Does anyone know what the problems at Gateshead were this morning? I boarded the 9:02 train for The Airport but as the previous Coast train was sat at the platform waiting for the signal to clear the Airport train was announced as the next train to arrive at platform 2 and you could see the headlights in the tunnel and when it arrived the same happened with the Monkseaton train being announced when the Airport train was waiting to clear.
This also happened last week causing at least two passengers that I heard of boarding a Regent Centre train thinking it was a Coast train.
I guess the circuits that trip the platform indicator don't take into account whether or not the train infront has cleared the platform but is it normal for trains to be bunched as close together as that?
Check the front of the train, ultimately. Mind you, the number of times I've seen trains (or been on trains) that say 'St James' on the front when they are heading to 'South Shields' is way too high - possibly once a week at least.
Fawdon Platform 2 seems to be the worst culprit as it seems the circuit to say where the train is, is on on the other side of the level crossing and as a result it says 'Due' after the train has left the platform.
If there was a problem, and the train behind was at a red signal (I believe the signal that protects Gateshead is about half way into the tunnel between Gateshead Stadium and Gateshead) then it's unlikely you would see the headlights, other than maybe a very very faint sign of the train being there.
Trains in the peak are often bunched together, especially so when a train is 2 minutes late. It's the main reason a 2 minute delay can have a much bigger impact. That 2 minute delay means the train that would have operated is now 1 minute late (at least) and will have to keep stopping and starting again whilst the originally delayed train gets later and later. This in turn causes trains behind to also start getting clogged up. The best way to see something like this is if you wait at Heworth in the evening, if a Pelaw terminator is only 1 minute late, it means trains can be held at Heworth whilst a train is also held between Heworth and Pelaw, and the terminating train is in Pelaw. On a really bad day trains can back up to Felling, and on one occasion I've seen them backed up to Gateshead.