Innaccuracies on maps/information boards.

[NSE]

Hey, has anyone seen any inaccuracies on maps/notice boards that are actually quite substantially wrong, with no effort seen to change them? I.e. been around for ages and/or in plentiful supply?

I only ask, as I regularly frequent SWT 455's and the metro map (which may be on 458's and HC 450's) shows the following:

-Eurostar from Waterloo
-Littlehampton connections from Dorking (I could understand Bognor from Horsham, but AFAIK no Littlehampton trains regularly run along the Arun Valley?)
-Richmond station for connections to North Woolwich.

Only little things, and I'm not being a pedant, I like finding little quirks like that. I just wondered if anyone knew of anything similar?

Awaiting your replies with interest

 

[Railsigns]

The "Westbound" map displayed at Argyle Street station portrays a mirror-image version of reality:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-mpd/8322849092/in/photostream

 

[tsr]

One which crops up quite frequently is Southern to London Charing Cross. I notice it in quite a few Southern publications which haven't been updated for a while. I seem to remember I even re-downloaded the Passenger Charter recently, and it was in that. It's also on the maps on some 45xs. There are other anomalies on those maps, compared to the present day, too - Imperial Wharf station isn't shown, for example.

Oh, and there's a couple of Tube line maps at one or two Northern Line stations which show the Jubilee Line terminating at Charing Cross.

 

[Singing Rails]

-The TFL interactive maps have incorrect markings for some things (e.g: the DLR logo for Overground stations)
-This may be on purpose, but FGW 165/166 to Oxford are advertised to didcot parkway on departure boards, but to oxford with onboard announcements
-Again probably on purpose but SW trains which go from waterloo to waterloo (via strawberry hill) are advertised as to strawberry hill until a certain point (somewhere around kingston I believe) which makes an interesting scene of trains to waterloo in both directions
-LU trains making announcements after the time for them has passed
-NR stations automatic announcements for trains that have already departed

not very good ones but hopefully they are interesting anyway =p

 

[tsr]

A classic on the Tube is "Please stand clear of the closing doors" (or any variant thereof) played after the doors have closed. Bonus marks to TfL if someone has just got stuck in the door and it is then reopened, triggering a repeat of the delayed announcement.

However, I think this thread is more about visual inaccuracies on maps and the like. I'd also like to mention the Braille/accessible station map at Redhill Station. It has features on the map key which don't exist at most Southern stations, let alone a medium-sized town station like Redhill.

Oh, and also... the East Croydon "Next departure to" boards. Couldn't they remove the option for Leamington Spa? Just put a vinyl sticker over, if nothing else.

 

[causton]

-This may be on purpose, but FGW 165/166 to Oxford are advertised to didcot parkway on departure boards, but to oxford with onboard announcements

That would be to stop people actually catching them to Oxford :P as of course you know there are faster options so people are encouraged to take those. Same happens at Kings Cross - at least, normally, as one time it didn't and some people barged their way onto the Cambridge xx06 train which is semi-fast and calls just about everywhere, making it depart late, when they sat down they said "What time does this get to Cambridge?" and someone politely informed them that if they read the departure board, the xx15 service ran non stop and would be overtaking them fairly shortly!

 

[Railsigns]

Apparently the Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway is about 20 miles long and crosses the West Coast Main Line:

 

[causton]

A classic on the Tube is "Please stand clear of the closing doors" (or any variant thereof) played after the doors have closed. Bonus marks to TfL if someone has just got stuck in the door.

Anyone after this, catch a Bakerloo line train. The "Please mind the closing doors" and the hustle alarm and the doors actually closing are rarely in sync

 

[tsr]

Anyone after this, catch a Bakerloo line train. The "Please mind the closing doors" and the hustle alarm and the doors actually closing are rarely in sync

Oh, quite, yes! For more hustle alarm inconsistencies, pick Coach 3 of any North/Westbound Jubilee Line train at London Bridge. For some reason, it almost never goes off towards the front of that coach at that station. The lack of alarm on many trains has been reported, but nobody seems to do anything about it. I often use those very trains on my commute (if that's the correct term for such odd journeys), and I have enough stops between there and Green Park to check that it's working elsewhere (it does work).

 

[NSE]

Some good replies thanks guys I can confirm the Bakerloo one myself haha. I also like the Central line map at Tottenham Court Road, illustrating so many discrepancies, such as the Metropolitan line over the H&C, the covered up Ongar branch, the lack of Jubilee at Stratford, and possibly the DLR too, I think the W&C is also still BR. The list goes on :P But its a good map to show these quirks :P

 

[Singing Rails]

I know that Greenford and Marylebone (amongst many others) still refer to NR as BR, I don't understand why, when the trouble has been gone to change announcements and maps and the majority of signage, BR still remains at a major station like marylebone, I suppose the average joe is not expected to tell the difference (or care?)

 

[NSE]

Aye tsr, that's the sort of stuff I'm looking for. And I should have thought of those at East Croydon, it also has Birmingham. Banbury, Coventry, Reading and Oxford I believe amongst others. Quite why they needed to be up there with the original service being only twice or once a day is beyond me as well.

And singing rails, I guess that's kinda my point. In Greenfords case it's an island platform, with national rail within it in a bay. I guess the staff know that to most people BR/NR is all but the same. Come to think of it, I think Moorgate might say it. I've never been to Greenford but now you mention it, I can picture a sign saying British Rail on the tube and the Marylebone one as well.

 

[EM2]

How about the platform indicators at Upton Park, which still refer to the H&C as part of the Met?

 

[sarahj]

The route guide in Southern trains where there is no P in Southampton. (fixed in later issues, but other faults still there)

 

[cjohnson]

I only ask, as I regularly frequent SWT 455's and the metro map (which may be on 458's and HC 450's) shows the following:

-Eurostar from Waterloo
-Littlehampton connections from Dorking (I could understand Bognor from Horsham, but AFAIK no Littlehampton trains regularly run along the Arun Valley?)
-Richmond station for connections to North Woolwich.

Those SWT metro maps also still show Kempton Park as open on race days only - it's had a full service since 2006!

 

[jopsuk]

Gone now, but for several years the NXEA network map appeared to show NXEA services continuing west of Peterborough (the version that GA use only shows "other operators"- ie XC/EMT). The GA version of the map continues to show the FCC service from Kings Lynn apparently terminating at Cambridge, rather than have an arrow indicating that connecting services run to Hertfordshire and onto Kings Cross.

 

[mr_jarhead]

The Maps on District Line (and possible Circle Line trains) do not show that Glouster Road has connections with the Circle, District and Piccadilly Lines

 

[LexyBoy]

Southeastern's network map shows Stratford International and St Pancras Highspeed as being within the Travelcard zones.

 

[jon0844]

The FCC route map (even the latest ones) shows trains to Gillingham when I am pretty sure there are no longer any services going there on the current timetable.

There was also a timetable some years back where National Express managed to misspell a station.. Arlesey became;

I should point out that this isn't a Photoshop joke; it really happened and they were recalled. No doubt some people thought they might be worth collecting!

 

[Deerfold]

The Maps on District Line (and possible Circle Line trains) do not show that Glouster Road has connections with the Circle, District and Piccadilly Lines

This may be deliberate - it's a far easier connection at South Kensington and slightly easier at Earl's Court.

 

[jb]

This may be deliberate - it's a far easier connection at South Kensington and slightly easier at Earl's Court.

I don't know why I know this, but I'm positive this is correct, and Gloucester Rd is not intended for connections for this very reason.

 

[tsr]

I don't know why I know this, but I'm positive this is correct, and Gloucester Rd is not intended for connections for this very reason.

Yes - having changed at all three stations, I agree this is probably the case, as Gloucester Road is indeed not the best place to change at.

 

[trentside]

There was one edition of EMT's Cleethorpes - Leicester timetable that omitted Newark North Gate, thus omitting the terminus of a number of their own services and failing to show connectional information for London. As I recall, they didn't withdraw them or reprint them, instead making do until the next timetable change.

 

[GatwickDepress]

I'm unsure whether the practice of affixing stickers to show operational additions to services on the Underground without replacing the whole in-carriage map is official and not a passive style of vandalism, but a Jubilee line train I was on last week showed Westminster as having a connection to the Overground.

 

[alex17595]

I have an XC timetable that has Cardiff central listed after Birmingham new street

 

[Deerfold]

I'm unsure whether the practice of affixing stickers to show operational additions to services on the Underground without replacing the whole in-carriage map is official and not a passive style of vandalism, but a Jubilee line train I was on last week showed Westminster as having a connection to the Overground.

LU do add stickers to maps - usually where there's a temporary closure, but that one sounds either unofficial or added in error.

 

[HullMichael]

A deliberate one is on the Harrogate line. Trains to Leeds appear as Burley Park on the boards at York (and Leeds is not mentioned at all in the list of stops), whereas trains to York appear as Poppleton on the boards at Leeds (again, York not mentioned at all)! This is to try to get people to use the quicker transpennine line between the two cities, but must be very confusing for those without local knowledge. A friendly guard explained this to me, as even an experienced rail traveller such as myself was unsure as to whether I'd be marooned at Burley Park!

 

[jon0844]

That is common practice all over the country, and quite possibly the world when there are faster services available that leave slightly later.

You'll usually find some sort of markings in a timetable too, alerting people to the fact that a later train might have an earlier arrival time on account of skipping stops.

I doubt many people are confused as they have no reason to know. Locals will quickly realise and may opt to take a slower service on the basis that it is more likely to have a seat, or it means being able to get on a train now and out of the cold/wet rather than waiting, or that disruption makes you think it might be delayed or cancelled and it's better to be on a train.

The only possible confusion is when a train has the real destination on the front/rear/side and it doesn't match what is shown on the departure board - which must cause a lot of people to ask if it's the right train.

In fact, that probably does explain why I usually get asked if the train stops at X when it says so outside, as they can see the board saying a train to Foxton calls at, say, Potters Bar - but the train they're getting on with the open doors doesn't say Foxton but rather Cambridge. It's not a major issue, but perhaps trains should be set to show the 'fake' destination until departing?

 

[tsr]

That is common practice all over the country, and quite possibly the world when there are faster services available that leave slightly later.

You'll usually find some sort of markings in a timetable too, alerting people to the fact that a later train might have an earlier arrival time on account of skipping stops.

I doubt many people are confused as they have no reason to know. Locals will quickly realise and may opt to take a slower service on the basis that it is more likely to have a seat, or it means being able to get on a train now and out of the cold/wet rather than waiting, or that disruption makes you think it might be delayed or cancelled and it's better to be on a train.

The only possible confusion is when a train has the real destination on the front/rear/side and it doesn't match what is shown on the departure board - which must cause a lot of people to ask if it's the right train.

In fact, that probably does explain why I usually get asked if the train stops at X when it says so outside, as they can see the board saying a train to Foxton calls at, say, Potters Bar - but the train they're getting on with the open doors doesn't say Foxton but rather Cambridge. It's not a major issue, but perhaps trains should be set to show the 'fake' destination until departing?

Reminds me of a train (mentioned on the forums previously) which was advertised at London Victoria and onboard as "Brighton & Preston Park" (it divided at somewhere like Three Bridges, with some coaches run fast to Brighton, and others going all-stops via Preston Park). Unfortunately, the boards at stations along the route insisted it was going to "Brighton & Brighton", which confused a lot of people! "Passengers for Brighton should the front four coaches of the train. Passengers for Brighton should join the rear four coaches of the train." (Or something like that!)

 

[Marvin]

For some time, the route maps at Smethwick Galton Bridge had one of the worst spellings of "Walsall" I've ever seen.

I hope the proofreaders were sacked!