carriage number displays.

[norbitonflyer]

Lots ofconfused people milling about at King's Cross today as the seat reservation system had failed on my train so there was no indication which coach was which (let alone which seats were reserved)
Having just spent time in Switzerland, where the coach numbers for each service are displayed on posters on each platform (whether for a regular interval service or a once a night sleeper), I wonder why it's not possible here

 

[GordonT]

Having just spent time in Switzerland, where the coach numbers for each service are displayed on posters on each platform (whether for a regular interval service or a once a night sleeper), I wonder why it's not possible here

Fragmentation, funding limitations, daily variations in length of formations and cancellations, last minute platform alterations etc. etc.

 

[birchesgreen]

This is often a problem with Cross Country as a lot of the displays on their trains are broken.

 

[signed]

Switzerland and Germany have a fixed platforming working, where platforms are set with the timetables, so they exactly know where each coach will be less the occasional platform change/stock change.

Italy main stations use digital screen that are presonnalized to the service, and France deals with their fixed repère système

 

[JonathanH]

Switzerland and Germany have a fixed platforming working, where platforms are set with the timetables, so they exactly know where each coach will be less the occasional platform change/stock change.

Don't we also do that? The difference is a more intensive timetable and consequent changes as a result of disruption. Once one train uses the wrong platform, it knocks the pattern out.

 

[occone]

This is often a problem with Cross Country as a lot of the displays on their trains are broken.

I've started photographing the broken displays on the outside of Voyagers. Once I get a good number, I'll make an album

 

[norbitonflyer]

And it happened again on the way back, with the TM apologising for the system not being able to cope with the train having ten coaches instead of nine - an extra coach would have been very welcome as the train was doing the work of two because of a previous cancellation, but in fact most of the extra length of a 2x5 Azuma is taken up wiith the two cabs and noses in the middle.

I've not used Azumas much, but I don't recall the seat reservation system failing before, let alone twice in succession.

 

[74A]

And it happened again on the way back, with the TM apologising for the system not being able to cope with the train having ten coaches instead of nine - an extra coach would have been very welcome as the train was doing the work of two because of a previous cancellation, but in fact most of the extra length of a 2x5 Azuma is taken up wiith the two cabs and noses in the middle.

Surprised the system does not work when you have 10 coaches instead of 9. On Great Western it does. I suppose it would be an amendment to the contract which Hitachi will want to charge extra for !