GWR ask passengers to arrive 15 mins before departure

[Essan]

Most GWR trains at my local station only arrive a few seconds before the advertised departure time ....

 

[Nova1]

This sounds like usual customer service nonsense. I can tell you that operationally this simply doesn't happen.

I mean personally I like to show up at least 10 minutes before my train, especially at large terminus stations

 

[Coolzac]

This is all reminiscent of some airports which display in the departure area "Gate closing", so you hurry along to find that the incoming aircraft hasn't even parked yet.

What happens with this sort of message nonsense from operators is people find it's obviously wrong, do their own thing, and then take the same attitude to everything else as well.

As a non regular air traveller, I've had that before and it really bugs me. I remember once it caused me a panic as it had taken a long time to get through check in and security, saw gate closing, run to the gate, only to see that the plane wasn't there, and the staff not even there yet. I was not happy!

 

[Horizon22]

I mean personally I like to show up at least 10 minutes before my train, especially at large terminus stations

Yes there's nothing wrong with 10-15 minutes turning up beforehand as trains will usually be boarded by then at major London terminals (barring any late running). If trains are completely full and standing, they may be removed from departure screens early, but that's quite rare.

 

[Starmill]

I know on the network there was regular notices written in timetables etc about asking travellers to be at the station 15 mins before travel, this has been around since I can remember.

I can confirm that I have never, ever seen a notice written in a timetable or elsewhere asking passengers to be there 15 minutes before departure.

 

[185]

GWR's 15 minutes seems fair, to get through security, visit duty free and walk to the gate.... (the wooden one at the end of Lelant Saltings)

15 minutes!?! ...perhaps at Paddington, but anywhere else - doors all shut at 30 seconds before is reasonable.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

I think the practice of locking doors 2 minutes early for long distance trains and 1 minute early for local trains is fair enough to ensure a punctual railway.

Punctuality is defined by the time you arrive at your destination. That's not a function of how the departure time is written in the printed/online timetable.

 

[75A]

I mean personally I like to show up at least 10 minutes before my train, especially at large terminus stations

That was the joy of being a commuter from Woking for many years, as the train left the platform the next one was already waiting at the signal, and if you looked you could probably see one behind that as well. Mind you, you'd never get a seat!

 

[davews]

At Waterloo I usually turn up 15 to 20 minutes ahead of a train (having just missed one...) then along with everybody else hang around for 10 minutes waiting for them to put the platform on the departure board. They never let you on the train until 10 minutes before, sometimes as short as 5 minutes.

 

[Horizon22]

At Waterloo I usually turn up 15 to 20 minutes ahead of a train (having just missed one...) then along with everybody else hang around for 10 minutes waiting for them to put the platform on the departure board. They never let you on the train until 10 minutes before, sometimes as short as 5 minutes.

Each terminal, service and TOC will be different. Some services have relatively short turn-arounds so it's natural that services won't be advertised beforehand. There could also be late running too. And the service may be cleaned / prepped prior to departure. A service might also be ready to board but sometimes the doors aren't open either. Lots of factors to consider.

 

[Snow1964]

At Waterloo I usually turn up 15 to 20 minutes ahead of a train (having just missed one...) then along with everybody else hang around for 10 minutes waiting for them to put the platform on the departure board. They never let you on the train until 10 minutes before, sometimes as short as 5 minutes.

On the suburban at Waterloo, has sometimes been under 2 minutes to announce platform, if incoming train is late. But there are lots of gates ano everyone just goes for it in a big surge (pre COVID) and usually nearly collide with passengers getting off.

 

[alistairlees]

This entire thread of outrage appears to be based on one tweet by one customer service person, unless I am mistaken?

 

[Horizon22]

This entire thread of outrage appears to be based on one tweet by one customer service person, unless I am mistaken?

Don't even know if its a tweet as the OP has never posted before and didn't give details from which medium this was recieved from customer service.

 

[6Gman]

This entire thread of outrage appears to be based on one tweet by one customer service person, unless I am mistaken?

And advice presumably referring to departures from originating and large stations.

And as has already been suggested really "nothing to see here" territory.

 

[Snow1964]

And advice presumably referring to departures from originating and large stations.

And as has already been suggested really "nothing to see here" territory.

But a statement by customer services, is likely to be taken as official policy by the average person in the street.

It is either policy that has been advised, or a falsehood / misleading lie issued in the name of the Company. Not really a nothing to see.

It it was an error would normally expect a correction to be subsequently issued.

 

[Falcon1200]

Yesterday I, along with a lot of other people, was on Platform 4 at Gloucester in plenty of time for the 1414 to Paddington (1359 ex Cheltenham), only for us, and apparently the station staff, to have no idea the train was actually going from Platform 3 until we saw it arriving. Cue a mad dash back over the footbridge. Not much point arriving 15, or any, minutes early in that particular case !

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

I think the practice of locking doors 2 minutes early for long distance trains and 1 minute early for local trains is fair enough to ensure a punctual railway. And there are a lot of instances I've seen guards let in people through their door when the train is about to depart.

Trains leaving 2 mins early create as much performance issues as one running 2mins late on routes running at full capacity. Also this used to be managed by having the advertised time earlier than the working timetable time so when a passenger is told train departs at 0910 thats when it goes and thats the time you will have in your mind not two minutes earlier. Of course planning your time so you have a few mins in hand is sensible but life doesn't always goes as we want.

 

[yorkie]

I think the practice of locking doors 2 minutes early for long distance trains and 1 minute early for local trains is fair enough to ensure a punctual railway...

If the railway wants to lock doors 2 minutes earlier, they should amend the public timetable times to be 2 minutes earlier than the working timetable. Problem solved! Until then, 30 seconds is the absolute maximum I deem acceptable.

 

[Horizon22]

If the railway wants to lock doors 2 minutes earlier, they should amend the public timetable times to be 2 minutes earlier than the working timetable. Problem solved! Until then, 30 seconds is the absolute maximum I deem acceptable.

Yep that's one way! Many will go with 40 seconds also to go through the dispatch process and ensure the wheels are turning at xx:xx:00. At most terminals, trains are removed from departure screens 2 minutes prior anyway to prevent last minute rushing.

 

[galwhv69]

At London Victoria they announce around a minute beeforehand that each train is ready to leave (at least for Southeastern), and tell passengers that it's the last call for boarding

 

[Horizon22]

At London Victoria they announce around a minute beeforehand that each train is ready to leave (at least for Southeastern), and tell passengers that it's the last call for boarding

It's 3 minutes and is again optional and variable by TOC with the phrase "...which is ready to leave".

 

[CeeJ]

Similarly it was common on the Southeastern metro route to Gravesend to see Norfleet, Southfleet and Stone Crossing with a 'Train departed 2 minutes early.' No idea if it still happens, but I would be very peeved if I arrived at the platform with 90 seconds until departure time to see it'd already left!

 

[galwhv69]

It's 3 minutes and is again optional and variable by TOC with the phrase "...which is ready to leave".

Think it varies, sometimes it is announced a few minutes prior, but recently I did hear the announcement for a Medway service less than a minute before doors closed. It goes something like "Would passengers travelling on this service please board the train now as it is ready to leave" IIRC?

 

[CentralTrainer]

“We do ask that customers arrive 3 hours at Berney Arms before their intended journey as the walk can be take a while during this time.”

 

[whoosh]

15 minutes?!

Even 2 minutes is utterly ridiculous.


I press 'doors close' at T-12 seconds, get interlock, check the monitors, check the signal, and wheels move on the dot.
Up to 1 minute with all the bat waving and ding ding station staff and guard stuff isn't unrealistic, but anything longer is just a bum-covering, inefficient, lazy, customer-unfriendly way to meet targets and shouldn't be allowed.

 

[Horizon22]

Think it varies, sometimes it is announced a few minutes prior, but recently I did hear the announcement for a Medway service less than a minute before doors closed. It goes something like "Would passengers travelling on this service please board the train now as it is ready to leave" IIRC?

Yes that’s the phrase. It can also be played manually by a controller as a “last call” should there be late running - which could include after departure time.

 

[ThisIsSurbiton]

If the railway wants to lock doors 2 minutes earlier, they should amend the public timetable times to be 2 minutes earlier than the working timetable. Problem solved! Until then, 30 seconds is the absolute maximum I deem acceptable.

Absolutely agree. Is that not at least partly what a working timetable is for? Or make it very clear on the ticket, as RENFE does for long-distance trains, that you're out of luck within two minutes of departure. This could be mainly about the security check, which I think is unique in Europe, before getting on those trains. (BTW, done very efficiently and politely.)

Up to 1 minute with all the bat waving and ding ding station staff and guard stuff isn't unrealistic, but anything longer is just a bum-covering, inefficient, lazy, customer-unfriendly way to meet targets and shouldn't be allowed.

And that half or one minute could be the WTT difference, couldn't it? I think the thing that reveals the original message to be a sloppy mangling of ideas is calling the reason "health and safety". As important as that is, it's not really what we're talking about.

 

[Lockwood]

Haven't there been threads before where people have been chewed out on here for not getting to their platform at an intermediate station 10 minutes early?

I know that Trial by RUK and official TOC comms are different, but it does seem like a bit of a disparity here?


Context: can't remember the exact thread, but someone upset about being stuck on the wrong side of a station level crossing and missing their train. And getting to that station in what they thought would be adequate time to buy tickets and get to their platform.

 

[Stigy]

I have been in contact with GWR as one guard decided to close the doors 1 min 30 secs before departures (much more than 40 seconds they advertise!), and the customer support gave this reason:



To me it seems ridiculous to ask passengers to arrive 15 mins early!

Thankfully, I haven't seen it, but does anyone have any ideas what health and safety procedures require train doors to be closed 15 mins before departure?

I think 15 minutes is a bit extreme (depending on the size of the station and whether you need to allow time to purchase a ticket etc), but I can’t get my head around how some customers take to Twitter etc and complain that their train left early, when the train is booked to leave at, say 1215 and they arrived at 1214 and 30 seconds and were angry to see the doors locked and the train about to depart.

What kind of world do we live in where people think it’s reasonable to turn up seconds before departure. I appreciate life throws a few obstacles in our way and it sometimes goes like that, but it seems to happen an awful lot on the railway, where people time their arrival at the station to within seconds of when their train is due to depart. It just requires a bit of prior planning in most cases, but the general public seem to think it’s someone else’s responsibility a lot of the time.

If I was travelling from an unfamiliar station and had to buy a ticket etc, I’d be aiming to be on the platform in good time for my train, and wouldn’t want to leave it to within even five minutes of departure time.

 

[swt_passenger]

I think 15 minutes is a bit extreme (depending on the size of the station and whether you need to allow time to purchase a ticket etc), but I can’t get my head around how some customers take to Twitter etc and complain that their train left early, when the train is booked to leave at, say 1215 and they arrived at 1214 and 30 seconds and were angry to see the doors locked and the train about to depart.

What kind of world do we live in where people think it’s reasonable to turn up seconds before departure. I appreciate life throws a few obstacles in our way and it sometimes goes like that, but it seems to happen an awful lot on the railway, where people time their arrival at the station to within seconds of when their train is due to depart. It just requires a bit of prior planning in most cases, but the general public seem to think it’s someone else’s responsibility a lot of the time.

Threads like this, (and there‘ve been quite a few), often drift towards this argument about why the doors should not close until the exact time on the displays. I don’t believe the railway has ever operated like that, and doesn’t need to if people exercise common sense.