This one interested me today. I got off at the front door of a 156 and by the time I reached the middle of the unit the guard closed the doors. A carrier bag was sticking out so the guard opened the doors again. An old boy got off the train and started to shout at the guard that the same thing happened on Tuesday. Now I'm sorry but I got half way down the train by the time he got half of his carrier bag out the door. He wasn't that slow because by the time I got to the guard he was right behind me to have a go.
I am not totally heartless and I know we get slower as we get older but come on. He wasn't that slow and feeble that he couldn't get down the train behind me and give the guard a mouthful.
Halfway down a single 156 isn't that far, about 22 metres or so from the front door, and if you were spritely getting off aswell then the Guard might not be leaving enough time between opening and closing the doors. That said, if it had previously happened to the 'gentleman' recently, I'd expect him to have been a bit quicker off the mark.
If this sort of thing had to be accommodated at every station then surely timings would start to slip, paths would be missed and the service would end up late, possibly causing better organised passengers to miss connections.
It should really be accounted for in the timetable, but that means longer journey times that no-one wants. It's a bit like the minimum suggested interchange times at stations, there will always be people saying it's too long and others saying it's not long enough.
Without wishing to put more pressure on guards (while stocks last :? ), perhaps when checking the ticket of an obviously less mobile passenger they could ask if they are okay for "alighting" at their stop or do they need help. If they do then maybe a few minutes before the guard could pass through and make sure bags have been retrieved and the passenger is ready for action.
It seems a reasonable suggestion, but how do you judge who needs help and who doesn't? Sure some are obvious, but some aren't, and there are many people out there, some of whom who really would benefit from a bit of assistance, who would react badly to even the suggestion that they might need that assistance.
I've been asked by an elderly woman who was blocking the aisle to get her case out from under a pile of them, despite being loaded with my own luggage. Some people don't think ahead.
Sadly this is not restricted to the older generation. Many people leave things to the very last second without planning ahead. In one case I had, a passenger, with family and luggage, turned up for a train an hour after the last connection for their ferry, the last of the day apparently.
Happens all the time and it's just one of those things, it generally is better for elderly and infirm passengers to remain seated until the train has completely stopped and if they a have fall the train really will be seriously delayed.
A guard I know said he always allows at least 30 seconds before closing the doors even if the train is running late.
30 seconds is good if there is room in the timetable, sadly in some areas this is only provided at major stations, with smaller stations having arrival and departure timed either 30 seconds apart or at the same time.
