How does BST-GMT affect overnight services?

[kintbury jon]

Good morning,

 

With the clocks changing back by an hour this coming weekend, I was thinking about how an overnight train would run.

 

I appreciate that an hour cannot be made up (in Spring) but do the overnight trains arrive an hour early in the Autumn change?

 

It probably makes little difference in the UK but on the continent where there are more overnight services that may connect with day trains, does this provide a timetable headache? 

 

 

 

[PhilJ W]

IIRC the change is noted in the published timetables. In Europe and in countries such as Canada and Russia where trains travelling east/west can cross several time zones they must have some sort of special arrangement. Eurostar not only has different time zones to cope with but the clock changes are also on different dates.

[The Stationmaster]

IIRC the change is noted in the published timetables. In Europe and in countries such as Canada and Russia where trains travelling east/west can cross several time zones they must have some sort of special arrangement. Eurostar not only has different time zones to cope with but the clock changes are also on different dates.

EU clock change dates were synchronised back in the 1990s (unless France has again declared UDI on the subject?).  However the Eurostar answer was very simple, but something of a nuisance, as it just mean a special timetable for the week of 'equal clocks' (that being the usual consequence of an unsynchronised change date).  The reason for a special timetable was the impact of the time difference plus the effect of the White Period on LGV Nord which impacted on set and crew working.

[Joseph_Pestell]

Clock changes across the EU used to be on different dates but were harmonised some years ago.

 

As OP says, it makes little difference in the UK as there is not (and has not been for many years) much by way of overnight services on a Saturday evening/Sunday morning.

 

In France, they do not hesitate to make passenger timetables very complicated, so there may well be a separate entry in a timetable that just covers one train that runs on this particular date.

But on some less busy lines, they got round the Autumn change by simply stopping the trains for an hour.

[Bomag]

When we had Saturday night sleepers, on the times I used them on the October change (twice) when there was only set down stops the train ran early. One train had a pickup stop (Carlisle?) timetabled for after BST changed to GMT and the train stopped in the station for a hour. I was mostly asleep so I only had the steward's comments to go on - he apparently got an hour overtime.

 

On the two times I was on a train in the spring change one was the Highland Fling 2 tour 1986 and the other (1987?) was a sleeper from Inverness which ran late but the extended station stops were reduced to a minimum. Also the driver was giving it full wack south of Rugby so the punters were not able to take avantage of the extra sleep! I think we were only about 25min late into Euston.

 

When I worked for BR in a bit later one of my collagues was doing a destressing job on the last week end of March and managed to get paid for the 'extra' hour.        

[Joseph_Pestell]

Thinking back to my experience of French sleepers, the Cote Vermeille (Paris - Port Bou) always stopped for a very long time at Brive-la-Gaillarde. So for the Spring change, they probably just cut that stop shorter and ran a bit more quickly after that stop.

[The Stationmaster]

Interesting that folk managed to get paid an extra hour as the usual paybill instructions (and the National Payroll System) created an automatic adjustment as long as the correct code was input.  And of course it also meant that folk avoided losing an hour when the clock change went the other way.

[Bernard Lamb]

Interesting that folk managed to get paid an extra hour as the usual paybill instructions (and the National Payroll System) created an automatic adjustment as long as the correct code was input.  And of course it also meant that folk avoided losing an hour when the clock change went the other way.

We did not usually have many people working on a Saturday night but for those that did work a similar situation applied.

One hour overtime at one change and one hour less at work for the other.

It did confuse the odd overseas contract worker the first time that they came across the time change.

Bernard

[TomJ]

No knowledge of the railways but it does cause mild confusion in the hospital I work in. For example babies are sometimes born before the mother has arrived on the ward and things like that. Time critical drugs throw the computer. No problems clinically but with the data side and so on. I was under the impression that 2am was chosen as it was the quietest time.

 

We don't get paid an hour more or less for the hour change. It Sod's law that I always seem to work autumn and never spring!!

[SM42]

Trains that run past the clock change either run early or late afterwards (depending on whether it's the spring or autumn change) Must play havoc with anyone trying to catch a train around 2am (yes there are some)

 

It can also throw up some challenges  for other things such a possessions seemingly being an hour early or late This can be a headache if the last  train is late and in autumn there is  less time to complete the job. It makes my head hurt just trying to work it all out.

 

Seeing automatic clocks ( the type with hands) change is a bit wierd too as they tend to adjust forwards all the time.. (If only every shift the clock went like that)

 

Working the night shift in spring can be a nightmare, especially if you're relief forgets about the change and comes in at 0600 GMT rather than BST but can be a bonus in autumn when they come in at BST not GMT.

 

TomJ I would be concerned if I didn't get paid the extra in autumn. You've worked an extra hour, you are entitled to be paid by law

 

Andy.

[kintbury jon]

Thanks everyone for the replies.  It's not likely to affect me but curiosity got me wondering about what happens.

[Rivercider]

As a roster clerk we had to pay particular attention at clock change time,

for example the move forward would also affect (reduce) a drivers break between shifts

 

cheers

[phil-b259]

One thing to remember is that while lots of railway systems change their time automatically (assuming the radio clocks still work - half of ours in the ASC stopped when Rugby transmitter shut as the replacement signal isn't as strong and requires an external aerial) there are quite a lot of things that don't. For example at clock changing times the on duty techs have to go round all our crossings adjusting the time clocks that switch the yodels from daytime to night mode.

 

The potential for cock ups with regards overnight possessions is another obvious pitfall that has to be avoided.