On Mon, 5 Apr 2004 15:20:53 +0100, "John Rowland"
wrote:

[dmis]
What I meant was that although they are very useful on the Victoria Line and
certain other lines, there are stations on the Circle Line where the nice
multiline LED displays only tell you about one train[1], and only when it is
practically in the station anyway. The Piccadilly Line displays are great at
telling you about the next three trains to Heathrow but neglecting to give
any clues about the next train to Rayners. It is almost as if the system was
bought off the shelf, having been originally designed for a network with
simpler lines (such as Tokyo or Paris Metro).

While I acknowledge the points that you have made about refining the
information provision the main point is that the dot matrix indicators
(DMIs) were a simple upgrade off the back of existing signalling
systems. In the case of the Circle the signalling system and design is
not sophisticated enough to look back far enough to correctly determine
the sequence of trains. There is also the issue of trains terminating /
departing at key junctions (edgware rd, aldgate) that add to the
complication as to what will be e.g the next s/b train at Paddington on
the Circle / District line.

The Jubilee Line and Central Lines are better because there is a much
more up to date control system which can better understand where the
trains are relative to the timetable and can therefore provide a better
prediction of arrival times and destinations to both the controller and
to the DMIs. Almost every other LUL line is decades behind modern day
practice - new displays will be provided at all stations and when Line
Upgrades come into operation there should be the level of sophistication
of information that deals with the network's apparent complications. I
look forward to that day.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!