In message , at 15:46:59 on Wed, 2 Jul 2014,
Denis McMahon remarked:
7 minutes is utterly ridiculous!

At my normal station the total distance kerb to up platform edge is about
15 metres.

That's one of the issues with Luton Parkway - the distance between the
kerb and the platform that newbies will be heading for: the most distant
platform 1.
--
Roland Perry

wrote in message
...
In article , (Clive
Page)
wrote:

On 02/07/2014 07:02, Walter Briscoe wrote:
Relevant URLs, please?

I can't find anything online, but there are posters at the station
claiming an improvement from the start of 2014 (which can't be a
result of covering the windows etc as this wasn't done until this
June). Here is an extract from an email I got from the local station
manager in response to my complaint.

quote
The strategy for example for train drop off times and covering
windows is a proven science used throughout the rail industry. It
has used a simple science that if a customer cannot see a train they
won't be able to run for it. Our published timetables for example,
clearly indicate that to access the station here in a safe manner the
customer should arrive at least 7 minutes prior to the train
departure. It is unfortunate that many passengers do leave
travelling until the last minute and this is when we see the majority
of our accidents.

Most of the recommendations have now been implemented and we have
already seen a drastic decrease in our passenger accidents which is
great news not only for the customer who passes through our station
as we have obviously made it a safer place to travel through, but
also to our staff who pass through it, plus of course benefits to the
business. Some of these projects, due to their success will be
rolled out across our network as good practise.
end quote

7 minutes is utterly ridiculous!

for granny with luggage (nor unreasonable at an airport station) it would
seem perfectly reasonable

but it is, of course, ridiculous to use such an outlier for the average
person

tim

In message , at 11:00:34 on Thu, 3 Jul
2014, tim..... remarked:
7 minutes is utterly ridiculous!

for granny with luggage (nor unreasonable at an airport station) it
would seem perfectly reasonable

Everyone keeps overlooking that the 7 minutes in question is from
*platform* to *platform*. Not from kerbside to platform.

How many grannies (with or without luggage) are *changing* trains at
Luton Airport Parkway?
--
Roland Perry

"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...
In message , at 11:00:34 on Thu, 3 Jul
2014, tim..... remarked:
7 minutes is utterly ridiculous!

for granny with luggage (nor unreasonable at an airport station) it would
seem perfectly reasonable

Everyone keeps overlooking that the 7 minutes in question is from
*platform* to *platform*.

I only overlooked it because the information wasn't in the post that I
replied to.

Not from kerbside to platform.

How many grannies (with or without luggage) are *changing* trains at Luton
Airport Parkway?

How many anybodies are doing this?

tim

In message , at 11:01:53 on
Wed, 2 Jul 2014, Paul Corfield remarked:
What is interesting about the 7 minute reference is that it refers to
"connection time* not the time from arriving at the station to
reaching the platform. I went to FCC's own timetable pdf booklet on
their website to check. The time parameter is shown in a box beside
the station name.

Here's the quote from their booklet.

"Please ensure you leave enough time to change trains. At most
stations you should leave at least ?ve minutes. At some stations a
longer connection time is required.

Which goes to show that FCC admit it's a problem station if you have to
allow two minutes longer to interchange due to the layout. Although even
the most pessimistic can't believe it takes 7 minutes to use an
overbridge. I wonder if these timings assume you have to go from the
arrival platform to the ticket hall (to discover the departure platform)
and then back again?

This will be indicated by a number
in a box within the timetable, e.g. 10 denotes that at least 10
minutes should be allowed to change trains."

Clearly the FCC station manager cannot read a timetable booklet. I
would have thought that was a fairly basic part of the skill set for
someone running a station.

Don't get me started on the skill sets exhibited...
--
Roland Perry

In message , at 12:55:42 on
Wed, 2 Jul 2014, Paul Corfield remarked:
"Please ensure you leave enough time to change trains. At most
stations you should leave at least ?ve minutes. At some stations a
longer connection time is required.

Which goes to show that FCC admit it's a problem station if you have to
allow two minutes longer to interchange due to the layout. Although even
the most pessimistic can't believe it takes 7 minutes to use an
overbridge. I wonder if these timings assume you have to go from the
arrival platform to the ticket hall (to discover the departure platform)
and then back again?

I suspect the timings are set for people who are encumbered and need
to use lifts or struggle with stairs. As an airport station that seems
a reasonable assumption

Why are airline passengers *changing* trains at Luton Airport Parkway?

and it also gives FCC a "get out clause" if
people miss trains. I've never been to Luton Airport but as it's a
relatively new station I assume there are lifts to every platform.

It's a bit odd to picture because the ticket office and entrance is at
ground level but above that there's a mezzanine floor with
shop/toilets/seating that opens out to platform 4 (northbound fast)
which like all the platforms is raised above ground level.

A lift from ground to mezzanine, which continues up to the overbridge.
From the overbridge there are lifts down to platforms 1 and 2/3.
--
Roland Perry

On 02/07/2014 12:55, Paul Corfield wrote:

I suspect the timings are set for people who are encumbered and need
to use lifts or struggle with stairs. As an airport station that seems
a reasonable assumption

Though perhaps not with the kinds of air passengers using Luton. If you
can afford to take a heavy bag, you can afford not to be flying Wizz
from Luton.

Nothing says "Welcome to Britain" more than the recorded messages
telling you how to use the escalators, presumably for the benefit of
Johnny Foreigner who has never before encountered such things in his
primitive Continental homeland.


--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

In message , at
23:45:22 on Wed, 2 Jul 2014, Arthur Figgis
remarked:
Nothing says "Welcome to Britain" more than the recorded messages
telling you how to use the escalators, presumably for the benefit of
Johnny Foreigner who has never before encountered such things in his
primitive Continental homeland.

At Kings Cross they have those creepy front-projected cardboard cut-outs
telling you *not* to use the escalators if you have baggage.

And getting back to FCC, and patronising announcements, they now play a
message about how to open the doors. Apparently you have to press the
illuminated button, who'd a thunk-it?
--
Roland Perry

In article , (Roland Perry)
wrote:

In message , at
23:45:22 on Wed, 2 Jul 2014, Arthur Figgis
remarked:
Nothing says "Welcome to Britain" more than the recorded messages
telling you how to use the escalators, presumably for the benefit of
Johnny Foreigner who has never before encountered such things in his
primitive Continental homeland.

At Kings Cross they have those creepy front-projected cardboard
cut-outs telling you *not* to use the escalators if you have baggage.

And getting back to FCC, and patronising announcements, they now play
a message about how to open the doors. Apparently you have to press
the illuminated button, who'd a thunk-it?

That might be because the current buttons aren't up to the PRM spec. Once
the 365s are all refurbished that might change,

--
Colin Rosenstiel

On Thu, 3 Jul 2014 08:24:21 +0100, Roland Perry
wrote:
And getting back to FCC, and patronising announcements, they now
play a
message about how to open the doors. Apparently you have to press
the
illuminated button, who'd a thunk-it?

The number of times I have seen people nearly miss their stop by not
doing so causes me to think otherwise. Particularly on Pacers where
they are not obviously located. And an airport train/station will
probably have a disproportionate number of first time passengers.

Neil

--
Neil Williams. Use neil before the at to reply.