<Neilston> on Glasgow Central departure boards

[gsnedders]

Both myself and friend have noticed several times recently that Neilston departures from Glasgow Central end up in angle brackets as "<Neilston>"; the same isn't true for any other destination. Does anyone know why this is the case?

 

[318266]

It's a leftover from what I assume to be a bug with the display boards at the station.

A train to Stranraer would show up as calling at Dunlop, Stewarton, Kilmaurs, KILMARNOCK, Troon, Prestwick Town, AYR, Maybole, GIRVAN, Barrhill and STRANRAER.

Neilston was an odd one out, showing as <Neilston> rather than NEILSTON

So a destination board would show:

12:13 CARLISLE Platform 8
Calling at:
Dunlop
Stewarton
Kilmaurs
KILMARNOCK
Auchinleck
NEW CUMNOCK
Kirkconnel
Sanquhar
DUMFRIES
Annan
Gretna Green
and CARLISLE

FRONT 2 COACHES
ScotRail

 

[Clansman]

Other such bugs exist also. "USAN" was displayed on departure boards at all stations between Stirling and Aberdeen on a service last week which had a scheduled wait there.

 

[Ianigsy]

I've seen Heaton Lodge Junction advertised as a stop on a Saturday morning Leeds-Huddersfield stopper before now.

An interesting variant has been happening with the recorded announcements at Shipley over the last few weeks - occasionally you hear the announcement "This is a platform alteration. The 1830 service to Carlisle scheduled to call at platform (short silence) will now depart from Platform 2".

The idea of platform alterations at Shipley is an interesting one, although I've been on a Leeds-Ilkley before now which reversed there before heading up through Baildon when another unit had failed on the single track between Guiseley and Apperley Junction.

 

[Bantamzen]

I've seen Heaton Lodge Junction advertised as a stop on a Saturday morning Leeds-Huddersfield stopper before now.

An interesting variant has been happening with the recorded announcements at Shipley over the last few weeks - occasionally you hear the announcement "This is a platform alteration. The 1830 service to Carlisle scheduled to call at platform (short silence) will now depart from Platform 2".

The idea of platform alterations at Shipley is an interesting one, although I've been on a Leeds-Ilkley before now which reversed there before heading up through Baildon when another unit had failed on the single track between Guiseley and Apperley Junction.

The issue with the announcements at Shipley has been driving my OCD scatty recently, but its only certain services it seems to affect without any discernible pattern. I do wonder if there's some hangover in the data from when there have been platform alterations previously. For example sometimes Ilkley-Bradford services have been short stopped at Shipley, terminating at P1 or occasionally P2 before reversing back up to Ilkley. So I wonder if somewhere in the data these short-stops have been entered for previous disruption but then not properly removed afterwards leaving this announcement glitch?

 

[DuncanS]

Both myself and friend have noticed several times recently that Neilston departures from Glasgow Central end up in angle brackets as "<Neilston>"; the same isn't true for any other destination. Does anyone know why this is the case?

Its been like that for months now.

The departure boards at Falkirk, Cumbernauld and Queen Street also not being able to spell out the full word of Gartcosh is another weird quirk of the system.

 

[route101]

Its been like that for months now.

The departure boards at Falkirk, Cumbernauld and Queen Street also not being able to spell out the full word of Gartcosh is another weird quirk of the system.

At Queen St the auto announcer was repeating the service to Edinburgh via Cumbernauld a few times in a row

 

[mm333]

The issue with the announcements at Shipley has been driving my OCD scatty recently, but its only certain services it seems to affect without any discernible pattern. I do wonder if there's some hangover in the data from when there have been platform alterations previously. For example sometimes Ilkley-Bradford services have been short stopped at Shipley, terminating at P1 or occasionally P2 before reversing back up to Ilkley. So I wonder if somewhere in the data these short-stops have been entered for previous disruption but then not properly removed afterwards leaving this announcement glitch?

If you look at RTT for a random day in the future http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/sea...22/0200-0159?stp=WVS&show=pax-calls&order=wtt, then 79 of the 292 trains that call at Shipley are booked to call at platforms 2W, 3W and 5W, which don't exist with the W suffix. All but 2 of the Bradford-Ilkleys, for example, but nothing on platforms 1 and 4.

But if you look at a day passed http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/sea...10/0200-0159?stp=WVS&show=pax-calls&order=wtt none of the platforms used are *W platforms.

So something is triggering a correction in the system - perhaps signalling - and it's making the announcement, which says something like "previously due to depart on platform <blank> will now depart from platform <correct number>". And this is just in the system that runs the announcements. The PIS screens always show the right platform.

Not only does it fidget my OCD too, but it's an inconvenience and distraction, in case it is an actual change of platform. Which is very rare at Shipley. Apart from the recent blockade where Ilkley-Leeds trains came via Shipley, I think I've only boarded on a non-standard platform at Shipley once, when a Bradford-Ikley service started at Shipley but was formed on an ECS that had come down from Skipton and so departed from platform 1.

 

[JN114]

The *W platforms at Shipley are there for the benefit of the signalling system. The train operator should be able to teach their automated information systems to interpret it correctly at the schedule import stage; rather than an automatically triggered platform alteration at train time.

I thought they were previously *X, and handled without issue? Perhaps the recent migration of control to York ROC saw the “special” platforms re-lettered for some reason?

 

[Tom]

It's to highlight the difference with Newton, they're subtly different and when you're quickly glancing for your train (or more specifically, on that line, the destinations) it differentiates them better.

If you look at RTT for a random day in the future http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/sea...22/0200-0159?stp=WVS&show=pax-calls&order=wtt, then 79 of the 292 trains that call at Shipley are booked to call at platforms 2W, 3W and 5W, which don't exist with the W suffix. All but 2 of the Bradford-Ilkleys, for example, but nothing on platforms 1 and 4.

But if you look at a day passed http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/sea...10/0200-0159?stp=WVS&show=pax-calls&order=wtt none of the platforms used are *W platforms.

RTT uses its own reference tables and it will clear them down itself through the passage of trains past signals and is as such not connected to how CIS on stations work in that respect.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I've seen Heaton Lodge Junction advertised as a stop on a Saturday morning Leeds-Huddersfield stopper before now.

An interesting variant has been happening with the recorded announcements at Shipley over the last few weeks - occasionally you hear the announcement "This is a platform alteration. The 1830 service to Carlisle scheduled to call at platform (short silence) will now depart from Platform 2".

The idea of platform alterations at Shipley is an interesting one, although I've been on a Leeds-Ilkley before now which reversed there before heading up through Baildon when another unit had failed on the single track between Guiseley and Apperley Junction.

ATOS Annie at Manc Picc (the first implementation) used to say "the next train to depart platform <pause>" when referring to a replacement bus, though this was soon fixed to substitute "the station front" for the latter and "bus" for "train".

 

[Bletchleyite]

Does it actually show <NEILSTON> or is it <NEILSTN>?

If the latter, it's the TIPLOC code. These occasionally show on station PIS when the string table is missing the proper "translation".

 

[Tom]

It shows <Neilston>, it is a deliberate choice by Network Rail/ScotRail.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It shows <Neilston>, it is a deliberate choice by Network Rail/ScotRail.

What is the reason for the choice?

 

[OwlMan]

What is the reason for the choice?

As stated in post #10

It's to highlight the difference with Newton, they're subtly different and when you're quickly glancing for your train (or more specifically, on that line, the destinations) it differentiates them better.

 

[JN114]

What is the reason for the choice?

See post 10

 

[Bletchleyite]

See post 10

Ah yes, thanks, I read through and somehow missed it.

 

[DuncanS]

I have to admit I've made the Neilston/Newton mistake. Was quickly scanning the board to see which platform the Neilston train was leaving from in about 20 minutes time and saw a Neilston train leaving in 2 minutes from a platform right in front of me.

We'd pulled out of Central when I found out I was on the wrong train. Required a quick trip across the southside on foot to catch the right train.

 

[route101]

I have to admit I've made the Neilston/Newton mistake. Was quickly scanning the board to see which platform the Neilston train was leaving from in about 20 minutes time and saw a Neilston train leaving in 2 minutes from a platform right in front of me.

We'd pulled out of Central when I found out I was on the wrong train. Required a quick trip across the southside on foot to catch the right train.

There was a uni trip to Pollok Park last year and we were told to get train to Pollokshaws West . Half the class got the train to Polloksheilds West even know they were told and they didnt get the next train , they just gave up .

 

[Mag_seven]

they're subtly different

Not to me they're not.