, sometimes set at an angle to make them easier to read. With few exceptions now, these seems to be a thing of the past. The signs placed on lamp standards, particularly now that thay are usually in lower case lettering are very difficult to read at speed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin_m Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 They still exist at many stations, usually with the company's typeface and logo tto confuse things, but internally illuminated so easier to read at night. Haven't been on East Coast lately so I can't comment on whether they still use them there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Functionally, the running in board has been replaced by the recording of 'the next stop is Allstations North' with a running LED display showing the name. What motivation does a commercial railway operator have for spending money on supplying hobbyists with incidental information? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted January 20, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 20, 2012 Functionally, the running in board has been replaced by the recording of 'the next stop is Allstations North' with a running LED display showing the name. What motivation does a commercial railway operator have for spending money on supplying hobbyists with incidental information? Quite true - and anyone who is really keen to chart their progress on a route they don't know can always buy the relevant part(s) of Quail (which will give a lot more useful information than just station names of course). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bon Accord Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Functionally, the running in board has been replaced by the recording of 'the next stop is Allstations North' with a running LED display showing the name. What motivation does a commercial railway operator have for spending money on supplying hobbyists with incidental information? That's fine as long as the stock you are on has such a display, and secondly that it's working properly. Even so, I still see and hear plenty of people onboard wondering where they are/where their next stop is etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Business opportunity there, gonna write an app for that? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
two tone green Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Can be done with Google maps and GPS tracking on. Gave it a go on the Eurostar just before Christmas and it really does move along quite nicely. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
APOLLO Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Can be done with Google maps and GPS tracking on What motivation does a commercial railway operator have for spending money on supplying hobbyists (paying customers you mean) with incidental information God help the poor ordinary traveller without geographic route knowledge, working laptop, broadband connection and GPS. Running in boards should be mandatory at all stations. Especially useful when the train is entering the station & slowing to a stop. Passengers want to know where they are. Brit 15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 96701 Posted January 20, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 20, 2012 I remember hacking up and down the ECML on HSTs and Mk IVs in the days of Inter City East Coast and not being able to see the running in signs even though I knew what they said, and was responsible for providing the electricity supplies to them. I often wondered why we bothered, now I've had it confirmed...................................................................after all these years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted January 20, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 20, 2012 I suppose one big advantage to reintroducing them would be an end to those seemingly interminable announcements that the train is about to arrive at xxxx, followed by we are now arriving at xxxx, followed by if you are leaving us here at xxxx please don't forget your hat, coat, wife, etc as you leave the train. And in the meanwhile some poor soul suddenly races through the coach having passed 3 unlocked doors to arrive at one just as it was locked to ask if it really truly is Darlington and can he get off? I loved the reply 'no, the doors are locked and the train is departing'. Sometimes on-train staff must wonder why they bother with the announcements. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bon Accord Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Sometimes on-train staff must wonder why they bother with the announcements. To be fair, with some TOC's I think we've now go to the point of announcement saturation - there are just too many, hence it's no surprise passengers 'switch off'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 96701 Posted January 22, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 22, 2012 First Great Western now seem to announce the 'station stop' about the time the train is stopping at the station. Maybe the 5 minute warning of the train's imminent arrival was deemed to be too much warning. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscale Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Passengers Customers who are travelling on an unfamiliar route could always ask somebody on the train where they are... In these days of having information handed out left and right automatically it sometimes gets forgotten that the old fashioned methods, like talking to somebody, still work. Or, for those too timid to speak, they could pick up a pocket timetable for the route then read it to see what the previous stop is and roughly what time their train is due to arrive at their intended destination. These two snippets of information seem to have worked perfectly well in the past to give passengers an idea of when they'll need to collect their belongings and head for the doors... This being a process which takes longer than allowed by simply reading the station nameboards on arrival then fighting one's way out when the train is full and standing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJS1977 Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Of course, running-in-boards aren't much use for blind people..... And, given the number of passengers who walk straight past the "laser display boards" on platforms, get on a train and ask "is this the train to .......", I'm not really sure RIBs would make much difference... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZ Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 First Great Western now seem to announce the 'station stop' about the time the train is stopping at the station. Maybe the 5 minute warning of the train's imminent arrival was deemed to be too much warning. I normally announce a stop about 1 minute before. Though this cannot be done if you are out in the train. As for 5 minutes beforehand ? Well, some of our stops are two minutes apart. I do try to keep my announcements short and to the point, but as has been said, many people just switch off, have earphones in or just fall asleep ( "You knew I wanted to get of at XYZ, You saw my ticket. Why didn't you wake me up") Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted January 22, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 22, 2012 I was impressed by the running in boards at Avoncliff and Freshford when I went past the stations at Christmas. These have been replaced with large GWR / WR style and coloured boards. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xerces Fobe2 Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Internal train information also plays a part particularly at a terminal station such as Paddington where passengers seek reassurance that they have boarded the correct service First Great Western made a great leap forward recently with their in train information which displays the stops and final destination continually - rather than the previous diatribe of generic information which of little immediate use! Unfortunately for some reason many of the Turbos which I have boarded recently either have the displays not working, display the previous incoming service information or more commonly display “Welcome to First Great Western" and little else. I hope that Mr Hopwood gives some of his staff a little reminder that they should be continued to be customer focused. I suggest that he gives them a One Day Travelcard for the London Underground so that they can observe how well they keep their passengers informed! XF Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derekl Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 The internal displays in the trains are set up by the crew taking the service out. They often arrive only a few minutes before departure, so the internal information is only available just before departure. Same applies at Victoria on the Brighton line. Despite the platform indicators being quite clear, boarding passengers seem to seek reassurance. (From other passengers, who only have the same sources of information....) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin_m Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Visual displays can be useful if they are used properly. I agree it's usually not the crew's fault if they aren't - perhaps it would focus management's minds to recall that in a lot of stock it is a legal requirement under the RVAR regulations for them to be correctly used. I think the ideal time for announcements is about 2min before the stop. Maybe I'm a bit biased as my laptop seems to take an age to shut down, but there are also people with lots of luggage. However if the previous stop is less than about 5min before I'd suggest combining the departure announcement with the announcement for the next stop. Too many announcements also worsens the "mobile menace" as people have to shout to make themselves heard or ask the other party to say again. One benefit of the almost complete elimination of buffet cars is that you no longer have to listen to them reading the menu after each station, information most people either don't need to know or know already. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted January 22, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 22, 2012 Dont mention "Freshford"!! I got off there by mistake when going to the Bradford on Avon show a few years ago It wasnt my fault of course, no one told me there were request stops on the line, and I was "counting stations" to my destination It's a nice walk to BoA along the canal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Bird Posted January 22, 2012 Author Share Posted January 22, 2012 Many of the replies have mentioned on board announcements and reading timetables etc. but this doesn't help when you're on a train which runs non-stop from York to Kings Cross and you're passing through the North London suburbs. No train guard (sorry, conductor) is going to announce stations at which the train doesn't stop. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin_m Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Maybe today's trains are just too fast to be able to read a station nameboard easily, even if it is in large type? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grovenor Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 And if you are going non-stop to Kings Cross you are not likely to miss your stop. Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted January 22, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 22, 2012 Many of the replies have mentioned on board announcements and reading timetables etc. but this doesn't help when you're on a train which runs non-stop from York to Kings Cross and you're passing through the North London suburbs. No train guard (sorry, conductor) is going to announce stations at which the train doesn't stop. Maybe but there are some pretty significant landmarks to help with 'navigation'. If you're railway inclined there's Bounds Green Depot, the two final tunnels approaching KX and the easily identified gap between them where CTRL HS 1 passes overhead in its silver tube. If you're not railway inclined Alexandra Palace is fairly obvious and the Emirates Stadium is absolutely unmissable and means it's time to collect your gear and put your coat on. I appreciate that a bit of 'road knowledge' helps but that's easily acquired in a trip or two if all you want to do is recognise the approach to KX. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Natalie Graham Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Of course, running-in-boards aren't much use for blind people..... If they still had droplights on carriage doors they could do them in braille. I was on a train the other day from Glasgow Central. A woman sat next to me and in due course the train pulled out and as we had cleared the station and were gathering speed she asked me, 'Where does this train go to?' Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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