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#1
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Yesterday evening - Monday 20'th - in the middle of the rush hour -
the LED departure board system at Paddington went u/s. THOUSANDS of commuters ended up milling around with no-one knowing which platforms their respective trains were departing from. The hapless staff knew even less, and there wasn't a gold-braided manager in sight. Naturally Paddington being one of the least organised of our major stations, train departures never have regular departure platforms - unlike say Amsterdam where the platforms are timetabled and rarely switched - no- one knew what the hell was going on. PA announcements were made but the wonder of this station is that the acoustics are perfect for echoes and so the announcements were indistinct as usual. Even the staff had a problem repeating what had just been announced. The BTP were in attendance - not to help out - but to ward off irate commuters from approaching the FGW gate line staff. CJB. |
#2
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On Oct 21, 1:14*pm, CJB wrote:
Yesterday evening - Monday 20'th - in the middle of the rush hour - the LED departure board system at Paddington went u/s. THOUSANDS of commuters ended up milling around with no-one knowing which platforms their respective trains were departing from. The hapless staff knew even less, and there wasn't a gold-braided manager in sight. Naturally Paddington being one of the least organised of our major stations, train departures never have regular departure platforms - unlike say Amsterdam where the platforms are timetabled and rarely switched - no- one knew what the hell was going on. PA announcements were made but the wonder of this station is that the acoustics are perfect for echoes and so the announcements were indistinct as usual. Even the staff had a problem repeating what had just been announced. The BTP were in attendance - not to help out - but to ward off irate commuters from approaching the FGW gate line staff. CJB. Reading a CJB piece on FGW is a bit like reading an Andrew Gilligan piece on Ken Livingstone, isn't it? I had an excellent set of journeys on FGW over the weekend (London - Reading, Aldermaston - Reading, Reading - Bristol, Bristol - London). All the trains were on time, and while the absence of departure LEDs at Aldermaston was a bit disconcerting (I hate being at a country station with a limited service and having no idea whether it's running OK or not), the automatic tannoys did a reasonably good job of making up for it. The refurb HSTs have comfortable seats, and the table trays are definitely laptop-sized. Although they are, definitely, too damn bright. The night setting of 50% would probably be about right for daytime; a 25% setting would work for night; saving 100% for interrogating fare-dodgers. Also, have they really turned the tiolet in coach A into a staff-only bog (and if so, err, why exactly?). And was amused by the 'normals' getting off saying 'I like these new trains, but why on earth have they fitted the old-fashioned slamming doors to them?' Although the weekday off-peak single fare of GBP14 to Reading is a bit thieving. And why on earth does the line from Banbury to Oxford need closing quite so often - what're they doing to it, compared with the mainline...? (or is it just that it's 2-track rather than 4-track, and so total closure is the only option) -- John Band john at johnband dot org www.johnband.org |
#3
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.. Also, have they really turned the tiolet
in coach A into a staff-only bog (and if so, err, why exactly?). And was amused by the 'normals' getting off saying 'I like these new trains, but why on earth have they fitted the old-fashioned slamming doors to them?' As a FGW staff member I can reassure you that they have not turned the toilet in coach A into a staff only one. It is actually a trolley storage cupboard for the ill fated buffet removal program. As the buffets are to stay the toilet will be reinstated - eventually |
#4
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On Tue, 21 Oct 2008 05:14:22 -0700 (PDT), CJB
wrote: Yesterday evening - Monday 20'th - in the middle of the rush hour - the LED departure board system at Paddington went u/s. THOUSANDS of commuters ended up milling around with no-one knowing which platforms their respective trains were departing from. The hapless staff knew even less, and there wasn't a gold-braided manager in sight. Naturally Paddington being one of the least organised of our major stations, train departures never have regular departure platforms - unlike say Amsterdam where the platforms are timetabled and rarely switched - no- one knew what the hell was going on. Do they deliberately not use fixed platforms, like the farce at Euston that results in the race every time a train is called? Neil -- Neil Williams Put my first name before the at to reply. |
#5
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Neil Williams wrote:
Do they deliberately not use fixed platforms, like the farce at Euston that results in the race every time a train is called? Allegedly the "farce" you mention at Euston is deliberate, in case sets need to be swapped for whatever reason. If the peak services "always" departed from the same platforms, then it'd cause even more chaos if they did need to swap a set out, as they'd have to get all of the regulars off of the "wrong" platform. At least that's what I was told by someone who used to work at Euston. Cheers, Barry |
#6
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On Oct 21, 1:14 pm, CJB wrote:
Yesterday One day you might post something positive instead of these endless moans. Is your real name Henry Law perchance ? -- Nick |
#7
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On 21 Oct, 23:54, D7666 wrote:
On Oct 21, 1:14 pm, CJB wrote: Yesterday One day you might post something positive instead of these endless moans. Is your real name Henry Law perchance ? -- Nick He's got another letter in Rail Professional. |
#8
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On Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:22:02 +0100, Barry Salter
wrote: Allegedly the "farce" you mention at Euston is deliberate, in case sets need to be swapped for whatever reason. If the peak services "always" departed from the same platforms, then it'd cause even more chaos if they did need to swap a set out, as they'd have to get all of the regulars off of the "wrong" platform. This is probably the reason, but it isn't a good one. Platform alterations happen all the time in other stations, and do not generally cause "chaos". Neil -- Neil Williams Put my first name before the at to reply. |
#9
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Neil Williams wrote:
On Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:22:02 +0100, Barry Salter wrote: Allegedly the "farce" you mention at Euston is deliberate, in case sets need to be swapped for whatever reason. If the peak services "always" departed from the same platforms, then it'd cause even more chaos if they did need to swap a set out, as they'd have to get all of the regulars off of the "wrong" platform. This is probably the reason, but it isn't a good one. Platform alterations happen all the time in other stations, and do not generally cause "chaos". Euston isn't the ideal place to do that kind of thing. The only interchange between platforms (assuming the subterranean tunnels are off limits) is via the concourse, which is at a different level, and Euston probably has a fair proportion of longer-distance travellers with luggage, who will not only be slower than average, but will also get in the way of others making their way from platform X to Y. With just a bit of bad luck, chaos (for once) could turn out to be the best word to describe the result. -- http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p12198536.html (50 011 at Birmingham New Street, 1979) |
#10
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On Tue, 21 Oct 2008 05:33:26 -0700 (PDT) someone who may be John B
wrote this:- The refurb HSTs have comfortable seats, I travelled on one recently. I thought that it was generally a good job, though they should have installed wi-fi. However, the ridiculous seat backs not only cut off the view, they also make it more difficult to walk along the train. BTW the view is not some fancy optional extra, observation by fellow passengers has some effect on what is now called anti-social behaviour and the police have been trying to get councils to design out hidden spaces for decades. I suggest that this is far more important for passengers as it is something they may experience every day, a crash is something most passengers never experience. -- David Hansen, Edinburgh I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54 |
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